How Could I Afford to Travel?

The most common question I get asked about my travels is:

“How do you have enough money to travel for that long???”

I most recently backpacked around Southeast Asia for 10 months (it was supposed to be much longer but thank you Mr. Corona for ruining my plans). I am unfortunately not a billionaire nor did I ask daddy to fund my trip; rather I worked for it (gasp!).

My first time backpacking I traveled all around western Europe for two months post high school graduation. The entire trip was funded by my hostessing, babysitting, and tutoring gigs. The second trip I took was my first solo backpacking venture during the summer of my junior year of college. That trip was funded through babysitting and some savings from years prior. My most recent and longest trip was the 10 month stint that I started right after I graduated from college. As I began my senior year I decided to get the highest paying job I could find to  make as much money as possible. I wanted to ensure that the second I graduated, I was on a flight. After many interviews I got a part-time job working as a waitress at a pretty nice (and overpriced) restaurant turned bar in the evenings. I kid you not my entire trip was funded by the kind tips given to me at that place.

My coworker and I working Halloween night in Boston, Massachusetts.

I saved every penny I made and put it directly into a savings account that I didn’t allow myself to touch. I do want to point out that while in college I was fortunate enough to have my parents helping me with rent and groceries which is why I was able to save a lot quicker.

I worked part-time for 8 months in total and I made roughly 17,000 dollars on tips alone.

A very unflattering image of my face after a 16 hour shift standing on my feet.

I know this isn’t an option for those who live outside of America since tipping culture isn’t really a thing. But for Americans who want quick money I highly recommend working at a busy restaurant, gluing a smile to your face, and watching the money roll in. Working at a fancy-ish restaurant is key because the bill racks up quickly and you should be making 15-20% on each tab.

To be clear, the money was great but the experience was soul sucking. During the night shift I would work 5pm-3am; then have a full day of classes in the morning. (I’ve had to stay till 5am before if I’m closing). The whole shift I’m on my feet, carrying heavy trays of food, and at the beck and call of the customer. I dealt with entitled Karens and handsy frat boys. I came home smelling like french fry grease and I gained weight eating all the leftovers. I was constantly cleaning spilled wine and picking up broken glass. The amount of silverware I polished and napkins I folded should break a world record.  I could go on but you get the point. It was rough but I knew it was my means to an end. My goal was to backpack and I knew all of this f*ckery would be worth it when I was sipping on a marg in Bali. And let me tell you, it was 🙂

 If you want it bad enough, you can save up and buy that ticket. You can always make more money when you come back home and continue on with your career. When you are 70 and looking back on your life I promise you, the “gap in your resume” will not have mattered. I think a lot of people want to travel but never do because of the time and costs. It really depends on each person and what matters most to them. Some people want to feel secure by having a hefty savings account. Others, like me, couldn’t care less about having savings. When I make money, I spend it. Then when I run out, I get a job and make some more. The most important thing to me is seeing this crazy beautiful planet so it’s a no brainer to spend everything I have to be able to satisfy my wanderlust.

There is a misconception that traveling requires all this money. After you buy the plane ticket, the rest of the costs can be tailored to your budget. Southeast Asia or South America are the cheapest places to backpack where your money really goes a long way. I would budget roughly 1,000-2,000 a month total. The price can go up or down depending on your style of travel. If you are like me and mainly staying in cheap hostels, eating at non-western restaurants, and taking buses; then you only need around 1,500 a month. You can travel for a lot cheaper than this too but I like treating myself from time to time by going to nice restaurants and doing the expensive excursions. Of course the price can go way up if you fancyyyyy or you buy lots of drinks and do nightly bar crawls. Pro tip: split a bottle of alch from the store and pregame pregame pregame.