Step 5 Start saving money Follow my list of 20 ways to cut your expenses to watch your bank balance

Why Jessica is Never Going to Ireland With Her Boyfriend But You Can Realize Your Dreams to Go Anywhere | Nomadic Matt s Travel car code discount enterprise rent Site Search the site: Stay in touch: Home About Me Travel Tips Travel Blog Travel Store Travel Guides Travel Videos Links Contact Tweet Why Jessica is Never Going to Ireland With Her Boyfriend But You Can Realize Your Dreams to Go Anywhere
"Your job sounds like the most exciting job in the world," the cute blond girl let's call her Jessica said to me. Jessica had just overheard a conversation with some friends I hadn't seen in years and they were peppering me with questions about my job and lifestyle. car code discount enterprise rent People I meet usually do, and I've gotten used it.
Normally when I'm asked about these things, I talk a little car code discount enterprise rent bit about my travel guides section, hand over my business card, and tell the person to e-mail me. On my free time, I don't want to turn into someone's travel agent. But this was a good excuse to talk to a pretty face longer.
car code discount enterprise rent "Well, the first thing you should do is go home, and each of you should sign up for a travel-related credit card, get 50 thousand car code discount enterprise rent miles as a sign-up bonus, and use them for a free flight. That's step one." I said.
As our conversation continued car code discount enterprise rent for a bit longer, Jessica was amazed car code discount enterprise rent at all the traveling I've done. "You are either rich or get paid a lot of money," she said to me. "Nope," I told her. "You just need $50 dollars a day, which works out to $18,000 car code discount enterprise rent per year."
After years of talking car code discount enterprise rent to people about travel, I can tell when people are serious. My friend's friend who wrote down the name of companies and websites over a beer was serious. Jessica? car code discount enterprise rent She's not going to Ireland with her boyfriend anytime soon.
Ads like this create the idea that travel is a luxurious escape from the tedious nature of our lives. And to get to that fabulous place where fun awaits you, we have to pay for it. It's amazing car code discount enterprise rent marketing, even if it is a bit evil. Magazines show high-price ads, resorts, car code discount enterprise rent and tours. Even budget magazine hotel "deals" are $100 dollars per night. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound budget to me! The whole industry colludes to reinforce this image that travel is a luxury that can only be rarely afforded.
So what happens? Bombarded by all of these ads, we assume it is the norm. "This is what you have to spend when you go traveling," we think. Maybe one day, you'll find a good deal but you're still spending thousands for even a quick trip to Ireland.
And no matter how may tips or tricks I lay out there, they are too hard to believe. Jessica might be intrigued, she might be interested, but she won't commit. Because the weight of everything she has learned over the years is too great for me to break through. It seems just seems too fantastical to her. Like it can't be real and if it is, it's unattainable for the average person.
For starters, car code discount enterprise rent people like the path of least resistance. And my way requires more effort. You have to be your own travel agent. It's a lot more work – I spend a few hours booking flights, doing research, and comparing deals. But you know what's easier? Going online and picking the first deal you see, packing, and setting off on your trip. The path of least resistance is usually the most followed.
Secondly, there's no frame of reference. People have no experience with my way.  I'm just a stranger on the bus. I'm just a guy at a bar and no matter how logical my argument is, Jessica will still be skeptical. Because she has no proof that this works. To Jessica, I could be selling a Ponzi scheme. But since everyone takes trips the easy way, she knows it, she understands it, and she'll do it too.
But the girl who took notes?  Since I'm a friend of a friend, I come with trust built-in. My friend has vouched for me and my ways. She is far more likely to go up, look up what I said, read my site, and book a trip using my methods.
If you are on this website, you've probably overcome both of these barriers. Why do I have "featured in" all over this site? So people car code discount enterprise rent can see that my advice has been vouched for.  In the age of faceless Internet sites, car code discount enterprise rent trust is the most important thing out there.  Jessica has no reason to disbelieve me but she has no reason to believe me, either.
If you are from Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or some other country where people travel a lot, you've probably met people who have traveled around the world, car code discount enterprise rent thus you know this idea isn't just for the rich – it is for everyone.
My friend Joe has been dying to go to Amsterdam since I've known him. He loves to smoke weed and gamble and there's both weed and good poker in Amsterdam.  Every summer when I go to Europe, I say "Joe, come with me." He says "I'm busy."  Last year, he quit his job. Did he come with me? Nope. In fact, I had to physically be there while he applied for his passport to get him to do it. So while Joe overcame barrier #2, he needed to overcome barrier #1.
Which is why I know Jessica so well.  Because her story is like so many others I've encountered over the years. I've seen it happen so many times before that based on the conversations I've had, I can just tell. I know how committed people are to travel when I speak to them.
As I reflected on my encounter with Jessica, I realized car code discount enterprise rent that if I was going to send someone to Ireland, I needed to make it easy. I needed to hold someone's hand through the process as much as I needed to inspire them to go.
I don't want to listen to people any longer as they tell me how amazing my job/life/way car code discount enterprise rent of being is. I don't want people to tell me they will do it tomorrow or there is some bill that needs to be paid. I often feel like I'm banging my head against a wall screaming "YOU CAN DO THIS!" but no one listens.  And I realized car code discount enterprise rent it's because I've never made it easy for the Jessicas and Joes of the world.
Step 1 Decide where you want to go A lot of people talk about travel without naming where they want to visit – they talk vaguely about places. Picking a place is utterly car code discount enterprise rent important. It helps you plan better car code discount enterprise rent and makes your trip more concrete. It's a lot easier to say "I am going to Paris" than say "I'm going somewhere car code discount enterprise rent in Europe." You need a goal to work towards.
Step 2 Plan how long you'll be away How much does it cost to travel? I don't know  how long are you going away for? You can't figure out how much you need to save if you haven't decided on how long you'll be there. Every place in the world is different.
These two are important first steps because you can't know how much you need for your trip if you don't know where you want to go and for how long. When I planned my original round the world trip, I made a list of all the places I wanted to visit and how long I wanted to be there. You don't need to know the exact dates you will be in each place, but you should have a rough idea.
Step 3 Determine what kind of vacation you want Budget travel, backpacking, car code discount enterprise rent luxury trip, or a honeymoon – because you're going to plan differently for each. You can travel the world on $50 dollars a day , but not every destination is equal and every type of travel requires a different budget.
Step 4 Research costs Research how much your destination costs at the style of travel you want so that you can create an estimate of how much money you need for your trip. You can begin with my travel guide section or simply go buy a guidebook. All you want to know here is a rough daily estimate. This way you know how much you need for your trip so you can determine the best way to save that amount.
Step 4 Determine your expenses Write down all your expenses. Now that you know where you want to go and how much you need, now you need to save. By writing down all your expenses you can determine where you are spending money and how you can cut back.
Step 5 Start saving money Follow my list of 20 ways to cut your expenses car code discount enterprise rent to watch your bank balance grow . Put a number to how much you need. For example, if you need $2,000 dollars for your trip that is in 8 months, car code discount enterprise rent that means you only need to save $8.33 USD per day. Doesn't that make that larger number more attainable? Couldn't you find a way to save $8 USD per day?  Here are some featured tips: Cut the coffee That daily coffee costs you $150 per month ($5 per coffee). At $1,800 car code discount enterprise rent USD per year, that's two months in Southeast Asia. What's more important – your daily cup of Joe or getting to spend two more months on the beaches of Thailand or exploring the jungles of Borneo in Malaysia? Learn to cook – We all need to eat but restaurants are getting quite expensive these days. Even with this recession, coming back to the US I've noticed that food prices are a lot higher than they used to be. I learned to cook while in college (a skill that has helped me ever since) and before I left, I cut down my eating out to two times per week. Every other meal was cooked. I cooked dinner and then used the leftovers to eat lunch, thus saving more money. Lose the car Cars cost a lot of money between insurance, repairs, and filling your tank with gas (Current average price: $4 USD per gallon). Learn to love the bus, take the subway, or walk. It took me longer to get to work using public transportation but you'll find that you don't really need a car as much as you think. I understand that this tip may not be feasible for everyone, especially those in smaller car code discount enterprise rent towns that don't have a good public transportation system, but a good alternative is to sell your car and buy a cheaper used car. Get rid of cable In the age of Hulu and free (and legal) streaming TV, there's no reason for you to be spending $50 USD per month on cable television. Sign up for travel newsletters – No one likes to clutter up their inbox, but by signing up for mailing lists from airlines and travel companies, you'll be able to get updates about all the last-minute or special deals that are happening. I would have missed out on a round trip ticket to Japan for $700 USD (normally $1,500) if it wasn't for the American Airlines mailing list.
Step 6 Get a re