When I was in second grade, my dream was to be a teacher. I am a Kindergarten Teacher and I have been teaching for the last 14 years. So you can say I am living my dream.
As I got older, I dreamed another big dream. My new dream was to be able to see the world. A five years ago, I followed my dream and started to travel. My long weekend trips turned into going somewhere for a week during the holidays. That eventually turned into going somewhere for the entire summer. Now, I am traveling for the entire year! My school district granted me a year long Travel Sabbatical! Yes! dreams do come true!
Teachers in the classroom oftentimes think that traveling is not possible because traveling can be very expensive. And it's true, traveling can be very expensive. But with careful saving and planning, dreams of traveling the world can become your reality.
I am a classroom teacher of 14 years. During these 14 years, I have traveled to over 20 countries. I have traveled with family and friends but mostly, I have traveled alone. Solo traveling allows me the flexibility to travel as much as I want and for as long as I want. Not all my travels have been extravagant but I have explored and adventured to more places than I ever thought I could. I have always loved to explore and adventure to new places.
Yes, traveling can be expensive and yes, teachers do not make a lot of money. But traveling is possible. You can come up with a million excuses why you couldn't travel. Then you will never go. Manifest your dream into reality. Say you will go and take all the possible actions to make your dream come true. You can start with taking one small step to make some changes in your life. Once you put your mind and focus on your dream, your life will be changed forever.
I am going to share some things I have learned during my travels to make traveling more affordable. Some travel expenses can be dramatically reduced if you are willing to allow yourself to let go of the misconceptions of traveling as expenses. Try changing your mindset to traveling as an experience. Studies have shown that spending our hard earned money on experiences actually makes people happier. And come on, experiences does not have monetary value, right? Experiences change who you are, it opens your mind and heart to unlimited possibilities. The value of these experiences can alter your perspective on how you're going to spend your time and money. You get to pick and choose your experiences just like you pick and choose your battles in life.
Flight
The most expensive price tag on traveling is the airfare. I always check airfares on Tuesdays. From my experience, Tuesdays are days when new promotions come out from different airlines. Make sure you go "incognito" on Google Chrome before you start researching for your travels. This is a hack I learned early on when I started researching places to travel to. I've read books on travel hacking and traveling on a budget. I learned that the more people who search trips to certain areas during certain times, the analytics and algorithms of the websites you visit drives the price up. I use google flights to search where the cheapest destinations are "incognito". Usually round trip flights are cheaper than one way flights. So definitely be willing to research different routes and options. Sometimes buying a route with a layover to your destination might be cheaper. You just don't take the second leg of the trip. Also check the airline's actual websites as well to see if the company is running any promotional flights. Sign up for travel newsletters and airlines so that you can always be on the look out for the best deals!
Accommodation
I love staying at hostels because it's such a fun place to stay with other travelers and meet new people from all over the world. It's also probably the most affordable if you are traveling long term. With that said, it's also a place where people stay to hang out and mix and mingle. With 2020, traveling has forever changed what it used to be. Hostels might not be the ideal choice, but all hotels, hostels, airbnbs have raised their bar in keeping everyone safer and healthy. I have noticed an enhanced level of cleanliness all around. So, I started to stick with places that are slightly more expensive but I have the comfort of knowing that I have a clean, safe place to stay where I can social distance and be on my own.
A few tips on booking hotels is that first check on websites such as Hotels.com, Booking.com, other travel comparison sites to compare prices and then check out the actual hotel websites as well. Sometimes prices are very different on all the websites so please shop around before committing to a hotel. I love to book at places that gives flexibility on cancellations and I always make sure I read all the reviews.
Experience
Experiences are what makes traveling memorable. Experiences are the reason why I love to travel. I love unexpected moments and starting each travel day with a general plan but being open to new opportunities and experiences. I love meeting new people especially meeting the locals and learning about the history and their stories. Serendipitous moments like these makes traveling more fun and meaningful. It takes you outside your comfort zone and opens your eyes to other people's way of life. There is so much to learn from other's history, cultures, traditions, foods, experiences, which brings everyone together.
A part of traveling to different places is also to learn the history about each place. I enjoy visiting cities with rich history I learned when I was in school. Each city and country I visit always has free walking tours which is how I start my exploring when I get to a new place. From there I start exploring by walking around to see where my two feet can take me.
New experiences can come in many shapes and sizes, different budgets and it can look different depending on what you want to do. It can be costly or it can be completely free. I always try to stay on the side of affordable but if there's opportunities where an experience sounds too great to pass up, I will splurge on the experience and cut something else in my budget.
Food
Food is usually the highlight of my trips. I love looking for new, unique local cuisine to try. My favorite places are usually what is recommended by the locals who live in the places I'm visiting. When you go to local spots, the prices are usually more affordable compared to touristy restaurants. Some of my favorite things eat while I travel are street foods. Fresh, small portions, quick and affordable bites to eat on the go. Sometimes I would splurge and treat myself to a nice meal at a fancy restaurant but it's rare. I would always prefer to eat small, quick bites and explore and adventure more outdoors.
Conclusion
Traveling like a teacher may not be an ideal traveling experience for most people. But traveling on a budget, I was able to travel to 20+ countries in the last 5 years and for longer periods of time each time I left the comfort of my home.
Budget friendly traveling allowed me to truly understand and appreciate the little things in life. I began to realize that I have a lot more than most people my age and it is a privilege to have this incredible life and be able to have so many travel opportunities. For that I am truly grateful and I do not take that for granted at all. Given the life I was given, I worked very hard to get to where I am. I want to make every moment count and live life to the fullest. Making little moments big and making big moments meaningful is my ultimate goal in life. Whether it's in the comfort of my own home or traveling the world, gaining experiences and stepping outside the comfort zone, my safe haven, is the only way I know how to continue my life and learn more about this world that we all live in.
