I bought my first cell phone in high school by saving every coin that I could spare out of my microscopic pocket money and putting it in a piggy bank. After two months when I finally broke my piggy bank, I had Rs 5500 which I would have never been able to manage otherwise. That day I knew I could get whatever I want; I just need to know if it is my priority.
My friends and colleagues often assume that I must be having a hefty package to manage such trips. I always tell them – ‘It is about what you really want. Money gets created.’ Here are some of the ways how I get the money I need to travel.
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| Image Source: www.bostinno.com |
1. Give up unnecessary shopping: If you REALLY want to travel just give up the urge to buy that dress in a mall that’s tagged Rs. 5000. Give up the need to compare your possessions with those of your friends’ – that flashy phone, expensive perfume, heavy bracelet, swanky shoes or a swiss watch. I tell you, there is no end to desire – The question is, Is your desire fulfilling your passion?
2. How do you travel around: Do you take a public bus or a private cab? Do you prefer the metro or drive yourself? I have never hired a cab in my life, not even when I could afford it. I either use the metro or my CNG fuelled car. Every time I do this, I know that my work is being done but at the same time some money is going into the savings for my next trip
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| Zaanse Schans, Netherlands |
3. Declare your next destination: As long as I do not know where I am going after 2 months, the whole affair will be a hazy dream which MAY get realized one day. The moment I declare and book tickets, I start to manage all my life and expenses around it, and in the end it happens – The universe conspires to open up new ways for me
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| Motor-Biking, Northern Thailand |
4. Gifts: I have never bought anything from the market as a gift. Either I don’t gift, or gift something that is made by my own hands. I believe that something that I make with my own hands always has greater value than an expensive watch that burns a hole in my pocket
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| Isle of Wight, England |
5. The Indian extravagance: We will save for years, to spend it all ONE DAY on that marriage ceremony, that car, that house. We will then show it off. Is my car bigger than my neighbours? Did everyone notice my jewellery in today’s party? I don’t know if I will see tomorrow’s sunrise, I would rather do what I always wanted to do, today. I would choose to do a court marriage and spend all my money hiking across eastern Europe with my wife
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| Eiffel Tower, Paris |
6. Sell off unwanted things: When I looked into my cupboard last year, I saw that most of it was stuffed with things that I no longer need. I sold my music system, my old iMac, my pen tablet (never unboxed it anyways), and bought a flight ticket to Bangkok
What did you sell off for your last trip?
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| Florence, Italy
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7. I don’t eat or drink out: Not that I never do it, but I know the more I do it the more it will suck out my money. Drinking out is catastrophic. I would rather buy a whole bottle and enjoy with my friends on a rooftop under the stars than burning away my money in a bar on mere droplets that they serve. It doesn’t even get me on a high
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| Angkor Wat, Cambodia |
8. Having money is not decisive: Most of my friends earn more than me, they have bigger cars, better cellphones, more expensive houses, they eat in fine restaurants, drink in flashy pubs, wear branded clothes and go to the parlour more often. Maybe that’s what gives them true happiness, good enough. But there are a lot of us who do it because everyone around us is doing it
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| Jungfrau, Switzerland |
9. Having a little courage is all it takes: When I went to Thailand, I had to face questions like – What BENEFIT will you get by going there? What about the investment that you were planning to make? Why are you going alone? I also got lot of suggestions – ‘You could go to some place that’s cheaper’, ‘Get married and then go’. I am rebellious since birth and do what I am passionate about. I am sure that worked
Do you have your stories where you chose to be courageous?
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| Yi Peng Festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand |
10. Travel cheap, travel far: I spent almost a month in South east asia and ended up spending much less than what an average Indian would spend on a week’s trip somewhere in India. I cooked my own food, stayed in hostels, travelled in local buses. I think it brought me all the more close to locals. Surprisingly, I never felt that I was cutting corners on anything. I had red wine by the beach watching a sunset, a beer on the highest roof top and the most expensive bar in Bangkok, attended beach parties, indulged in Thai massages, foot scrubs, sauna and fish spa, motor-biked in Northern Thailand and got some souvenirs also
At the end of the day, I want to inspire you to follow your passion and to ‘Give your life to it‘.
Do you follow any other ways to generate money to travel? If yes, share with us in comments.
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Gaurav Bhatnagar
Travel Writer, Photographer, Public Speaker, Entrepreneur @ www.thefolktales.com
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Awesome article bro!!
Thanks Soubhagya.. for reading.. 🙂
je hui na baat! Now thats a pro article. All the best for your travels. Be a Musafir
Thanks Shankar… 🙂
Great article! 🙂
Thanks Priyanka. It is always inspiring when people come and read….:-)
very well written… 🙂 the context to write this article is so clear… 🙂 all the best for your future tours… 🙂
Where there's a will there's a way… 🙂
Hey. Thanks 🙂
Hey Gaurav… This is so well written…at most of the places you have written things which I also have faced at some point of time…its a great art to put these into words…great work 🙂
Thanks Padma. Minds of travelers resonate on the same frequency which is incomprehensible otherwise 😛
Well I don't save dat much.I love fashion,so anything which comes is in my list.I also work part time alongwith freelancing so that pays off :). Planning to start my fashion line someday so dat I don't have to save at all.
Hey Gaurav! Amazing post.. love to share Hostels Central America if interested to travel to the central America.
Good to see you here. Thanks for the kind words. Happy travelling !! 🙂
It has been such a pleasure reading this Gaurav!! I feel inspired!
Thanks Shumon. Your stories of travelling offbeat in Europe are equally inspiring.