Top tips for saving to travel
So you’ve decided your going to travel somewhere.
Maybe it’s India. Maybe you’ve booked it. Maybe it’s still a dream.
Let’s face it the more money you have available the easier your trip will be and the more fun you’ll have. So why not start saving now.
Buy a hot drink flask.
Make fresh coffee at home and stop buying on the way to work. This will not only benefit your pocket but the environment also. Plastic coated paper coffee cups are not good for the environment – they do not recycle – and millions are used and disposed of every day . Often in the recycling bin by mistake !
Do the same for cold drinks
Buy a metal cold drink bottle and take your own drink to work. Again a lot cheaper than buying at lunchtime. While it’s true plastic bottles can be recycled , often they are not and find there way into the ocean . And bottled drinks are far more expensive than bringing your own from home .
And carrying on in the same vein…
….make a packed lunch instead of buying.
Motivation
To continuously motivate yourself to save put photos of your intended destination up in areas you go to frequently – in a diary , wallet , near kettle , bathroom mirror, laptop and phone.
Save
If you have online banking open a savings account and transfer small amounts regularly . If you haven’t already booked – £1 a day or even £10 per week for a year covers return flights to India depending when and where you are travelling.
Have a declutter and sell
eBay is good for selling second hand goods. You’d be surprised what you’ve got lurking around that people would buy.
Don’t go to the shops !
Have groceries delivered. Or if that’s not practical then only shop once a week for food – including any packed lunches – so you will not have to nip into the shops continuously and fall into the temptation of buying anything unnecessary. And stay off of websites where you might be tempted to spend.
Ask for money as xmas/birthday presents.
And put it away straight away in your holiday fund.
And then start planning
If you haven’t already booked start researching using skyscanner, to compare prices of flights to give yourself an indication of cost, and tripadvisor to look for accommodation. I’ve used them both for India. If you’re looking for cheapest possible accommodation and you are flexible, I recommend booking in advance for three nights – it gives you time to settle in to an area and look around for somewhere cheaper once you are there. Many places will pay for a car or taxi from the airport if you book for a few days. There are a lot of smaller cheaper hotels / beach huts that are not to be found on the internet.
Start looking around at prices for luggage if you don’t have any and luggage accessories – luggage scales are fairly cheap and you will need them for travelling – and a good padlock. Remember the cheapest suitcase or backpack isn’t necessarily the best value.
Don’t buy too many clothes for your holiday in India – they are cheaper there.
Check with your phone provider and debit / card providers re using abroad.
is another indispensible travel item – you may be out and about and not near a plug to recharge. Or on a long train journey. Or perhaps you take lots of photos and videos (guilty) or listen to music on the beach (also guilty). I’m glued to my phone at home but superglued to it in India and it’s essential that it doesn’t run out of battery. If it does simply plug it into the power pack and you have extra life – then recharge the power pack when you get back to electricity supply. My last trip to India was the first time I had taken a powerpack – the airline I flew with – Emirites – requires them to be taken in hand luggage so don’t pack in the bottom of your suitcase.
for instance. Or maybe it’s just me – I take thousands of pictures ! I’m looking to upgrade my camera and after careful research I have narrowed the search down to these two – the 
or the 
. Both great for beginners with good results, good reviews and, most importantly for me, they both have plenty of tutorial videos on Youtube. If anyone has experience of either of these two do let me know how you’ve got on with them – or if you would advise another similiar priced camera.
. It also gets dark really quickly – not the gradual fading of the light as in the UK and depending where you are you might find it comforting to have a torch with you even if just to light your path so you don’t trip on anything. You could of course just use your phone if you have a torch in there but I would advise that you reserve your phone battery.
sandals are brilliant for travelling – just like normal birkenstocks but waterproof.