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Why You Should Spend Your Money On Travel

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Travel is the best thing that money can buy

Flicking through your facebook photos, what do you want to see? A ream of images of yourself in your local club with a drink in hand, or fragments of the trip of a lifetime?

Spend your hard earned cash on travel rather than material things like shoes and sushi and you’ll be rewarded with incredible memories, a broadened perspective, and spectacular photographs. I can promise you that a selfie with an elephant beats another nightclub toilet snap!

Those monotonous nights in your local will blur together and a bulging wardrobe will be forgotten; but travelling memories are so much better than having nothing to show for your empty bank account except a hangover and a dress you’ll never wear again.

selfie with elephant

Travel is the gift to yourself that keeps on giving

Our generation throws around ‘YOLO’ as an excuse to indulge, but the true definition of the term doesn’t mean clubbing on school nights and blowing hundreds on designer splurges. Instead, spend your money experiencing what the world has to offer.

The excitement attached to planning, booking and embarking on a trip with no idea what to expect when your plane touches down is incomparable to the little rush you get handing over the cash for another pair of shoes.

I constantly hear people talking about going traveling but never actually doing anything about it, and they all have the same excuse. Money. The thing that makes most people hesitate is the initial cost of booking the trip, but there are ways to make it easier.

I have a habit of procrastinating on travel websites, meaning I spot the best flight deals- and once that first ticket is booked, there’s no going back.

Yes, sometimes saving up for travelling can be frustrating, but it doesn’t have to mean becoming a hermit.

Driving on Fraser Island sand beach

How to save up for travelling

Figure out what you can live without, and give it up – sending the money you save to a travel piggy bank. Buying lunch every day adds up to around £20 a week, so sacrifice your Pret Panini for a homemade sandwich and use that £20 for five nights in a hostel in Cambodia. The change you spend on your morning coffee will pay for a bus ticket around New Zealand. I can assure you that coffee tastes better when sipped out of a thermos overlooking Queenstown’s beautiful Lake Wakatipu.

You’ll value a 100 baht pair of trousers you bought to cover up outside a temple in Thailand far more than a wardrobe full of high street items because every time you wear them, you’ll be reminded of those lazy days on the beach drinking coconut juice straight from the shell.

When you’re dancing on a beach surrounded by tanned, sexy strangers from all over the world, or taking in the 360 degree views at the top of a mountain, the last thing you will be thinking about is that dress in Topshop – and I know I’d rather wear a smile and a bikini in paradise than a £200 outfit in my local.

For more tips, read this post about how to save up for travel.

This post originally featured on the Company magazine website, but they closed down so I thought I’d share it here!

Do you agree that travel is the only thing you can spend money on that makes you richer, or do you think this view is irresponsible and idealistic? Let me know in the comments and if this post inspired you, please share it!

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Comments

  3. Love it! Travel is the only thing I don’t feel guilty about spending money on…everything else I always think, damn, that would have gone towards a plane ticket!

  5. You’re right, it’s all about justification. My friend Shelley would always say – Canada or crap, Gemma? That little voice in my head always helped when out and about whilst saving!

  6. Sometimes I am wondering whether it is worth it spending money on travel and entertainment in general and posts like this show me it is

  8. Agreed!!
    Two years ago I traded my possession for a trip around the world. Never look back and never went back home! Today my house is my backpack, and I look pretty good and stylish though. The important thing is that I understand that be a better person and live a better and memorable life is far more important than a wardrobe full of stuff!
    Great post, and let´s keep exploring the world.
    Cheers,
    Nat

  10. I think it is important to do what makes you happy. I often wish I had traveled when I was younger, left it all and gone on the school of life. But it is also true that it is not for everyone so it is most important to do what works for you

    • I completely agree. Thanks for writing this – it’s always good to get the perspective of someone who took a different route!

  11. Travel – and experiences – are a truly wonderful thing to spend money on. Instead of giving presents, I now like to give family members days out or vouchers for courses instead. I have to admit, however, I still really like buying shoes! 🙂

    • We all have our weaknesses Karja! I’m the same. Me and my boyfriend try to always buy presents that we can enjoy together, usually experiences like a hotel stay or weekend trip. The best gift is memories!