Free Step By Step Guide: How To Start Traveling In 2025 (#1)

Do you want to start traveling more in 2025 but don't know where to start? I have created this free guide to help you get started! I will go over everything I did right, everything I did wrong and everything in between. Please note that this is my opinion and based on my personal expereinces.

Take A Hard Look At Your Finances

Put Google Flights away, put your suitcase away and open your bank account. Ask yourself these questions...

• Do I have the means to be able to save for traveling?

• Will I have expenses while I am away?

• How much do I make every month/week/fortnight etc.

• How much do I spend every month/week/fortnight?

Decided if it is realistic for you to be able to save for traveling, how much (if any) you will have to be spending while you are away such as rent, subscriptions, storage etc. Start tracking this, plus what you make to figure out how much you can put away for savings.

Create a Goal

If you have made it here, then you have decided that you have the means to be able to save. That's amazing! Creating a goal will keep you on track and motivate you when it comes to the dreaded things called 'sticking to a budget'.

For your goal, take into considering an emergency fund, how much things will cost while you are away (rent, storage etc.), your budget while traveling (hostels, hotels, buses, trains etc.).

My emergency fund sits at about US$2,000 and I save up around US$5,000+ before going on a trip.

Start Budgeting

Find below the way I budget plus my explaination of the columns from left to right.

Money In: My paycheck or any income that I have made that week

Investing (x.35) : 35% of my income at this time was going to investing and all I did was set up a formula (=B3*.35)

Invested: To make sure I actually remembered to invest the money I would put a check mark here

Travel (x.4): 40% of my income at this time was going to travel as shown here (I think investing and travel is switched)

Real Estate Saving: 25% of my income was going to savings for a real estate investment property (ended up all going to travel savings)

Motorcycle Savings: 5% of my income was going to saving for a motorcylce (ended up all going to travel savings)

Checking: After I got my paycheck, the first things that I would do is top up on my checking account which I used for my wants (coffee, gas, etc.) which was $150 as I was living rent free, eating at home etc. For the whole week/2 weeks I would have $150 to spend on things that I wanted and then once I got my paycheck, say that I had spent $50, then I would go ahead and put $100 from my income in my checking and then take 35% out for investing, 40% out for travel and so on and so on.

Expenses: Typically, I track every expense and also categorize it so $5 for coffee, $55 for gas etc.

Savings: I always strive to keep $2,000 in my savings account, then all the money from the other savings categories (travel, real estate and motorcycle) get moved to here. investing does not because it gets taken out

This might look difficult but if you use formulas it does become very simple. Anytime I add a number into the 'Money In' column it automatically does all of the work for me.

Put Your $$ in a HYSA (High Yeilds Saving Account)

When putting your money in a savings account, it does not sit there. The bank uses that money for loans, overdrafts etc. That is why every so often you will get an interest payment that usually is insignificant. But if you put your money into a HYSA, the interest payments will be a bit higher. Although it isn't much, if the money is going to sit there anyway it might as well accure more interest until you are ready to start traveling.

That's It For Step One!

DM/Email me with any questions or clarifications!:)