You can travel too!

 
 
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 Hello loves! You’re probably wondering what I mean when I say “Everyone can travel.” Well, I strongly believe that everyone can! God gifted us this world to enjoy and embrace every single detail, not just for me but for YOU too! People ask me, “Rocío, how do you travel so much?” Well, to be completely honest I wish I could travel more! I’m your ordinary gal, I work at a non-profit organization (I love helping people), I save money, and I use that money to travel to a new place at least once a year. So no, I don’t travel a lot compared to all the famous travel influencers, but I am blessed to be able to travel as much as I can. You don’t have to be rich to travel, it’s all about dedication and willingness, oh and of course… a lot of saving!

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To give you some backstory, I came from a low-income Mexican immigrant family where my dad was the only provider. He had no choice but to save for our family of 6, which meant we didn’t have the luxury of receiving any desired trending toy. We would get the assorted toy bags from local thrift stores, the ones with naked barbies in them lol…don’t worry my mom would sew clothes for them. I love thrift store shopping by the way, #noshame.

Anyway, instead of buying us things, my parents would take us on a few camping trips a year (that’s when my love for hiking grew). In the midst of all the local road trips, I never saw myself traveling abroad as a kid. I always thought it was for people who had money growing from a tree in their backyard, or something like that ;). No one in our family or friend group had ever traveled, hence our social groups were all immigrants trying to make their way in the United States. I remember daydreaming that I was traveling the world, seeing majestic views, immersing myself in different cultures, laughing at jokes made by natives as I enjoyed their ethnic foods. That was one of my biggest and wildest dreams that was seen as “almost impossible” with the type of income my family was receiving.

It wasn’t until I went to college that it all changed for me. I remembered receiving a study abroad brochure at the New Student Orientation. I perused that piece of cardstock paper that had my dreams embedded, wishing it could be me instead of the random student in the picture. I started looking into it, spoke to a counselor and received an application for the most inexpensive place to study abroad in Europe: Seville, Spain. I then told my parents that I was going to Spain, and they didn’t even look at me, they said “Yeah, Yeah, whatever you want Rocío.” It wasn’t until I packed my bags that they saw that I wasn’t kidding. I was beyond grateful and from then on I never stopped traveling. I knew what I wanted and persistence, dedication, and determination got me there.

Traveling has changed my life completely. It has taught me to be more open-minded, embrace every culture, learn from people who are different from me. It was my time, a little Mexican girl that grew up daydreaming of traveling the world was now adventuring across the globe. From then on, I always made it my priority to travel to a new place at least once a year. I couldn’t have done this without God, man…He has honestly blessed me with so much and I’m beyond grateful.

 
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The way I travel has never been luxurious like many have the privilege to experience. I was always the type of person that wanted to live like the locals, immerse myself in their culture, eat their foods. So, my sister and I decided to start traveling as backpackers do. After college, we would literally save for a whole year to travel to a new place for a month. An this is how we were able to do so:

1. PICK YOUR DESTINATION

We both had jobs, so we had to ask for time off waaay in advance to be able to go for around 3-4 weeks. Thankfully our bosses were kind enough to give us time off and as soon as we received the “okay” we started planning what place we were going to! The first backpacking trip we traveled to was Brazil. Oh how I love Brazil! Picking the place you want to go to in advance is key to start planning your trip. One thing I highly recommend is to make sure the place you’re traveling to is safe. We didn’t think of checking when we were younger because we were wild and free! We didn’t care. But there was one instance in Mexico we were literally lock in the city because there were riots and the roads were blocked. Thankfully we got out safely, but if we had researched BEFORE the trip, we wouldn’t have had to go through something so terrifying. Here’s where you can check if the place you want to go to is safe: travel.state.gov

2. BUY YOUR FLIGHT TICKET

I would buy my flight ticket early in the year was with my tax returns. I know that’s not the greatest idea ever but it worked for me. Whether you buy it with you savings or your tax returns, the point is to buy your flight ticket as soon as possible. I also highly recommend to get travel insurance for emergencies because you never know what could happen like you lose your baggage or get in an accident. The websites I use to buy my flights are Kayak.com, Skyscanner.com, and Cheapoair.com

3. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!

Once you have your ticket, continue saving. Here are a few ways to save on a daily basis. I try my best to not eat out. As hard as it sounds, buying groceries and cooking your own food saves money, therefore it allows you to save to eat out when you travel. Sounds like a good deal to me. Another way to save is thrifting. I am a true believer of recycling clothes. So, try to save money by not spending so much but still rewarding yourself. To earn a bit more cash, try to get some gigs on the side. For example, I grew up acting at school and church, so I decided to get some side gigs and get paid to act in commercials or as an extra in shows and movies. There are so many ways to get some side cash, hopefully appropriate :).

4. PLAN YOUR TRIP AND CONTINUE SAVING

HOUSING

Your housing is important so this needs to be decided in advance. If you are on a budget, I recommend booking a hostel. I absolutely love staying at hostels because you meet people who are also traveling and are on the same page as you. However, I’ve had my fair share of terrible hostels because I wouldn’t read the reviews, so please READ THE REVIEWS. I still keep in touch with many friends that I met staying in hostels, so trust me, it’s so worth it because of the price and the long lasting friends you will make. Check out Hostelworld.com.

BUDGET FOR FOOD

My sister and I would budget our money so we could eat out at a fancy restaurant at least twice on our trip. The rest, we would buy groceries and eat inexpensive food that locals sell on the streets, also it’s a good way to help small local businesses.

TRANSPORTATION

Research how you will be getting from place to place. When we travel we try to go the cheaper route and use metros, buses, taxis, bikes, etc. You can also budget and rent a car. That’s usually my last resort but it all depends on how you feel most comfortable and where you travel to. We tend to travel to places where transportation is available, so it’s really up to you.

ACTIVITIES

Pick and choose what you want to really do. When we went to Mexico, we decided to do the Museum underwater tour in Cancun. It was amazing, but quite expensive for us backpackers. However, we did budget for certain amount of activities so we could also enjoy our adventurous selves. When budgeting, you will need to sacrifice some options because you can’t do everything. Pick what you really want to do and save for it.

Well, this is how I plan and save to be able to travel at least once a year. It takes hard work to save and a lot of dedication on your part, but very doable. It’s a matter of action, that’s why I buy my flight first because it gives me the motivation to save and budget for my highly anticipated trip. I hope these vague budget tips help you decide to start traveling. Once you start, you will be one wild traveling soul wandering this earth.

Love you all!