when we were growing up, my mom always had a huge yard sale before a trip. we gathered all of our old toys, misfit clothing, kitchen gadgets & more…this pile would soon become the cash to fuel our annual beach vacation!
i am so thankful for my mom’s example of turning trash into treasure. she constantly serves as an inspiration for my wanderlust spirit & need for adventure.
some may find it frivolous that we would spend several weeks in europe, but we have quickly learned that life is short & we crave adventure. with a whole lot of planning, a bit of creativity & a modest income, we were able to save enough to travel throughout europe (no credit card debt here)!
today i want to share our own creative tips for travel budgeting & saving!
BUDGETING
when budgeting for any adventure, do your research. we opted to fly turkish airlines because it’s prices were much more competitive. we also saved money choosing apartments via airbnb instead of hotels or hostels. also, the benefit of a full kitchen for cooking in quaint part of town was a major plus for our family.
we used an excel sheet to track our spending & savings. we paid for flights, lodging & rail passes throughout the year as we saved money. we also budgeted a specific amount of money for food & extras. because we are using a credit card throughout our trip, we plan to track our spending via mint.com so that we make sure not to overspend. having an idea of how much you can spend each day rather than the entire time you’re vacationing is key to staying on track.
SAVINGS
we did not pull any money from our regular income or alter our monthly budget for our vacation. using a handful of creative revenue streams, we saved the entire sum of our trip expenses. i want to share a handful of ways we saved for our trip throughout the year…
1. creative teamwork: during our trip budgeting meeting, luke & i brainstormed ways to team up & provide a new product that was representative of our family & provide a profit for our adventure fund. we immediately thought up the planting calendar & perpetual planting poster. with a $100 starting point, we produced our calendar. over the year, we sold 250 copies. we used a portion of that profit to then fund our perpetual planting poster, which was also very successful. we are so proud of these two products & will continue working together in this capacity (yay!).
idea- team up with those around you & create something new that you can sell. maybe you’re an excellent photographer who would love to take family portraits for your community or you love baking for others? dream up something big & go for it!
– yard sale: just like my momma, we gathered up all of our goods & had a yard sale. to maximize profits, i asked my girlfriends if they had anything to sell. i sold their items for them & kept 25% of the profits as commission. we walked away with a little over $400 for our trip!
– craft show: we also participated in a handful of craft shows & made a significant profit. this was an excellent way to meet potential customers & spend time with other artists while making a little cash.
– credit card benefits: we are very intentional about how & when we use our credit cards. that being said, for safety purposes, we are using only our credit cards on the trip. an added benefit of using our credit card for such a large sum is the points earned from your spending. we can earn air miles, free books & more. this, in return, saves us money! we plan to track our spending so we can pay our credit card in full when we return.
i’d love to read how you creatively budget & save for travel! please share your tips & ideas!
love,
natalie
friends, i love packing.
i have been researching, thinking about & making lists about what to pack for our trip for weeks now. it’s been a balance of packing light but also having the essentials for change in weather (switzerland evenings versus the coast of italy) & occasions (hiking trails throughout the swiss alps & date nights in paris).
today i want to share some of my essentials for our trip along with my packing list!
– a good book, my journal & dslr camera: these three things are essential to a quality trip for me. i have to have a good book to read while flying & this one is already a page-turner. i also need to have a journal for writing & stashing paper ephemera, such as ticket stubs & museum handouts. my dear friends at little mountain bindery gifted luke & i a custom fillion for our trip. i am already in love with this worn leather beauty & have begun to fill the pages. also, my camera is a must. my photos are my favorite souvenirs of all.
– refillable water bottle: the expense of drinking water while traveling can really add up so i plan to fill up my water bottle before going out & about to save money & stay well hydrated.
– canvas bag: i folded up a canvas bag & put it in my larger bag for carrying market purchases & picnic treats around the cities.
– outdoor backpack: all of the walking mixed with cobblestone streets makes it nearly impossible to bring along a rolling suitcase in europe so we opted for nice backpacking backpacks. we were fitted at a local hiking store, but the sticker price left us a bit shocked. after extensive research, we opted for gently used backpacks found on ebay.
– purse with leather strap: after doing some research, i opted for a cross-body bag with a well-made leather strap to prevent pickpocketing. i love my better life bag & consider it the perfect bag for such a trip as this!
– layers: layers are key for travel & i plan to bring two of my luxury hoodies from evy’s tree. they match everything & they’re cute enough to wear out & about (as shown in the picture below). if i get warm, i’ll just tie it around my waist & keep on movin’!
– adapters & selfie stick: outlet adapters are a must for traveling abroad. also, we splurged & purchased a selfie stick for our trip because we knew we’d love the fun selfies!
following the basic principles of the capsule wardrobe over the last few seasons made it easy for me to pack clothing essentials for our trip. we opted for apartments & cottages over hotel rooms for our trip so we have laundry facilities at every location, which means i don’t have to bring too much!
here’s my list of what i packed:
tops: two gray v-necks, gray long sleeve shirt, lace tank, graphic tee, graphic tank
bottoms: one pair of jeans, black lounge capris, yellow shorts, black leggings
dresses/skirts: little black dress, indigo maxi, black lace dress
shoes: birkenstock sandals, saltwater sandals, fancy sandals
other: two hoodies, swimsuit, outer jacket, light scarf
what are some packing essentials you bring along for your adventures?
love,
natalie
friends, i am so excited to share with you my new series!
for the rest of the month while we travel throughout europe, i, along with a handful of amazing guest writers, will be sharing our thoughts on ADVENTURE.
i cannot wait to share with you my packing list, how we saved money for our vacation fund, the adventures of many women i admire & so much more!
stay tuned for a month of adventure! xo.
love,
natalie