The most challenging aspect of traveling seasonally is figuring out how to save money. You need money, there’s no way around it. Saving money for travel can seem like a daunting task. Trust me, we do it all the time. However, with some good practices and some self-discipline, you can save and travel for a month or more with the money you made from your seasonal job. Here are a couple of tips to help you out.
Reduce Your Expenditures With Your Job – Save Money!
The main expenses we as seasonal workers incur are for food, housing, and adventure. Find a job that pays or helps with one or more of those three things. Whether that’s finding a job in a restaurant that gives you a way to eat for free, a position that gives you free or cheap housing, or a job that gives you access to fun things to do for free. Being a Line Cook at a Ski Resort is a perfect example of a job covering all three. A spot in a kitchen at a ski resort usually covers a free ski pass, one meal a day, and can sometimes come with housing. Find a job that works with your work style, but make sure you aren’t paying for all three.
Wait To Spend Your Money
The reason you’re working seasonally is so that you can travel when your job ends. While you’re always living the travel dream, the real vacation starts when you aren’t working. Avoid going out to restaurants, and cook all of your food. If you want to go out for drinks, buy a six-pack and sit by the river instead of going to a bar. Go for a hike instead of on a guided tour, or take advantage of work opportunities to take tours. Your main priority is not spending money right now, so you can spend it later.
Learn How To Eat On The Cheap
If you aren’t getting free food with work, you’ll need to eat cheap to save money for travel. Eating cheaply is easy, and if you are willing to forego some of the delicacies in life, you can get by easily on rice, beans, and veggies. The burrito is a favorite because you can make them with so many different foods. Even Top Ramen spruced up with spinach and other veggies is an affordable way to eat healthily. Be creative in finding ways to combine inexpensive foods in a way that still provides enough nutrition. It’s possible, believe us!
Travel Locally and Explore Your Backyard
You just moved to a fantastic location that most people don’t have the opportunity to explore for an extended amount of time, take advantage of it! Your backyard is terrific. You chose it because you knew it was. Make friends that are as excited as you are about exploring your new surroundings and see what you can come up with! You don’t need much money to hike up that mountain you can see from work, or hike out to that lake you heard people talking about, or swim in that cool new watering hole your coworker told you about. Take advantage of exploring your new location and wait until you’re not working to travel farther away.
Try Out The “Thing” Everyone Talks About.
Most, if all, seasonal places have a particular activity associated with them. In Alaska, it’s fishing. In Yosemite National Park, it’s rock climbing. On the coast, it may be scuba, sailing, or surfing. Figure out what the “thing” is near you and try it out. Odds are, someone will have gear for you to use to try it. Everyone does it, so there’s likely gear lying around. Make friends with people doing the “thing” and go with them! Contribute in any way you can, of course, whether that be a ride, beverages, engaging conversation, or maybe even your knowledge of the “thing”. Bring something to the table, be kind and friendly, and you’ll be welcomed. You may even find your new passion!
We know that living a life of travel is intimidating, and we know money is the most significant part. Just know that there are ways to stretch your dollar and live the travel dream you want to on a budget. It may mean working hard for a while, but know that it’s all worth it in the end. You get what you put into this life, and being resourceful and careful with the money you earn will pay off big time later. We hope to see you out here asap!