How I Afford To Travel The World

I've finally completed my string of international flight bookings for my travels in December. When I tell people about my plans, the most common question concerns how I am able to pay for this trip. Sometimes this question suggests a negative connotation, sometimes it is just genuine curiosity. Regardless, I have decided to break everything down financially. I hope this answers these questions, as well as help others who are planning to travel in the future.

Before I make any purchases, I spend hours looking at flights on Kayak.com. This is literally what I do in my free time and what I consider "fun". I change every variable to find the cheapest flight possible: nearby airports, number of layovers, date of departure, etc. After doing this for every single flight, I make a timeline of my trip and my price range. For my trip in December, I planned out $1,800 for all my flights.

Next, I purchase the flights, one by one. I can't afford to purchase all the flights at once, so I buy one flight every other week when my paycheck comes in. I have purchased five flights total, and have been in the process of doing so since the beginning of August. I use an excel spreadsheet to track how much each flight will cost, paycheck amounts, planned dates of purchase, and my remaining balance.

Here is a breakdown of each flight purchased*:

Orlando, Florida to Glasgow, Scotland - $370
London, England to Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) - $515
Bangkok, Thailand (DMK) to Bali, Indonesia - $95
Bali, Indonesia to Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) - $135
Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) to Seattle, Washington - $635

Total: $1,750
*These prices include the additional foreign transaction fees, when applicable.

Additionally, I know people in the destinations I am traveling to, which will help to cut down on hotel and transportation costs. That is one benefit of working for the Walt Disney Company - you get to know and work with a very diverse group of people.

"I'd rather travel and be poor than be rich and never see the world."

This quote sums it all up. I am not rich; I am a broke college student living paycheck to paycheck. I completely eliminate excess spending, including shopping, alcohol, eating out, etc. I try to spend exclusively on experiences. I work my butt off to earn the right to travel - I usually work 60-70 hours during the weeks preceding a vacation. The effort I put into earning these trips makes them that much more worthwhile.