For us to accomplish our dream of being able to travel internationally there was no alternative to budgeting as we were seniors on a fixed monthly income. Simply put, if we wanted to see our dream of travel to come true, we would have to do a deep dive into our financials!
Again, for us, there really was NO alternative to budgeting that would allow us to travel internationally. If you have followed us, we have been transparent in our earlier posts with our desire to travel internationally as seniors when we retired. We decided to jump the ship early, thus leaving The Big Guy to retire a couple years earlier than the standard retirement age. I am telling you this because if he had decided to hang in a few more years his monthly income would be a LOT higher, but the travel bug was biting hard. Seriously, I did not have to do much to convince him we could do this – travel internationally on a budget with our set monthly incomes.
So, again, to be completely transparent, The Big Guy & I live off our monthly Social Security checks. No touching the savings – that is strictly for emergency use or a very very rainy day. Using those amounts, The Big Guy set us up on a budget based on the 50/30/20 Rule as a guide. If you are not familiar with this particular “Rule” there are loads of books that you can find online on budgeting. (Budgeting is simply known as balancing your expenses with your income.) I personally love Dave Ramsey as he keeps it simple & in terms I understood:) There are a number of budgeting apps that you can download on your smartphone, but we prefer to use the old fashion computer XL spreadsheet. You could hire a budget coach to get you lined out but if you read Dave Ramsey, I think you will find both what works best for your financial matters.
Lack of Money to Travel? Budgeting Could Be Your Answer!
If you lack money to travel but have the dream, budgeting could be your answer! Regardless of what you have heard, you do not need to be flush with dollars for international travel! IF YOU ARE ON A LIMITED INCOME, Yo will need a budget & you will have to be able to follow that budget month to month.
It can be a major headache during the process of getting all your numbers together for your budget prep, but well worth it in the end. Believe me!!! The hardest part for us was checking & double checking to be sure we had ALL expenses laid out on the table. Once that part was done, it really began to fall into place. So, a budget was absolutely necessary for us to be able to follow our dreams to travel internationally!
Our Best Decision Absolutely was to Create a Budget
It will soon be three years since our initial jump into international travel and Merida, Mexico our first stop & we have never once said ‘boy did we make a mistake’! Never! To-date, we have lived in Mexico, three locations in Colombia, Ecuador, two locations in Peru & we finished out the 2022 year back in Merida to visit friends. That’s another reason to travel internationally. We have made forever friends in every country we have stayed – extended families that we stay in touch with by email, texts, online or phone. We have been so blessed to have these people in our lives. Meeting new people in different countries opened our minds & hearts to new beginnings that the non-traveler will never understand…
For Us There Is No Alternative to Budgeting….That’s How We Are Able To Make This Next Jump to….
Drum roll please…..Africa 2023 here we come! The plan is to stay at least one year traveling to different countries to see where that takes us! The possibilities are endless really! We plan to start our trip in Uganda & hope that we can spend three months building new relationships & making more forever friends! We will be sharing photos & posts as we travel to different parts of Africa. What will we find? We aren’t sure but we know we are excited to make new friends & learn new customs.
We may even get lucky enough to be invited to a wedding or traditional ceremony [fingers crossed]. How cool would that be? Yes, The Big Guy has former ‘work’ friends that he has stayed in touch with & their family’s have already reached out to us……SO EXCITED!!!! But for now… I know we will meet & hopefully add anther family to our international travel family! We don’t look at ourselves as tourist when we travel & try as much as possible to stay in working class neighborhoods.
Six Tips We Follow For Traveling Internationally!
1] Utilize off season flights which can substantially lower travel costs. We have done this on almost every trip & have saved bucks. If you are staying for a bit, it won’t matter if the weather isn’t perfect everyday.
2] Do not over-pack. Be diligent & check online weather reports & dress attire for your travel destination. Only pack essential clothing that you will need. Check how many bags the airlines allows for checked & carry-on to avoid being charged extra.
3] Be prepared to rent if you are staying for more than a few days. Search online to see how others found housing in your next stop. AirBnBs can be a good bet for longer stays. If you have a local connection, ask them for assistance in finding safe neighborhoods to stay.
4] Eating locally has always been a tremendous way to save money on meals. Our favorites are the lunch specials. Full meal deal for nominal cost. Tip: Find where the locals eat!
5] How easily are you entertained? For us, walking is the best entertainment & doubles down for health maintenance. Ask locals about their city & you will have a list of what you must see – mostly on the cheap side. Walking on a FREE local beach is a great way to spend the day swimming & walking or following the walking path along the lagoon!
6] Travel insurance with medical coverage is a must. This type of insurance is helpful if your luggage is lost, flight interruptions or if you have a covered medical emergency. Some policies may be reimbursement only and/or have a deductible.
Who Moved My Cheese?
If you or a loved one have doubts about whether a budget will not work for you – watching this video may just change your mind. Remove the fear & make the jump!
“THE QUICKER YOU LET GO OF OLD CHEESE, THE SOONER YOU FIND NEW CHEESE.”
Spencer Johnson
Thanks!