Most of my twenties were spent just wandering the globe, living from one travel job to the next, to sustain the lifestyle I had instantly taken a liking to.

The way I see it, if I wake up with a smile each day, I live the life I’ve imagined.

The fact is that most people, when asked the question of what they want in life, their answer is this.

To be happy.

Travel is my happy!

Happiness can come in many different ways for each of us, and I understand and respect that. For some, it might be to achieve success by making buckets of money.

For others, it might be to marry a wonderful person, have healthy children, and live the dream with the white picket fence and all that.

You see, I don’t earn the big bucks; I never have, but I earn enough. I’ve learned to go without certain luxuries that would be nice to have, but I don’t NEED them. I guess I’m not bothered about owning many material things, either.

And that’s one way to save money to travel.

Memories, knowledge, and experiences are what I crave more. Travel seems to reward me with so much more than I ever gain from owning lots of stuff.

My parents taught me at an early age, that if you want something in life, you work hard, and you earn it. It’s simple. So I worked hard because I wanted to travel the world.

It’s why I have managed to pay my way to travel to every country in the world. And you can also work and travel at the same time. Here are 20 jobs that PAY YOU to travel the world.

I want to share my top tips on saving money to travel.

These are things that I still do. Ultimately, they’ve allowed me to reach my goal to be the first Australian woman to visit every country in the world.

11 Top Tips on How I Save Money to Travel the World

1. Have a goal amount in mind  

Consider your salary, subtract bills and weekly necessary items and decide on an amount you want to save.

Set up a transfer from your main account to your ‘Long Term holiday account’ so you don’t even see the money.

Set up the account so that you earn some interest on that thing, too. Commit to putting that amount directly into your travel account each week.

If you don’t do it, you will spend the money. This is one of the best ways to save money to travel – commit to savings.

And before you travel, get the Best Travel Debit Card Ever! – Save loads of money.

2. Stop spending your money on new clothes

Sorry ladies, but if you’re serious about how to save money to travel the world, you’ve got to learn to be happy with a basic wardrobe. If you are serious about travelling long-term, you will have to leave most of it at home anyway.

A great way to save money on travel is not to spend it on things you won’t need in the first place.

Once you leave on that big trip, the best option is to take a backpack no bigger than 60L for a woman. I travel with a carry-on 40L Osprey backpack; it’s the best bag I’ve ever owned.

Any bigger than this would just be heavier and more cumbersome to carry around on your travels.

Travelling with the bare essentials is easy, practical, and smart. Now, of course, you can also buy a suitcase, here is a helpful guide to Backpack vs. suitcase – Which should you choose?

3. The cinema is expensive; stream movies instead

Easy. Stream movies instead and buy some microwave popcorn (rather than the ridiculous cost of $10 for a box at the cinema).

Didn’t you know that the night in is the new night out? Now don’t get me wrong, I do love the arts and a good show in the cinema or theatre can make your weekend really special.

So, do go out occasionally, but stay in and chill with Netflix to save money to travel most nights.

4. Drink tap water

I can’t actually believe how much people spend on bottled water! Don’t pay big bucks for bottled water, especially if you live somewhere with perfectly good drinking water.

Don’t be a princess; drink tap water.

Think ahead and carry a refillable water bottle with you to fill it up anywhere for FREE! Not to mention you are helping to save our environment.

You save money to travel the world, and the world will have one less plastic bottle to deal with.

5. Sell things you don’t need

That’s right, it’s so easy. Sell your unwanted items on websites like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Gumtree for some extra cash.

You know exactly where to put the cash, too, right? Correct, put it directly into that ING travel account we discussed in top tip number 1 on this list.

If you use our referral code HMU366, you can be rewarded with cash just for opening a new account. Now that’s a great incentive to save money to travel the world. Check out ING Everyday Accounts.

• 🔥 Hot Tip: Book accommodation on Booking.com
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6. Drink at home with friends

Sure, it’s really ambient to sit in a bar and pay $12 for a glass of wine, but if we’re being honest, you know you’ll drink at least 4-5 glasses. Especially if you are there with your best friend, laughing and catching up, as you do.

Chances are, you will eventually get hungry and buy something expensive and average from the bar/restaurant that you are sitting in,  and continue to carry on drinking.

Time passes by like a flash; you feel tired and need to find a way home.

At which point, all the public transport is finished for the night, you are a little boozy, and the easiest (and maybe only) option is to get an overpriced taxi/uber to take you home. You check your bank balance to find you had $100 more only three hours ago. #NotWinning.

If you catch my drift, sure this is fun but expensive. The moral of this rant is; Ask your best friend over to your place, and purchase a few bottles of red wine, (just in case), all for a smiling total of $25.

Drink in the comfort of your own home and if you get hungry, raid your cupboards, or better yet, think ahead and order that deliciously affordable Indian food from down the road beforehand, because, from past knowledge, you know how these nights always unfold.

7. Eat out less

Like I said, learn to love to cook. If you hate it that much, or you are time-poor, just cook a big batch of something one day and freeze portions for the rest of the week.

If you love to eat out, (which I am very guilty of this), search online for cheap eats in your city. Alternatively, ask a bunch of students where they eat. They are masters of stretching the budget.

Travelling to a country with a different currency? Avoid ATM transaction fees and pay in local currency with a Wise Card. We love this card; it has saved us so much in fees.

Get a Wise Card

8. Take public transport, ride your bike or walk to work

Dropping a few kilos at the same time is a bonus here too. As I always say, exercise is never a waste of time.

I have calculated that I saved over $2000 per year by bike to work instead of driving or taking public transport.

It was one of the reasons I could save money to travel the world, even when living in Melbourne.

9. Consider selling your car

Wow, I can hear it as you read it. Many of you might be laughing at this suggestion right now, but if you sell your car, you will avoid many large costs such as having to pay for insurance, registration, fuel, parking, and the rest.

If you simply cannot part with your car, think about options like car-sharing or catching a ride to work with a colleague that may live close by.

10. Search for bargains

This applies to everything! Go to the supermarket in the evening when they price down bread, meat, and dairy. This is when these products may be nearing the use-by date (but totally good to eat over the next few days) or they need to move the stock to make room for the following morning.

Shop for clothes when sales are on.

When the season is about to change, stores heavily discount their clothing, which is the time to buy. Sign up to receive newsletters for some of your favourite companies, so when they have specials, you’ll be notified and can snap up some great deals.

Get Connected with eSIM

Get connected easily on your travels—buy an eSIM! It works like an app: buy it, download it, and get connected in minutes! It’s easy, affordable, and convenient. Keep your original phone number, too!

Use our code: RACHEL5045 to get $3 off your first purchase!

Buy an eSIM for your next trip!

11. Get a housemate or change your living situation

I know this is a tough one. There is nothing better than arriving home after a long day, envisioning the empty couch and a quiet night in, on your own.

Sure, we’ve all had our bad experiences of house sharing, but it all comes down to choosing good housemates you can live with and share a space.

I’ve had some fantastic housemates in my time, which I looked forward to seeing at the end of the day for laughs, hilarious conversations, and companionship.

Better yet, consider becoming a house sitter to travel the world for free and never share a house again. Get a membership with Trusted Housesitters, and you can skip paying rent. 

Make sure you get Travel Insurance before hitting the road. We recommend Heymondo & SafetyWing

Click here and get 5% off Heymondo from us!

If you follow and embrace these simple money-saving tips, you can sit on that beach in Thailand/Brazil/Italy, or wherever you desire, much sooner rather than later!

Join now with our personal invitation and receive a massive 25% off your Trusted Housesitters membership!

Finally, don’t forget about saving money aside for a good travel insurance policy to cover you on your world travels.

And that’s it – my 11 tips for saving money to travel. Do you have any more money-saving tips to add to the list? What works best for you? Let us know in the comments below.

More Travel Tips

We have so many tips to help you travel more!

These 21 cheapest countries to visit will help you stretch your hard-earned dollars further.

Read our top 6 travel hacks to save money and the 20 best travel apps to make travel easier! 

For food lovers, don’t miss our top 10 best countries for foodies. And, if history is your thing, these 30 amazing historical places worldwide will fascinate you!

We have many tips to save money for travel and consider these 20 jobs that PAY YOU to travel the world to help you travel longer.

If you become a trusted housesitter, you can also get FREE accommodation worldwide. Read more about how this works.

Check out our ultimate packing list for travellers, and remember to pack travel insurance! We recommend these two travel insurance companies for excellent coverage.

Our 12 essential tips for safe travel in any country are worth a read. 

You’ll need to stay connected while travelling the world. We recommend eSIM. It’s easy, reliable and affordable. View eSIMs for individual countries, or consider a Global eSIM if you travel to multiple countries or regions. This eSIM connects you in 124 countries, offering data-only eSIM and data/call/text eSIM.

The Global eSIM has been a game-changer; we couldn’t imagine travelling without it now.

If you want to travel with like-minded travellers, consider joining a group tour.

Check our Group Tours first for any upcoming trips you may be interested to join, or view these deals on worldwide group tours with Tourradar.

Check out our best-ever travel tips compiled from more than twenty years of experience.