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Saturday 22 December 2012

Finding the Money to Travel: Let's Brainstorm!



A couple of days ago I blogged about AUPAIR work as a cheap way to travel.
It’s funny but I never even considered it before I had to think of something, fast. See, I was practically homeless and living on benefits in the UK. True story. And since I'm pretty good at getting out of sticky situations, AUPAIR came to mind. Even though I know there are lots of other options to travel cheap...
Which eliminates the excuse people give, “I’ve no money to travel.”
Come on! If you really wanted to travel, you’d find a way. You’ve a brain on your shoulders, yes? So use it to get creative!  What is more, a person infected with the “wanderlust” virus will never be satisfied with staying in the same place for too long. I didn’t even know I had it before last year when I graduated from Uni and realized I’d overstayed in the UK. Like, majorly.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast in Jolly Ol’ England!
But my blast didn’t have to last that long. Three years, to be exact. Somewhere around the second year, I remember thinking, Hmm, maybe I should do Erasmus or something. But my scattered brain made me miss the deadlines for applying. I wish there was such a thing as a backup brain.
Now I know better! I know to do a lot of research before jumping into something, preferably on time. And I know not to commit to anything that’s longer than a year. Actually, six months sounds perfect, depending on the place. Right now, being in Rome feels right. I can happily stay there until the summer. Then I’m planning a big Europe trip. (Awheee!) However, I still don’t have a lot of money saved.
The money I earn always gets eaten away by rabid adventures.  
So let’s look at the “work + travel” options:
  • I could do more AUPAIR, but something tells me I’m over that.
  • I can find a volunteering position that pays for the basics.
  • I can teach English! Hmm, does that mean I need a certificate?!
  • I can look into house-sitting. No idea where to start.
  • I can be a travel blogger/writer/photographer. Yeah… maybe in a few years.
  • I can go on a cruise ship! Noooooooo. I get sick in the car, let alone a big-ass ship.
*If you’ve done any of those, please share your experiences and resources. TY!

By the way, I met an Asian girl in Rome, who was CouchSurfing her way through a lot of places (hey, I’m still waiting for those CS stories!), and she told me that there was a site designed to help people travel by connecting travelers to people who needed some work done. So, for example, you’d spend a couple of months at a farm for free, but you’d need to work a little to “pay” for rent. That way, you’ve time to explore but you don’t worry about going broke. It’s like an extended version of CS and a more varied version of AUPAIR. Unfortunately, I lost the piece of paper where the name was written AND she didn’t give me her correct email! Darn those CouchSurfers. If you happen to know the name of that site, for the love of travel, gimme!

And now let’s look at some other things I can do to sponsor my travels:
  • I can do more freelance gigs: writing, editing, blogging, social media. But that takes a lot of time, savvy, and energy. I like to reserve those for my own projects and crazy campaigns.
  • I can start selling something. Let’s see… I did some research back in the day and it turns out you can sell a kidney, some lung, an eyeball, a ghost, and your soul. Yeah… no.
  • I can self-publish! But it’s going to take me ages to turn profit. And the book is not finished yet.
  • I can offer services! Umm, I’m not a professional anything, so what gives?
  • Selling my body is not an option. Neither is taking part in medical trials.
  • I can play the lottery more often. That’ll do the trick. /sarcasm

See? I told you there were tons of options! Question is: which one fits 2013.
Right now I’m thinking about volunteering/house-sitting/teaching. Maybe all at once, lol.
And by the way, it goes without saying but if you’ve done any of the above things successfully, I wouldn’t mind featuring you on my blog. Mainly because one of my resolutions is to make my blog pretty and full of inspiration and kick-ass success stories! For more information, read this recent post.

What have YOU done to sponsor your travels? Anything you want to try?

P.S. Aren’t you so glad the world didn’t end? We get to make plans for the epic 2013!