How to Prepare Financially for Your 2022 Travels
2022 is around the corner. Heck, we can almost smell it. With a new year comes new goals and new habits and one goal for many people, I’m sure, is to travel to some really cool places in 2022. Whether like me, you have 9 countries on your travel list for 2022 or you’re taking a more conservative route with your travels with only one or two countries on your list, you know the important role money and finances have to play in ensuring your travel goals become reality.
Travel costs money and require a level of planning and preparation, especially if you want to do it the right way without compromising on your finances. There are only a few things worse than traveling and coming back home with unpaid bills, unpaid credit card balances and more debt. You can enjoy your travels better when most things are financially well taken care of. Here are some ways you can prepare financially for your 2022 travels.
How to prepare financially for your 2022 travels
Here are some ways you can prepare financially for your 2022 travels
1.) Set up a travel savings account and automate your savings
Sure, you can have a general savings account for everything from car payments to nail appointments and eating out expenses but what that does is cause confusion and puts the most important things down the totem pole of priorities. Because travel isn’t a basic human need such as food, clothing, shelter, it can be easy to not prioritize this expense and leave your travel expenses to chance. Not anymore! If you’d like to travel more in 2022, you need to create a travel savings account just for travel so you know exactly how much you have for a trip, how much you need to save for a trip and exactly where your travel expenses are going. This level of clarity is gold for your future trips.
This goes without saying that you should also save for your trips. Figure out a figure every month that you want to put towards your travel savings and if possible, automate the savings when you get a pay-check or income. You’ll need to prioritize travel in your finances in 2022.
2.) Plan well in advance
One of the ways we lose money to travel or conclude that travel is too expensive is by leaving things to the very last minute. By not planning in advance, you miss out on travel deals, you’re subject to increased pricing and are more susceptible to making mistakes. Plan well in advance – I think three months in advance is a good place to start. You can start even earlier if you’ll need some time to save some money for travel. Write down the countries you want to visit and start putting a financial plan in place for them.
3.) Put a comprehensive travel budget together
Whether you’ll be balling on a budget or you have a ton of money to spend on your trips, it’s important to have a travel budget to help you put your finances in order and ensure you’re planning properly for all the expenses you may have. Whether its an obvious cost like the cost of a flight ticket or a hidden cost like the cost of shopping for clothes your trip, it’s important to sit down and draw up a full list of expenses and how much you will like to spend and save for each trip.
4.) Track your flight prices
Another important thing to do right now is to start tracking your flight prices by setting flight price alerts. Websites such as Google Flights and Skyscanner.com have this feature. When the prices go up or down, you will receive an email in your inbox alerting you of the price change. I go over how to do this in my travel finance workshop but it is such an important thing to do to set yourself up for travel success in 2022.
5.) Evaluate your financial circumstances
Now is a good time to sit down and assess your financial situation. Do you need to save more, spend less or earn more in order to live the life that you want and be able to afford the things and experiences that will bring you the most joy? Do you need to ask for a pay raise so you have more disposable income so you can channel that extra money into the things you love? Perhaps a new job is on the horizon for you. Now is a good time to take stock of your finances so you can do more and be more in 2022, including traveling to the places you’ve only dreamed of in 2022.
It’s no doubt that COVID-19 has impacted the way we travel now. From the changing travel requirements to the expensive COVID-19 tests, travel has become more expensive than before. This doesn’t mean we should pause on our travel dreams. We can stay safe and travel when the time is right but one way to prepare for this is by adding in the cost of COVID tests into our travel expenses and actively saving for it. I’d say you should set aside about $300 for two PCR tests per trip depending on the country’s requirements.
Conclusion
Being intentional with your finances can open up a whole world of possibilities for you. If you need a more detailed walkthrough and my tried and tested strategies, including a practical roadmap to travel more and spend less in 2022? Then check out my workshop below. It is a two-hour detailed workshop and you’ll gain access to it immediately. You’ll also learn my strategies and the exact amount I will be saving in order to travel to 10 countries in 2022.
For a limited time only, use code “2022” and take 15% off at checkout.
Let me know in the comments which of these things you’ll be doing ahead of 2022. Wishing you safe travels!
