World Travel on a Budget

It was not a matter of IF but WHEN.

My eyes scanned the map of the world. We could do it. I knew we could. If you hunt hard enough, there is always a bargain flight to somewhere. But I had tasted travel. I had gone to enough places to know that I wanted more.

World travel conjures up a different image. It isn’t a once in a lifetime vacation to a single destination. It is a lifestyle of its own. One in which boarding planes and entering customs becomes as casual as a commute to work. Where the ever changing beds and accommodations feel like a type of home.

Not only did I want to see more of the world, but I wanted to share it with my family and see it through my child’s eyes. The way only a child can see. With wonder and excitement. The more days we could spend, entrenched in awe, the better.

I also knew it would be difficult. Not just to afford it, but to experience it. Travel drains the body. The more you travel, the more you encounter the unpredictable. The best laid plans often go to waste. It is one thing to be broke, tired, stressed, or afraid, alone; it is another to drag your family along for the ride.

I wrestled with the budget aspect of travel. Yes, we need to save on expenditures to make it happen. Also yes, we needed to spend more than the average solo or couple traveler. When you travel as a family you have to spend more for comfort and safety that you might otherwise dismiss.

In 2023, I set out on a mission to begin raising the money. I did so by creating a YouTube channel for our local travels and by writing more. I write for various publications and run this blog. Each piece is almost nothing on its own, but together, a small savings began to form.

By mid-2024 I knew we needed to double down on our efforts to save. So, we started donating plasma, and cutting back on expenses. It seems, again, like doing almost nothing. Yet, every penny counts when you are counting on them for your dreams to come true.

At every step of this process I have believed that it is possible for our family to travel the world. If I didn’t, the lack of progress would have caused me to give up a long time ago.

The best way to make World Travel a reality is to build a budget. A small one. A reasonable one. But build it. Then save towards that goal like your very life depends on it.

Our family will set of in January of 2025. We will update here and on our YouTube channel.

I want to hear from other families who want to see the world too. As well as those who have done it already or are still doing it.

Life is an adventure, don’t avoid it because it feels impossible. Make it happen!

Happy Worldschooling!