How minimalism helps me travel the world.
And save a crazy amount of money.
Travel is important to me, and every year, I try to see at least 4–5 countries. How can I afford this? Most people assume there is some magic to my trip planning. Although I’ve learned how to find cheap flights (I’ll do a blog post on this later), the main factor is that I MINIMIZE my expenses at home.
I became a minimalist a few years ago. It happened quite gradually as I slowly realized that life was better when it was simpler.
Here are a few things I live without:
🙅🏻♀️ Amazon Prime, TV, and cable
🙅🏻♀️ Wine clubs, Stitch Fix, Blue Apron, and other subscription boxes
🙅🏻♀️ A car payment (I purchased a used car in cash)
🙅🏻♀️ Chipotle, Freshii, or any sort of take-out lunch
🙅🏻♀️ Beauty treatments, manicures, and massages
🙅🏻♀️ Most things you buy at Target
In general, I don’t pay for many services. Instead, I learn to do things myself and generally enjoy them more because of it. I shop for groceries and cook my own lunch. I paint my own fingernails and even learned how to design my own website. My boyfriend gives me massages (I highly recommend this, minimalist or not). I read, write in my journal, do puzzles, and watch YouTube videos instead of TV.
I naturally keep my daily expenses low, so I’ve always had enough money to travel. Life is about choices. For most of us, “not having enough money” is more an issue of what you spend your money on.
Travel is not as expensive as it may seem. Last fall, a friend and I spent 10 days on an epic UK road trip for $1000 each, excluding flights. (I flew roundtrip on air miles). Only $1000 to see London, Stonehenge, Oxford, and the Roman Baths. We even went zip lining in Wales!
In comparison, $1000 is the cost of one year of the Blue Apron Wine Club. When people ask me, “How can you afford to travel?” I ask in return, “How can you afford your wine club?”
If you’re exploring minimalism, here are some strategies I’ve found helpful:
💁🏻♀️Embrace a color palette. I consciously selected a color palette for my wardrobe: blue, black, and gray with pops of green and purple. When I made this transition, I donated all brown, tan, or neon in my wardrobe. All my accessories are black, so I never have to switch my purse or belt. Every coat matches every pair of shoes. Ahh, the simplicity.
💁🏻♀️Find a meal you could eat every day…and then eat it every day. My go-to lunch is avocado on rice cakes with pink Himalayan sea salt. I love it, look forward to it, and eat it almost every day.
💁🏻♀️Avoid “browsing.” Do not go to Target as an activity.
💁🏻♀️Reward yourself in non-materialistic ways. When I finish the work day, I listen to my favorite song. When I complete a project, I go for a run. If you are struggling to think of “rewards,” think like a child. Pick wildflowers. Draw or sketch. This winter, I did a snow angel after landing a big client.
💁🏻♀️Use what you already have. Dig through your closets and pull out something special that you’ve never used. Funny socks. A candle that’s never been lit. Homemade jam from the farmers market. OPEN IT! You’ll get the rush of buying it all over again.
💁🏻♀️Make a pile of 100 things around your house that you don’t use. 100 THINGS. They could be large (like an old radio) or small (like a pen). Pack them in boxes and store them in a visible corner. If you don’t open the boxes in the next month, GIVE THEM AWAY. Don’t reopen them. Don’t go digging through…just GIVE THE BOXES AWAY. I promise, you won’t miss these items. If this was easy for you, repeat the exercise.
Once you start to cut back on the number of items surrounding you, you’ll start to appreciate the open space. You naturally stop buying more things, enjoy what you already own, and…before you know it…that $1000 will appear in your bank account.
Then…London, here you come!
