If you have ever taken a road trip or vacation, you know that travel can become expensive really fast. The cost for lodging, gas, food and attractions adds up fast. So how can you afford to travel? I think that people find money to pay for things that are important. As a family, it is important for us to travel and experience the world around us. I would much rather spend our money on memories than on things. Here are some tips to help you plan your travels so it doesn’t have a big impact on your budget.

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How can you afford to travel?

I have three phrases that I try to live by. If I don’t Use it, Love it, or Need it, then I don’t want to keep it in my life. I sell things on eBay, donate to thrift stores, or just purge those things from my life. That doesn’t mean that my lifestyle is a true minimalist, but I am definitely on the right track. This approach to ‘stuff’ translates to travel as well.

Here are a couple things to think about if you want to start working more travel into your budget.

Find the free things first.

A lot of our adventures cost only gas and food. We love checking out the experiences that have no admission fee.     Here are a few examples of free museums and tours that we have visited.

• The Spam Museum  – Austin, Minnesota
• Jelly Belly Warehouse Tour – Mt Pleasant, Wisconsin (less than an hour away from Chicago)
• William Howard Taft Presidential Museum – Cincinnati, Ohio
• Cincinnati Art Museum – Cincinnati, Ohio
• Some museums and tours offer free days that you can work into your schedule. JB Speed Art Museum – Louisville, Kentucky:  offers free admission every Sunday!

If you have a museum or attraction that you are interested in visiting with your family, take a few minutes to look at their website or call them. You can search or simply ask them if they have discount or free days coming up in the next few months!

Save Money NOW!

It’s really hard to travel if you have absolutely no money. So as you start the new year, look at your budget and see if there is a way to start a travel fund. Maybe you can only afford to put back $5-$10 a week. But look at how much money you will end up saving if you do a regular deposit into a travel fund.

As little as $10 a week is $520 in a year! If you can up that amount to $20 per week, you will have saved over a $1,000 in just one year!

You might want to just start tossing all your change in a jar or piggy bank that is designated for travel! One year I took small plastic Sunny D bottles and measured how much change there was if I saved only certain coins in each jar.

Adjust Expectations

Not all travel adventures have to be to exotic destinations or remote locations. Sometimes making memories while traveling is more about the time together rather than the destinations. Take a look at the top tourists destinations in your own city. Have you already visited those places?

Interested in giving the Give the gift of Adventure! to the kids in your life?
Take a look at the Little Passports program!

A popular destination for families in the Spring is Washington DC. Take a look at these tips to see how much a trip to Washington DC will cost!