How You Can Afford To Travel Long Term? We Did It & You Can Too

Affording long-term travel may seem like an unachievable dream but by setting a clear budgeting plan there’s no reason you can’t afford to travel long-term like us.

We’ve been traveling since 2011, yup, back in January 2011 I left my job in Ireland and set off for the ‘land down under’ aka Australia but first, we stopped off in Thailand for over a month. Since then, we’ve lived in 4 different countries and traveled to over 50 countries.

We’ve spent 3 months backpacking through Central America, 2 months in Southeast Asia, 3 months in Italy, and months traveling through Australia and New Zealand. But, how do we afford it? Well, the short answer is through strategic planning, extreme budgeting, and creative income generation.

In this blog, we’ll look into how you can travel for a long period of time! It includes our 7 cheapest ways to keep costs down when traveling long-term. And our 6 top tips to help you save enough money before you go –  so, you too can travel the world like us.

How much should I save for long-term travel?

I recommend having a minimum of $15,000 saved if you want to travel for a year.

I’m gonna break it down for you –  ‎$15,000 over 12 months equals about ‎$40 per day. So, say you wanted to travel for only 3 months then I say you need a maximum ‎of $5,000 to do so. Because $40 x 90 days equals $5,000. That price includes flights, visas, and travel insurance.

Now, of course, the amount you NEED for a year of travel fully depends on the type of traveler you are. When we did our year round-the-world backpacking trip we were frugal – staying in hostels (private rooms mostly), eating in local restaurants or at street food stalls, and doing mostly free activities – like hiking, swimming, etc. And that’s how I came up with the amount of $40 per day because that’s what we budgeted for on that trip.

Keep in mind that, ‎$40 a day is barely going to buy you a breakfast in countries like Australia or New Zealand. So, use your common sense – I’m only suggesting that amount for the countries I’ve backpacked in. Countries like Mexico, El Salvador, Vietnam, Cambodia & Bali.

Above all, it’s important to embrace a minimalist lifestyle while on the road by staying in budget accommodations, cooking your meals, and using public transportation.

Doing a working holiday visa in countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand is another great way to travel long-term. As that way, you can work for a couple of months and then travel around these ‘more expensive’ destinations with the extra money you’ve saved from working.

Our Top Saving Tips Before a Long Trip

My top advice is to save extra hard before your departure by cutting unnecessary expenses, selling unused items (clothing, furniture) – basically anything you don’t need. Or you could pick up extra work. I nabbed a part-time job in a restaurant before my first big backpacking trip and my husband worked in a kitchen in addition to his day-time job to get extra funds.

1. Make a savings plan and stick to it

Be ruthless with your savings, to do this you need to track your expenses. Put a day aside to go through all your bank accounts, bills, and other outgoing costs and see where you can reduce or even eliminate certain spending. Look at where you need to be – do you need to cut back on certain bills? Can you consolidate your credit card debt? Changing your spending and budgeting habits will take time so don’t be too hard on yourself.

2. Wave goodbye to takeout coffees and takeaways

If you love your coffee like me, then why not invest in a good coffee machine? So that you can make those barista-style coffees at home. Sure, the initial cost of the coffee machine will be expensive, but if you think of how much use you will get from it as well as how much you will be using it. I’m sure it will work out a lot cheaper than your couple of takeaway coffees a week. Why not get out your reusable coffee cup, put your homemade coffee in it, and go for a walk? Voila – feels like a takeaway coffee (kind of).

3. Pay with cash

Studies have shown that people are more emotionally attached to cash. This is because you can literally see it dwindling before your eyes. Whereas with a credit card, it’s all too easy to tap and go and look at your bank balance later.

4. Live below your means and save the rest

It’s not always easy to save for a vacation on a tight budget. I know this. It may take some people longer than others to reach their savings goal. Try to consider this when you’re making your savings plan. All it takes to be successful is planning and the willingness to cut back on some expenses and be more cautious with your spending habits. 

5. Quit buying impulse items

Can you do your supermarket shop online – to avoid impulse buying? I’m terrible for impulse buying – I see a cheap deal or raid the clearance stand and end up with lots of really cheap stuff that I just don’t need. Avoid clothing and beauty stores altogether – again, browsing usually equals unnecessary purchases.

Unsubscribe from emails that may tempt you to purchase unnecessary items. I’ve unsubscribed from websites like Asos, Net a Porter, etc. because I don’t have much self-control around fashion!

6. Can you rent out your home or car?

If you own your own property have you considered renting it out while you’re away? Websites like Booking.com or Airbnb are a great way to make additional income, whilst you’re abroad. Especially if you’re considering being on vacation for two weeks or more.

You can also earn money by renting out your car whilst you are away. Websites like Get Around will help you do this, their service fee is 25%. If you have a second car that you don’t use regularly you could rent this out throughout the year to top up your savings.

Our Tips for Traveling Cheaply

With careful planning and resourcefulness, long-term travel can become an achievable reality. The below tips are what we follow religiously when we’re on the road. It’s how we’ve been able to travel to so many places and for so long.

1. Set a strict daily budget

$40 per day doesn’t sound like a lot does it? But in some parts of the world it goes a very long way, take Vietnam for example I stayed in some really nice hotels for a maximum of ‎$15 per night. In Mexico and Belize, it was a lot harder to find reasonable hotels so we increased our budget to $30 and scrapped the nice hotels instead we stayed at a wooden cabin in the jungle in Mexico and at a cabana on the beach in Belize.

2. Eat at street food stalls or cheap restaurants

Our favorite restaurants in Vietnam were probably the cheapest we’ve ever eaten at. We found this tiny restaurant down a back street in Hanoi that felt like you were eating in someone’s house. But, it was run by a finalist on Masterchef Vietnam and was so tasty.

In countries like Mexico where accommodation is more expensive we ate at little taco stalls to save money. In Belize, we ate at barbecues run by locals on the beach because most of the restaurants were too expensive for our budget.

Shop around, use TripAdvisor, take out your Lonely Planet book, ask fellow backpackers and I guarantee you will come up with a list of the length of your arm of cheap and yummy places to eat. If you want to travel for a year and for example eat only steak or fancy Italian food then ‎$15,000 probably isn’t going to last you for a whole year.

So, if you’re willing to stay in small 1 or 2-star hotels and only eat where the locals eat, then yes you can afford to travel long-term.

3. Do your research to get a great deal for an activity

Going on tours while on your trip, however, takes a lot more budget planning. Basically, we spent less money in the days leading up to the tour. So that we could afford it. We stayed in cheaper hotels and ate at street vendors for next to nothing.

So, if you’re willing to scrimp a little for a few days to go on a once-in-a-lifetime tour to somewhere like Halong Bay or the ATM Caves in Belize – then yes you can afford to travel long-term.

4. Get the bus instead of a taxi or private transfer

Are you a good bus passenger? If you’re willing to take buses everywhere. Yes, that means some 12-hour bus journeys on a sleeper bus with no toilets. And you won’t be tempted to blow a week’s budget on a plane journey to the next city. Then, yes you can afford to travel long-term.

Throughout Vietnam, we took sleeper buses (buses that travel large distances and have beds on-board). Yep, you get a small bunk bed for the journey. These buses can be really cheap if you go with the right company. FYI, some companies overcharge tourists.

In countries like Mexico and Guatemala, we got local buses (also called ‘chicken buses’) everywhere. Never once did we get a taxi or private transfer – this was so that we could keep to our daily budget of $40 per day. And I will admit that some journeys were tough, but, we soon forgot about it when we got to our destination!

5. Resist the urge to buy souvenirs

Can you resist buying tacky souvenirs that you will probably end up throwing out before your flight home? Then yes you can afford to travel.

On that note, can you stop yourself from buying all non-essential clothing for a whole year while you’re on the road?

6. Opt for the local beer 

Are you willing to swap your G&T’s (aka a gin and tonic) or glasses of rosé for local beer? Local beer is super cheap and most of the time tastes pretty good. You will become a beer connoisseur by the end of your trip, I promise you that. No lie I’ve probably tried about 30 new beers because I gave up my G&T’s.

7. Try to earn some money while traveling

Another great option if you don’t have a bucket load of savings in the bank is to work while you travel. Some popular and easy ways to do this is by Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), becoming an Au Pair or, working in a bar or Cafe. If you have a unique skill, say, you can surf or ski then you could get a job teaching other travelers.

In countries like Australia, fruit picking or farm work is a popular way that tourists can make a decent amount of money in a short space of time.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if you want to travel long-term in countries like Australia and New Zealand then you will need to work as you go. And to do that you’ll need a working holiday visa.

The cheapest way to travel doesn’t need to be the worst way to travel!

To summarize, although traveling on a budget requires strategic planning and flexibility, it can be an enriching and enjoyable experience.

So, YES, you can afford to travel long-term. If you want it you will find a way if not, you will find an excuse. It’s as simple as that. We’re all running out of time, if you want to travel just do it don’t keep saying you want to and then never do it. You will end up living with the regret. Let me leave you with this final thought –

Through traveling you make unforgettable memories!

Think of it this way, when you’re old and grey and looking back on your life you don’t want to be thinking about that time you bought a nice pair of skinny jeans. Or remember the time you blew your entire paycheck on makeup? You want to remember all those amazing travel experiences that made you the awesome person you are!

Final thoughts – A short vacation is great but long-term travel can be more authentic!

Yes, of course, two-week-long vacations can be amazing and relaxing. But, on a longer trip, you REALLY get to experience the destination. And that’s why we prefer long-term travel to vacations.

So, what’s holding you back from traveling long-term?

When you’re thinking back on your life – you want to be remembering that time you slept in a wooden cabin in the jungles of Mexico or the time you hiked an active volcano in El Salvador. Or the time you swam with sharks in Belize or the precise moment you ate the best pizza of your life in a tiny town in Italy.

I’ll say it again and again, you will never again be as young as you are at this moment, embrace it – travel the world, and see as much of it as you possibly can because when you’re sitting in your rocking chair at 80 you’re going to wish you had.

Your travel experience doesn’t need to be luxurious to enjoy it! Tell me – what did you think of our top tips for the cheapest way to travel long-term? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section!

Some of my other most popular blog posts include –

How to Spend 5 Days in San Francisco

First-timers guide to Seattle

How to Spend 2 Days in Alicante, Spain

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Last Updated on January 24, 2025 by snaphappytravel