Want to start travelling? Here are some points to consider!

‘Rheen, how do you afford travelling every now and then?’

Hi, my name is Rheen and I’ll start off by declaring how I dread the above question. Every female traveller probably hates that question too. Here’s why…

I have always said that it is one thing to be a solo traveller and it is another thing to be a female solo traveller. Female solo travelers are always under scrutiny. Sometimes people choose to be ignorant by asking us ‘Who pays for your trips? Where do you work? Are you married? Where is your husband? Find me a boyfriend like yours…’ It is quite disappointing that in this day and era people still pose such questions every time they see a solo female traveller on the move – This is a story for another day.

This post is dedicated to everyone out there who thinks that travelling is an expensive hobby. I shall continuously help you figure out travel dynamics on your end through my experiences.

Acknowledge your privilege.

This is probably the quickest way to afford basic travels. This is what I mean; if you are still living with your parents / guardians etc in a comfortable environment, why are you so quick to think of moving out? I am here to tell you to stay at home and enjoy life a little…or forever! Save the money you’d have used to move out and direct it to your travels! Quick math.

Other forms of privilege may include having a job; which makes it quite easy for one to even think of planning a trip.

As a student, chances are that you get some allowance(s) to cater for your needs. Plan for that money well. If I could go back to my campus days, I’d definitely ‘correct’ how I spent my money. I wasted so much of it on clothes, shoes, bags and quite a number of miscellaneous things. I’m glad I saw the light immediately after campus and my life changed for the better!

2. Priorities

Like any other person who sets aside funds to cater for their rent, food, transport, entertainment etc, set aside funds for travels! Once you develop this habit, you’ll find out how easy it is to plan for trips in advance.

Travels have always been my number one priority. When something is a priority, you’ll always find a way to make it work…just like I did.

Remember that travel is wide and has no limitations. You don’t have to stay in hotels / hostels / camps, board a plane, cross borders etc for it to count as travelling. A simple day trip to the park is good enough…a trip to the countryside is equally good. Perspective matters!

On my end, the above ‘secrets’ have always held me down since time immemorial. Quite easy, no? I’m pretty sure some of you expected a long write up with millions of bullets points. Nah fam!

I’ll end my first blog post here. This definitely marks the beginning of a never-ending journey! Tag along…😊