Are you like me and sit doom scrolling on Instagram staring at all the amazing destinations in the world and have an ever growing bucket list? Or maybe you want to travel more but can’t seem to make it happen? You are in the right place. I have sat down today and created a post that will help you achieve your travel goals.
We are going to start with the why. Why make a travel goal in the first place? Then we’ll move on to realistic ways to reach your travel goals that include expert tips on how to save money, organize yourself, and prioritize travel.
I’ll also give you some examples and ways our family does this too. Even though travel is always top of mind for me, booking travel isn’t something that just happens easily. There are so many considerations.
Lastly, there is one more final step that we can’t forget about and many of us do. Revisiting our goals. To achieve our travel goals, they have to be top of mind. I’ll give you some simple ways to do this. So let’s get started!
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Why Set Travel Goals?
Let me start this section by asking a simple question. Since you are reading this post, I’m assuming you have a strong desire to travel more. What is holding you back?
- It could be money.
- It could be time or other responsibilites.
- Maybe you are unorganized and simply just don’t plan it.
- It could be you have so many questions or concerns it feels too overwhelming.
Travel goals help you organize yourself and work towards your desires. All of a sudden you have something to work for. You aren’t just hoping and wishing for someday. When you have a goal, you can start taking those small steps to finally making them a reality.
It isn’t going to solve everything. You will need to put in some work. However, if you do want to swim with sharks or see Macchu Picchu, the trip isn’t going to just happen unless you take the first step.
I used to not like to make goals. I am very much a fly by the seat of my pants kind of person. Then, I married a planner and someone that loves goals.
After making so many goals with him throughout the years, including travel goals, I have come to understand the value in them.
The Travel Goal That Hit Home For Me
In 2021 or 2022, I can’t remember now, my partner and I were out on a walk in Bozeman, Montana where we lived at the time. Mike said to me, what if we rented our house for 6 months and traveled.
This idea felt so big at the time. We had two elementary-aged kids. I had a full-time job at the university. Mike was making good money as a realtor. It was comfortable and familiar. I loved Bozeman. We had good friends.
I did want to travel more, but this huge idea never occurred to me. I had so many questions. Most of all, how the heck would we do that?
So we made a goal. So cliche, right? But that’s really what we did. Our goal was, by fall of 2022, we were going to travel for 6 months.
It was scary, but it was also exciting. I instantly started thinking about where we should go, but there were other steps we needed to figure out to make this a reality.
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Write Out Your Travel Goal
You can start simple here like our goal: By fall of 2022, we will travel for 6 months. This is just the beginning. I think that the more specific of a goal, the more likely you are to acheive it. If it is too broad it can feel too overwhelming.
So, do a little brainstorm first. Ask yourself and your family, how often do you want to travel?
- Do you want to take weekend trips to explore your area of the world?
- Do you want to take a month-long summer vacation to a new part of the world once a year?
- Do you want to take a week-long trip during spring break and winter break?
Dream big and be specific. It’s not written in stone; you can always change it.
What’s Realistic?
Now if I were to ask myself and my family the above question, I would get a few different responses. Some realistic and some not.
I would love to travel full-time again. Mike would too. The kids? Nope. They are quickly becoming teenagers. They want friends and routine. I get that. So we compromise.
If I had unlimited funds, I would travel every school break. However, that is just not realistic for us. So we ask ourselves, what can we afford?
Depending on your travel goal or your situation, you might also have to think of the long game. You might not have enough money to take that 2-week African safari you are dreaming about right now. Yet, that that doesn’t mean it is unattainable.
When we initially came up with our 6-month trip, we had to figure out a lot of things. One of the most important factors was our budget. We didn’t want to put ourselves in a tight spot and spend all of our money. We also didn’t want money to hold us back completely.
Some other questions you will want consider are:
- How much money can I save each month to make this travel goal a reality?
- Is there anything that isn’t bringing me happiness that I spend money on that I can cut out?
- Do I really need that sweater?
- Do I have any assets that I could leverage to make money while I am traveling? Like a car, RV or house you could rent?
Write Out Your Travel Goal
Now let’s put it all together. Goals should be as specific as you can make them. SMART is the acronym a lot of people use. They should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound. Remember, we will be revisiting the goal, so if it is more simple right now, that’s okay.
- How often and for how long do you want to travel?
- When do you want to go?
- How much money can you save or set aside for travel to achieve this goal?
- Where do you want to go? What do you want to do?
Here is an example of what your goal could look like.
In fall of 2022, we will begin a 6-month trip to South America where we will immerse ourselves in the culture, show our kids a new world perspective and grow closer as a family. We will rent out our house, furnished for 6 months and use our other rental income to pay for most of our expenses. We will grow our savings to 50,000 for extras and incidentals by adding to it $1000 a month.
I realize that this is not the situation that many people are in. For example, our family’s current travel goal is below.
Our goal for 2026 is to take 2 trips. One during February break to Slovenia and one in October break, undecided. Both trips will be between 7-10 days. We will set aside 700 dollars a month for travel throughout the year.
Another an example of a starting goal could be as follows. In this goal, we only know the main travel goal and how we are going to start to achieve it. I think that’s a great start.
In 2026, my goal is to travel internationally for the first time. I will set aside $300 a month.
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How To Reach Your Travel Goals
Now that you have a travel goal written down, how are you going to achieve it? Everyone will have different road blocks, but I’m going to give you some tips on a few of the most common ones.
Make A Budget And Tips For Saving Money
Being able to afford travel is a concern many of us have. We would travel much more and more lavishly if we had unlimited funds. That’s just not a reality. So we budget. We figure out what is feasible and go from there.
In our family’s current travel goal, I mentioned that we need to save $700 dollars a month to meet our goals. This number didn’t come out of nowhere. For the two trips we are planning, I budgeted $4000 dollars for each one for our family of 4.
Our first trip in 2026 is to Slovenia. We chose Slovenia for a couple of reasons.
Last year, we took a ski trip to Austria. We loved it, but it is a little outside of our budget for this year. We spent a little over 5600 dollars on that trip. We really enjoyed skiing, so we wanted to see if we could still take a ski trip, but spend less.
That’s when we found Slovenia.
The ski resorts will be smaller, but any hill is better than flat terrain in the Netherlands. Slovenia also looks incredibly beautiful. Even if the skiing isn’t great, we will have plenty of amazing outdoor activities we can do.
The second reason we chose Slovenia was the price tag. We will be driving there, so our costs for transportation will be about the same as Austria. Meals will be about the same as well. Where we are saving is the activities and our lodging.
We found places to stay that were half the price of Austria. Ski rentals and lift tickets are also less expensive. We are pretty positive we can stay under that $4000 mark. And if not, we will adjust for the fall trip.
Tips For Saving Money For Travel
There are a bunch of different travel hacks for saving money, but I think it is best to start with the fundamentals.
Set Aside Money Each Month
If you want travel to happen, physically moving money to a travel fund is the first step. You will be able to see how much your money grows and know exactly how much you have saved.
Additionally, you won’t be tempted to spend it. Well, maybe it will tempt you, but it is easier to separate what you can spend and what you can’t if it is in another account.
I would set up another savings account at your bank that you can easily move money into. Set a reminder on your calendar each month, then move the amount you want to save for travel each month to that account.
Is the amount too much that you are stressed out each month? Then readjust. Feel like you can save more? Adjust again.
Open A Travel Credit Card
If you can be responsible with your money and can pay off your credit card every month, open up a credit card that will give you travel benefits. There are a few really great ones that will help you book flights for free or get free nights in a hotel.
We have had many different ones over the years. The best way to sign up for a new card and get the most benefits is when there is a nice starting bonus. So look for special offers like that.
Our favorite cards over the years have been:
- Capital One Venture – This is a great starter card. You can get a nice bonus of 75,000 bonus miles and the annual fee isn’t too high at $95. The bonus alone is worth $750 dollars if booking travel through Capital One. We had this card for years before upgrading to the next card on the list.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards – This is our top card we use all the time. It has a pretty big annual fee of $395 but there are bonuses each year that make sense if you travel frequently like us.
- Marriott Bonvoy – For a hotel card, this is the one we have. I have the Visa Boundless version that gives you a bonus of 3 free nights when you sign up and annually one free night. The American Express versions have bigger bonuses, but it doesn’t make sense for us since we don’t live in the U.S.
Ultimately, choose the card that makes the most sense for you and only do this if you can pay it off each month. If you don’t, the interest you have to pay doesn’t save you any money on travel.
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Start The Planning Process
Another road block that many of us have is that we just never get to the planning and booking part. We keep saying things like. Yes, I want to go there. I need a vacation. I wish I was in Mexico right now. One day, I’m going to visit Europe. I’ve always wanted to go to the pyramids.
But then it never happens.
Not because we don’t want to.
Not because we don’t have the PTO.
Not because we don’t have the money.
We just don’t start.
And it just never happens.
Does this sound like you? If so, keep reading for some tips to get started.
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Tips For Taking That First Step
If you are struggling to take action on your travel goals. Here are some little things you should do to start. These quick and easy tasks are a great way to begin and won’t feel as overwhelming as planning a whole trip.
Write Your Travel Goals Where You See Them Everyday
Do you forget things if you don’t see them? I do. ALL THE TIME. Want your travel goals to become a reality? Write them where you will see them every day.
- Add a sticky note to your computer screen.
- Write it on a piece of paper and post it on your fridge.
- Get a white board and write it at the top in big bold letters.
We have a chalkboard wall and on one side we write all the school break dates and on another we list all the places we are interested in visiting during those breaks. It’s right by our dinner table. It keeps it top of mind.
Look At The Calendar And Set A Few Dates
Figure out a few times of the year that will work in your schedule for a vacation. You don’t have to pick specific dates, but get a rough idea. When you have an idea of when you can go, it will be easier to choose where you want to go.
For example, if you want a beach vacation but can only travel in December, Florida shouldn’t be your top option!
Make A List Of Destinations
If your schedule is flexible, make a bucket list of places you want to visit first. Alternatively, you could list things you want to do. For example, swimming with dolphins. Then, make a list of places where you can do this activity.
Set Up Price Alerts
Have a few destinations in mind and a rough idea on when you can go? Set up a flight alert. I use a few different websites for this. My favorites are Momondo, Skyscanner, and Kayak. I also use Kiwi because they search prices at smaller airlines.
Use these price alerts to help you decide which destination will fit in your travel budget.
Plan Out Times To Do Research, Plan, And Book Travel
In order to keep your travel goals moving forward, make reminders or make deadlines in your calendar or planner.
Write a small task to do weekly or monthly if that feels like too much.
If batching all of it makes more sense, set aside a larger chunk of time on the weekend where you do a big part of the planning.
It doesn’t matter how you do it, the point is that you do it. Adding it to your calendar will remind you that it shouldn’t be overlooked.
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Be Flexible And Revisit Your Goal
Our travel goals are constantly changing and so should yours. Most importantly, making a goal is the first step. Then make small steps to reach the goal throughout the year.
I would also make a note quarterly in your calendar to check back in with your travel goals to see if you are on track or if you need to make any adjustments.
Did you start with a simple goal? At the first quarterly check in, make your travel goal more specific. Add one or two more details. This will help it become a reality sooner rather than later.
I hope this helps you reach your travel goals. Traveling is one of the most fullfilling things in my life and I want you to be able to experience its joys too.
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