Travel Goals: Why Not?

My youngest daughter flew to Long Beach, California today. She and several of her friends will cruise the Mexican Riviera next week. She and some other friends will travel to Las Vegas he weekend after she gets back from Mexico. This is the same daughter who traveled to Germany, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic in 2008. She also worked as a youth counselor for a year on the ship that cruises the Hawaiian Islands. She pays for some of her travel, and gets others to pay for other travel.

Many people love to travel. Many have the money and the means to travel on their own. Most do not. Yet, travel does not have to be out of your reach. There are several ways that you can do the travel you desire:

1. Find a job that pays you to travel

2. Share the costs of traveling with others

3. Plan ahead and save the money you need to travel

My mother loves to travel. She and my father have been to every continent. They shared a small road with a lion in Africa. They walked the great wall of China and the pavement of Red Square. At one point, she worked as a mystery shopper for PSA Airlines (now Southwest Air). She flew all over California and got paid to do it. She even helped the company realize that she would look more like a real passenger if she had a child with her. She flew my first three children with her (one at a time). They were ages 5, 4, and 3.

You can start a part-time job or business to earn money for travel. I sold light bulbs door-to-door when I was 13-17. I used the money to attend the Boy Scout National Jamboree in Idaho. We traveled to Canada as part of that trip. I also went to the Boy Scouts world jamboree in Japan. I climbed Mount Fuji in a typhoon, toured Tokyo, Nara, and Kyoto. All from money I earned selling light bulbs.

You can get other people to pay for the travel. In addition, I have been to 32 countries on four continents. Someone else paid for almost every trip. I made sure I found a job that paid me to travel. When 60% travel became too much--I changed jobs.

I know a lady who watches travel inside advice web sites. She recently found one-way air fares to Hartford, Mass for $125. She knows a web site where Priceline shoppers share the deals they got, so that others will know what to bid. She usually shaves 40-70% off her travel costs using these methods.

Other people can help you find the way to travel. You can google them. You can read their blogs. You can send out questions on LinkedIn or Facebook asking people who travel how they pay for it. While I would ignore the ones who encourage you to go into debt and pay for it with a credit card, you may find several other great ideas.

Share them as comments to this blog. Let others see the possibilities.