Note: I written this as in Instagram post back in Nov 2017, after my 3 month long travel in North America. I've edited in some parts to make it more comprehensive, so please do have another read!
I just survived 3 months of travels in North America! People think that I’m loaded and that I’m super lucky to be able to travel so much, but really I am not rich and I believe it’s not too hard. I received a lot of questions about how am I able to afford traveling for so long, and why do I travel so much, etc. So I decided to write down 5 travel tips: 1) TRAVEL SUPER CHEAP
In 3 months, I calculated that I've spent about S$3500 (~US$2600) in total, including flights. I travel mostly by land and book the cheapest buses (or carpool in Mexico). I managed to save in accommodation as I had, very fortunately and generously, been given a roof over my head for all 90 days (Parkour community ❤️❤️❤️). That being said, traveling cheap can be hard work. It is called ‘traveling’ not ‘holidaying’ for a reason. Oftentimes it means saving on food (biggest expense for sure) by buying supermarket food and saving eat-out leftovers for next day’s lunch. I skip out on several touristy places because they are sometimes not quite worth the money.
I stayed in the Origins Gym in Vancouver, BC for NAPC.
2) TRAVEL Spontaneously
I booked a one-way ticket and planned my trip as it goes. I only planned to travel the West Coast but Mexico (best decision) and Texas somehow came into the equation. There are many things that would not have happened in this trip if I had planned everything from the start. However, sometimes it’s smarter to book in advance (I spend a lot of time on Skyscanner looking for cheap flights) as it will save you a good amount of money, so if you’re sure that you are able to commit to that trip, it’s best to buy it ASAP. Texas was the cheapest city to fly back home to, and it is thankfully not too far off from Mexico and is possible to travel there by land!
Travelling in a group can potentially save money as well, i.e carpooling from Oregon to San Fran!
3) Work hard and SAve Money
I worked my ass off last year in Australia and spent a good part of this year working in Singapore. From that, I saved a decent sum of money, which I set some of it aside for this travel. I sacrificed a good amount of time so I could afford this trip! If people prioritize travelling more, they would spend their money to buy their flight tickets instead of arbitrary things.
4) I WANT TO TRAVEL
The important thing about being able to travel is to WANT to travel. I value traveling a lot and make sure I put in the effort to try to make it happen. Going around the world and having random adventures unceasingly fascinates me and broadens my horizon. Experience the different cultures and meeting new people that share the same passion as you is always heartwarming. There is still a sense of apprehension each time I travel to a new city, but I have learnt to positively embrace the unknown. Saying yes to things and letting things happen often leads to satisfactory results. Granted, traveling takes a toll on your body from the nonstop training and moving around, but more often than not, it makes me feel extremely productive. This is why I WANT to travel so much. Not many people want it enough.
Do you truly want to travel?
5) HAVE A PASSIVE INCOME
When you’re travelling, not only do you spend money, you are also NOT earning money. Thus if I keep going, my money will eventually run out. Being away from home also means that I may miss out on several opportunities. It is also harder to go back to a job after being away for so long. This is why I am back home, and probably will be for a while now as I have commitments here, and plans in making something big happen here in the future. Towards the end of the trip, I figured that I could earn some money in my travels by giving workshops, and that for sure helped for a bit. I guess having a passive income is another thing that I should really get into. It would be nice to be able to continue traveling indefinitely. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There you have it. You can travel now! PS: If you haven't seen it already, here's the 7 min long video of adventure in USA/Mexico!
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