Travel Archives - Page 2 of 32 - Making Sense Of Cents

How I Turned My Travel Goals Into A Win For My Finances

Last Updated: July 18, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Today, I have a great article to share from a reader, Anna Barker. She will be talking about how she has visited over 55 countries and has actually used this as a way to improve her finances, including paying off $60,000 in debt. Enjoy!

Hi, I’m Anna! I’ve had the chance to live in and travel throughout a bunch of places in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East, while paying off all my debt and starting to invest (not to mention working on my personal finance site, LogicalDollar, on the side). Based on this, I’m convinced that you can actually see the world AND have it help your finances, with this article explaining exactly how I think you can do this too!

Do your financial goals include actually being able to go on that vacation you’ve always wanted to take – but just haven’t quite been able to afford yet?

Or have you told yourself that you’ll finally start ticking things off your bucket list when you eventually retire?

You absolutely wouldn’t be alone in either case. In fact, I can definitely relate to having the realization that all those places you’ve been dreaming of seeing take so much money to get to – not to mention the time needed to get there!

Let’s not even talk about finances for a moment.

For anyone working somewhere where you have a limited number of vacation days – assuming you have any at all – you could easily eat up your entire year’s worth just with one quick trip.

Money and time are two major reasons why a lot of people dream of seeing the world, but often don’t intend to do so until they retire. And while a financially secure retirement is certainly something to plan for, we all know that life can get in the way between now and then.

But what if I told you that there was a way that you could actually travel the world now…and that you could help your finances out by doing so?

Here’s how I’ve done exactly that. [Read more…]

How I Grew a Travel Blog to 100,000 Monthly Readers

Last Updated: March 17, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 11 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Hello! Today, I have a great guest post to share from Alex Kroeger from ViaTravelers about how they grew a travel blog to 100,000 monthly pageviews in less than 12 months. Enjoy!

If you read travel articles or follow travelers on social media, chances are you’ve deliberated about starting your very own travel blog. But, of course, the daily grind of a desk job makes us daydream sometimes. But that dream can be a reality!

If you travel for your hobby, you likely have a pretty easy way to monetize your hobby. You don’t need to travel full-time to make money from travel blogging. You can do it even if you only travel sparingly.

When you travel, you likely build a massive repository of photos, food experiences, hotel experiences, lessons learned, frustrations and so much more. These memories make for an excellent way to journal your memories, document them and make some money along the way.

Why not put some of these memories to work and earn from passive income (at the very least) along the way?

Who knows? It may just turn into a full fledged online business…

Don’t let the existence of literally thousands of such blogs discourage you from starting your own. With the right tricks up your sleeve and a true passion to see the world, you can turn your blog into a real money maker. There will come a time when you can finance your travels through that very blog. [Read more…]

How We Travel Full-Time On $1,400 Per Month

Last Updated: January 26, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 19 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Next up in my Extraordinary Series is Melissa Nance and Wade Smith from The Penny Pinching Globetrotter. They have been traveling full-time for four years and on a low budget of just $1,400 per month. This includes all of their living expenses as well as money spent on travel.

In August of 2015, Melissa found out she had cancer and spent lots of time thinking about what she wanted the rest of her life to look like.

Travel was at the top of her list, and she was determined to find a way to make it happen.

Neither her nor her husband had a remote job, so they found other ways to make it work, such as her husband working for U.S. National Parks for free camp stays and income.

They have visited 15 national parks, 20 national monuments, camped in 21 states, visited 7 countries, and more.

And, they have done all of this on a very realistic and low budget.

In this interview, you’ll learn:

The big obstacles they had to overcome to getting started with full-time traveling
The type of RV they have
Their monthly budget and what they spend each month
What they do to save money while traveling/living
How they make money

And more! [Read more…]

14 Best Camping Breakfast Recipes For Your Next Trip

Last Updated: March 5, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 4 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you planning your next camping trip and looking for delicious camping breakfast recipes?

Camping can be a very affordable way to travel and visit new and exciting places. And, it’s a fun activity to do with your family, your partner, or even by yourself.

While camping is a lot of fun, it can be challenging to plan out your meals, and you need to pack and transport everything with you.

Because it’s not like you can always simply open the fridge or pantry, some people think that the only options when camping are roasting hot dogs and granola bars.

That’s not the case at all, especially if you put in a bit of work to prep your meals in advance.

Camping is also an excellent opportunity to get creative with your cooking, and you will quickly learn that you can make almost anything while camping.

This is one of the lessons we’ve learned while traveling full-time in our camper van.

Actually, being in a camper van, RV, or boat is similar to camping because you have very limited kitchen space. You often only have one burner too, so you have to get creative when you cook. [Read more…]

10 Lessons I’ve Learned From Living A Nomadic Lifestyle

Last Updated: March 19, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 13 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

If you’ve ever wondered what the nomadic lifestyle is really like, I’ve been traveling full-time for over five years, and I’m always excited to share my experiences.

It all started back in 2013 when my husband and I left our day jobs and became location independent. We started traveling more extensively, and we loved being able to spend more time outdoors doing what we love.

Then in 2015, what feels like a lifetime ago, we started traveling full-time. First, we sold our house in Missouri that we had owned for a little over five years and moved to Colorado.

We rented a house in Colorado and bought an RV right after we moved in, but the house didn’t last for long. We were ready to move into the RV and start traveling full-time.

Traveling is always something I was interested in, even from a young age, but I never thought that I would live a nomadic lifestyle.

It was exciting and scary at first, and I’m so excited I gave it a shot as it has greatly changed my life for the better.

I’ve found many nomadic lifestyle advantages over the years — I have learned so many skills, I have met amazing people, been to countless beautiful places, and more. [Read more…]

How I Became A Full-Time Travel Blogger

Last Updated: May 5, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Hello! Today, I have a great story to share from Isabel Leong. She will be talking about how she made the transition to become a full-time travel blogger. Enjoy!

I’m Isabel, digital nomad and full-time travel blogger at Bel Around The World. Since its inception as a hobby blog when I was in university in 2015 until now, I’ve earned over $79,000 from it.

This is excluding sponsored 5-star experiences such as skydiving and going up on ice glaciers in New Zealand, doing white shark cave diving, paragliding and going on luxury safaris in South Africa, flying over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, glamping in Australia, visiting overwater villas in the Maldives and more.

At its peak, the site fetches a monthly average of over 55,000 page views monthly. Thanks to the quality, consistent, passive traffic and income, my dream of travelling full-time is now possible through this travel blog.

It was not always like that… [Read more…]

How This Family Is Overlanding And Driving Across The World In Their Jeep

Last Updated: March 5, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 5 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Next up in my Extraordinary Series is Eric and Brittany from Hourless Life. They are doing something very different from the average family – they currently live and travel in their Jeep full-time with their son.

Yes, they live full-time in a Jeep!

This overlanding family is driving across the world in their Jeep. Their plans are to visit South America, Africa, Europe, and all the way to Asia. They plan to see as much of the world as they can.

They have been full-time traveling since 2014, first by RV, and have been on the road ever since. Now, they are getting ready to drive around the world in a Jeep Gladiator truck.

In this interview, you’ll learn:

How they live in a Jeep with their son
How they afford to travel
What overlanding is
Where they sleep, cook, and use the bathroom
What an average day living in a Jeep is like
How much overlanding with a family across the world will cost them
Their tips for traveling with a child

And more!

This is a great article to read whether you are interested in overlanding with your family, or if you’re more interested in RVing as well. Both are great options depending on what you are looking for.

You can find Hourless Life on Instagram.

Please enjoy this interview. I really enjoyed reading it and learned a ton – so I know you will too. Enjoy!

[Read more…]