To wonder how people afford to travel the world?

[chatterbug22]

I’m 20, partner is 23. No DC yet but a consideration within the next several years, as a personal choice I would rather be done in 20s if at all possible.

We both have good jobs and our first home together, we’ve chosen to rent under one of the government schemes with the idea of buying our house at the end of a time period. We get a hefty discount to enable us to save for a deposit on the house however we won’t necessarily buy it as it’s a 2 bed and in time we’ll need more space. Redeeming quality is that it’s way cheaper than extortionate private rent, does not tie us in and enables us to save for a house deposit - whichever house that we choose.

I only just turned 18 when COVID started kicking off hence haven’t had the chance to experience youth and travel, etc. It is something me and my partner both want to do but despite our good, full time jobs, I can’t foresee how we will manage to do this yet also save for a house? I am on a healthy salary for my age and so is my OH with overtime. We are in the north so not having London prices. I don’t know how others get on. I made the mistake of joining a Facebook group for people who travel and seriously can’t comprehend how people leave or quit their jobs for 3-6 months and just go round the world? Where does the money come from? How do you sustain yourself out there? I do appreciate the people in those kinds of groups probably represent an extremely small margin of society but all the same, it leaves me wondering if I’m boring or if they’re out of touch with reality

It’s so hard to know whether to put savings for a house first, or trust that income will go up once we have fully progressed in careers and not to worry about that right now.

I would love to just spontaneously book Bali but also, responsibilities!

Thoughts?

I'm in my mid thirties so it's a while since my mates all went backpacking butchered was an even split of wealthy parents and saving up from jobs and student loans.

I never went- I was pregnant at 19 so missed the opportunity and then my priority switched to my career and buying a home, which we did do at 25 - when all my mates came back with great tans and loads of great stories (lots of one night stands!). I wish I'd experienced it but can't even imagine it to be honest because I've been a sensible mum far too long now.

If I were you OP I'd 100% go before settling down and buying a house- home ownership is overrated unless you've got kids in a good local school and know for sure you won't ever want to work in another part of the country!

I was lucky to have a really well paying job from my early twenties & I went to America about 4 times a year. I was quite old for a gap year & I went when I was 28. I was lucky with an investment policy that I had enough for round the world ticket & money for about 2 months travel. I'd been in my civil service job long enough to get a years sabbatical.

I had a work visa for Australia so travelled for 2 months & then got a job for a few months to save up for the next travel stint.

I'd been round the world twice by the time I was 30. Didn't really travel in Europe, left that till I was married with mortgage as cheaper & easier to do long weekends.

I adore travelling & am now planning all the places we want to see now that kids are grown & we can travel as 2 again.

There's a big works out there & plenty of time to settle down & pay mortgage & bills

Finished uni, saved up for about 9 months, buggered off for a year. Worked for 3 months while I was in Sydney. Had a brilliant time.

It's about priorities, isn't it? You can do it if you want to, but you will have to deprioritise something else.

Personally, I'm very thankful for the opportunities that I had to travel when I was younger. Best thing I ever did.

I worked two jobs and was very, very strict with myself about what I spent money on. I travelled cheaply and worked a bit in other countries.

I spent a year in Australia on a working holiday visa - not sure what the rules are now (I went in 2005) but I went out with £2000 in my account and worked on and off for up to 3 months at a time - everything from office temping in Sydney & Perth, fruit picking in Bundaberg, car washing & dish washing in north Queensland, to tree planting on Melville Island! I was broke AF a lot, and a few times when pay was late I lived off free breakfasts at the hostel, but I experienced so much!

Just go. You're too young to be this sensible.

Life is short and 6 or 9 months away is just a drop in the ocean. You definitely can't go when you've a young child so now is the time to live a little

Best time to travel is when you're young and prepared to rough it in hostels with a backpack and sleep on overnight trains.

Now I'm older I need a comfortable bed and my own bathroom and that shit costs money.

You're young, go on an adventure! I don't know how young people do it these days but when I was 18 it was all about interrailing across Europe or casual work in Australia to pay for travel.

I think that people of your age would do this by building up an instagram following and collecting up the freebies holidays and brand endorsements. Also, some digital nomad type freelancing as a back up.

It is pot luck if yours happens to take off though. I have two nieces - one is gorgeous, really, really sociable and even though she barely posts once a month she managed to get ten thousand followers in record time because her posts seem to convey her personality and magnetism. Brands are falling over themselves for collaborations and she could do this for free (except that she is not a traveler).

The other girl is nice but a creative introvert type and has ten followers (mainly family). Sadly, she would love to travel but cannot afford it. She has never been offered exotic holidays and expensive freebies.

Since they are like chalk and cheese, they would never pool their success and travel together.

I did similar to @Isis1981uk

The program is still running (in fact it is better that whenever went). This company are who I went with and they are fab.

bunac.org/

I saved about £3k. Spent a grand of that on the plane ticket and bunac/ visa fees. Got a job lined up on my second day and didn’t touch the saved cash till much later.

Seriously. Life is short. Travel now and buy the house/have the baby later.

I didn't travel in my youth and hugely regret it. I was like you OP, had it in my head that I needed to buy a house and settle down. Various things that happened in my teenage years put me onto this track and as I didn't go to uni I didn't have that same gap year / back packing vibe. I worked FT from leaving school and bought a house late teens.

You have your whole life ahead of you to settle down, buy a house and get weighed down with responsibilities. It's so sad that you are saying 'responsibilities' at 20 are stopping you doing things. Some people are happy to have their children when young and settle down but if you feel you want to travel the world then do it!! Re-prioritise your savings and go do it!!

I only just turned 18 when COVID started kicking off hence haven’t had the chance to experience youth and travel, etc. It is something me and my partner both want to do but despite our good, full time jobs, I can’t foresee how we will manage to do this yet also save for a house?

To be blunt, make different choices. You're 20, hardly out of school, aiming for a middle aged life of responsibility having entirely skipped the fun carefree period of your life. That money you've got saved - buy a round the world ticket with it and don't look back.

In my experience, lots of people save up and splurge, wanting the best out of their short breaks.

We travel, and we get literally go on Skyscanner and find out where we can go, picking the cheapest flights available. Then get some basic central accommodation. Then use coaches, trains etc to travel around and between countries.

We're going on holiday with the in laws for a week, and they're paying four times as much as us for extras etc for "peace of mind" - whilst we travel so often that we're happy to wing it for much cheaper.

Travelled a lot when younger.
Worked, saved up, went off.
Whilst some people were settling down, getting a career and a foot on the housing ladder.

It's choices and priorities.

If I hadn't done that, then life would have been different. I might have had a much bigger house for example.

But I have some amazing memories and life experiences.

Travel doesn’t have to be terribly expensive, especially not when you’re young - you book the awkward flights between countries, use a lot of buses and local transport options when in-country, stay in the budget accommodation (which doesn’t have to be hostels, when DP and I were in Phuket we stayed off the main tourist areas and our perfectly fine apartment was the equivalent of £25 a night.) You could easily go away for three months without spending much more than you would on day to day living in the UK, and that’s an easily saved amount if travel is your passion to save for.

Honestly I think it’s ludicrous to be in your early twenties and settling down like a seasoned middle aged couple. There’s plenty of time for that later in.

You stay in shitholes

I've been to places with the bluest water and whitest sand and some people were staying in expensive boutique hotels while I was in a hut with a sand floor and a hammock-style bed. They ate Michelin starred food. I ate street food. They travelled around in air-conditioned, guided coaches. I rode in the back of pick-up trucks. Once you're there it's very very cheap if you choose right. You save for the flights and decent insurance.

And there is nothing like it if it's for you. I wouldn't have given it up for the world. I worked two jobs while doing a degree to afford it though. Basically 2.5 times full-time! And I had my child late.

You used to be able to get great deals on round the word tickets. It’s even better value is you travel as far as you can overland to spread out your selected flights. You can pretty much travel across south East Asian on public transport if you fly in to Singapore. Plus, somewhere like Asia is pretty cheap for accommodation and food. I’d highly recommend it to anyone if you can.

God OP, you write like a 40 year old! I find this post quite sad, sorry.

You were just 18 when Covid started and are now about to resign yourself to the eternal grind of mortgage, 9-5 and kids.

Spend the money on travelling for a while. Also OP look into what is a called a “Working Holiday Visa”. They last about 2 years and Aus, Canada and New Zealand do them. Other countries will have similar I presume. The point of them is to be able to work in the country for a while to pay for your travelling. I’d recommend that, you wouldn’t be burning through your savings as much.

I lived in a shared room in a shared house and saved up to travel. Worked a few casual jobs while travelling. Came home broke and moved back in with my parents and got a new job. Didn't start saving for a house until years later.

So tips would be

• you say your rent is cheap but there are 2 of you in a 2 bed place. Can you find somewhere cheaper even if it's less space/security/comfort? Or let our the spare room?
• decide what your priority is - house or travel? - you can't save for both at the same time
• can you pick up some work along the way?
• do you have a back up place to stay when you get home for the first month or so

I’ve worked with many IT contractors who chose not to have families, bought a small property but contract for 9 months of the year, travel for 3 then repeat. The contract rates easily covered the mortgage and the travel costs.

My niece is your age and got one of those working holiday visas OP. She went to Canada to work in a ski resort. She works full-time there with her partner and they are on bloody good money and during their free time they hike and do outdoorsy stuff. They get staff housing.

They are going to New Zealand when their Canada visa expires.

So as I said, look into ‘work abroad’ type holidays and look into working holiday visas. Obviously you’ll be stuck in one country for a bit whilst working but you get the “being abroad” experience AND you earn.

At your age they most probably still bide at hame wi their ma & da.

What jobs do you and your partner do, is there the opportunity to travel with work?
Why do you feel you should have kids so soon?
I did a lot of travelling in my 20s and I am so glad I did.

I think there are 2 distinct camps of people (neither are wrong). The early travelers and the late ones. The thing they have in common are the level of responsibilities at their life stage. Early travelers can do the backpacking, work, hosteling travel before careers, kids, and houses. Older people can do the the leisurely, longer, frequency/ loyalty travel after the kids, mortgage and career.

It’s the bit in the middle that makes it more challenging, due to scheduling, increased cost, and generally less time. In a way it’s down to priority and the old adage “You can have anything you want, but you can’t have everything you want.