People have told me they are living vicariously through me. While it’s nice that people enjoy hearing about my travels and seeing photos of where I’ve been, I always encourage them to “get out there” themselves. But they tell me they don’t have the money, and I understand that. I make travel a priority over buying “stuff” and I’m not raising a family or putting kids through college.
If you have the money but are not sure if you want to spend it on travel, I say “just go!” You won’t regret it. Seeing and experiencing a different part of the country or the world is definitely worth the time and money it takes.
If you don’t make a habit of buying “stuff” and truly don’t have the money now, here’s my advice:
Pick a destination that you’ve always wanted to go – some place really special – and then start planning and start saving for it. Even if you don’t have the money for ten years, so what? Ten years will go by whether you saved a little here and a little there or not, so you may as well do it and enjoy a wonderful vacation when you’ve saved enough to go.
Here’s a link from Nomadic Matt’s travel blog to save money on a cruise. I find that a cruise is the best value for your money. You get to visit a few different places during a week-long cruise and there’s plenty to keep you busy on the days at sea . . . or you can do nothing at all.
http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/cheap-cruises/
I took some of these suggestions to heart on my last cruise, and the cruise company almost owed me money at the end! I think my “ship card” bill came to a whopping $4.00! Not what they like to see, but my budget appreciated it when the credit card bill came!