Hey there! After sharing the full budget breakdown from our Southern road trip, I wanted to make a separate post talking about something I think people are often way too embarrassed to ask:

👉 “How do people actually afford trips like this?”

And honestly?

Most of the time, it’s not because they’re secretly rich. 😅

It’s usually because:

• they prioritize travel
• they save intentionally
• they build systems over time
• and they slowly shift where their money goes

That’s exactly what we do.

Now trust me, we are NOT perfect at this. (Clearly, after the last post 😂). But over the years, we’ve slowly figured out what works best for us when saving for road trips, hiking adventures, backpacking trips, and random “let’s disappear into the desert again” moments.

And surprisingly?

A lot of it comes down to tiny habits.

 

 

 

 

Tiny Habits Add Up Faster Than You Think

One of the biggest mindset shifts we’ve had over the years is realizing that travel funds usually don’t come from one giant pile of money magically appearing overnight.

It’s usually:

• tiny deposits
• consistent saving
• little sacrifices
• side income
• unexpected money
• and time

That’s really it.

A lot of people think they need thousands immediately to travel, but realistically? Saving a little consistently builds WAY faster than most people realize.

  

 

 

 

 

The “One Coffee” Example

Let’s say you buy:

• one $6 coffee every weekday OR
• one $4 energy drink every day

Over the course of a year?

That could equal:

$1,400–$2,000+

Now listen, I’m not saying you should never buy the coffee, little treats, or convenience items. Life is meant to be enjoyed too. But sometimes simply becoming more aware of repetitive spending can help redirect money toward experiences you’ll remember for years instead of purchases you forget about by next week.

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

The Systems We Personally Use

Over time, we started building little systems that made saving feel less painful and more automatic.

Because honestly? If I have to manually think about saving every single day, there’s a solid chance my brain is going to wander off toward ice cream or REI instead. 😂

So we started simplifying it.

Automatic Savings Apps

Apps like:

• Acorns
• round-up savings apps
• automatic transfer apps
• cashback systems

can actually build surprisingly quickly.

Especially because most of the time, you stop noticing the money leaving in tiny amounts.

A few dollars here and there eventually snowballs.

Separate Travel Accounts

One thing that helped us mentally was having a completely separate savings account specifically for travel.

That way:

• we could visually see progress
• the money had a purpose
• and we were less tempted to spend it elsewhere

Even tiny recurring transfers help.

Examples:

• $5/day
• $20/week
• a small percentage of every paycheck
• leftover spending money at the end of the month

All of it builds over time.

And honestly, watching that account slowly grow starts becoming motivating in itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side Income Became Travel Income

This is another huge thing that changed our mindset.

Whenever extra income came in, we started putting at least part of it toward future trips.

Things like:

• side jobs
• overtime
• marketplace sales
• cashback rewards
• bonuses
• tax returns
• reselling income

Even if it wasn’t a massive amount.

Travel became easier once we stopped viewing it as:
👉 “I need thousands right now.”

and started viewing it as:
👉 “How can I slowly build this over time?”

That one mental shift changed a LOT for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ways We Save While Traveling Too

One thing we learned during the Southern Series is that saving doesn’t stop once the trip actually starts.

There are a ton of little ways to reduce spending without completely ruining the experience.

Some things that helped us:

Bringing Food & Drinks From Home

This was honestly one of the biggest money savers.

We packed:

• coolers
• drinks
• snacks
• electrolytes
• breakfast foods
• smoothie ingredients
• reusable bottles
• cookware

And although we still spent plenty on restaurants, having backup food reduced random gas station spending WAY more than expected.

Using Gift Cards & Rewards

We also used:

• holiday gift cards
• restaurant rewards
• fuel rewards
• loyalty programs
• free hotel waters
• cashback perks

And honestly?

Saving even $10–20 here and there adds up FAST over a multi-week trip.

Refilling Water Instead of Constantly Buying It

Water especially becomes sneaky expensive while traveling.

A few things that helped:

• reusable bottles
• filling up at hotels
• grabbing gallon jugs from grocery stores
• electrolyte packets
• avoiding convenience store pricing

If we did another long trip like this, I’d honestly even consider bringing a compact water filter setup to refill easier while moving around.

Tiny habits like this seriously add up over time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What We’ve Realized About Spending

At the end of the day, travel budgeting really isn’t about perfection.

It’s about priorities.

For us?

Experiences matter.

That doesn’t mean we spend recklessly all the time, but it DOES mean we intentionally choose where we want our money to go.

Some people love:

• luxury items
• giant homes
• expensive cars
• shopping constantly

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But for us?

We’d rather:

• hike somewhere incredible
• road trip through new states
• backpack somewhere remote
• eat amazing local food
• or create memories we’ll still be talking about years later

And honestly, once you become more intentional with your spending, you start realizing there’s usually room somewhere to build the life you actually want.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where I’m Landing With This

If traveling more is something you genuinely want to do, don’t convince yourself it’s impossible before even trying.

You do NOT need:

• luxury everything
• perfect timing
• a massive budget
• or a flawless plan

Sometimes you just need:

• consistency
• flexibility
• a few good habits
• and a willingness to start small

Because the tiny systems you build now?

They’re usually what fund the bigger adventures later. 🫶