I am the biggest spender in my house I reckon. It’s ridiculous to think I can’t help myself when I want to buy something new. And saving for my travels has been quite hard recently. Here are my top tips on how to save your money for travelling and the best ways to do it. I’ve decided to take it upon myself to save as much as I can. Whilst spending less for when I want to travel next.

You may think she doesn’t own a car or have her own house. But I pay rent monthly to my parents and have some other expenses going out you’d think I’d be able to save a lot. But I have the worst spending habit ever! I thought I would write a post on tips to save for your travels and also hopefully I will be able to take my own advice when it comes to saving.

HOW TO SAVE FOR YOUR TRAVELS // 4 TOP LEARNT TIPS

01. FIND THE RIGHT CARD & BANK FOR YOU 

Firstly do you want to keep your money digitally recorded. Or are you old school with a cookie jar filled with coins? I personally can’t cope with a coin jar filled with shrapnel, so I prefer to have a separate bank account from my daily account to save money away in.  There are quite a few differences in bank accounts and bank cards that you need to decide on.

Do you want a Credit Card? Or a Debit Card?

I have had so many people demand me to not get a credit card. But it’s up to you and if you think you’d be able to keep up with paying it back and not getting stuck. So I have decided to stick with debit cards. The only problem I have come across, is that debit cards don’t offer a system where you can earn Avios points on your spending. This is a massive bummer but I have found a way of earning Avios through shopping on certain sites.

Choose a card that provides you with free spending and withdrawals abroad.

One downside to my daily account with Santander is that they charge for abroad transactions. But now I have my beloved Monzo card, I can now spend and withdraw money in any currency FREE abroad. It does however give you a limit each month but it’s perfect for short term travels or if you’re careful.

Pick a bank account that gives you interest on your money to earn that bit extra.

That famous saying of “every little helps” from Tescos. But seriously, every little bit that you earn in interest goes into your bank account and adds to the existing money you have to put towards your travel spending. It may only be a little bit but it can sometimes make a huge difference. You also want to know that your bank are rewarding you for having money with them.

SCREENSHOTS FROM MY MONZO BANKING APP

Create a pot for saving your money in using Monzo. Monzo shows you where you’ve used your card and also gives you the current exchange rate.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN EARN AVIOS POINTS THROUGH SHOPPING.

A bank card that alerts you on your spending instantly.

A great way of keeping up with your finances is knowing how much you’ve spent, exactly when you’ve spent it. You don’t want to be hanging around waiting on your bank to update to tell you how much you’ve spent. I love Monzo’s little feature of instant alerts whenever I’ve used my card. Every month Monzo also gives you a monthly report to let you know how much has gone in and out of your account so you know if you’re over spending.

Want to know the current exchange rate?

Are you shopping abroad and need to know what the exchange rate is? Once you’ve done your shopping, Monzo will let you know the exchange rate at the time of purchase. This gives you a great idea of how much you’ve been spending on your travels in your currency and the local currency.

02. DO YOU NEED IT OR WANT IT? 

This is a huge question I need to ask myself when spending. I have a terrible shopping addiction and love getting new things. I really need to kick it to the curb now to improve my saving for travels. Before you press the checkout button you have to ask yourself if you really need it, or do you just want it to feel happier. Can you live with what you’ve got for now until you need a new one?

NEED TO KNOW HOW TO PACK YOUR CAMERAS IN A HAND LUGGAGE CASE? FIND OUT HOW I DO IT HERE.

03. CREATE A SAVINGS POT ON MONZO AND LOCK IT 

If you have a Monzo account/card or need to sign up for one do it now. (Use my link here to sign up and earn £5) Set up a savings pot and put a lock on it so you can’t withdraw any money from that pot until you need it for travels. I have to do this for myself now to stop myself from using the money I’ve saved.

04. EARNING AVIOS POINTS 

I was gutted when I found the only cards who earn Avios points through spending are credit cards especially the American Express ones. I was happy though when I found I could earn points through the British Airways website and shop at ASOS, John Lewis, Apple, Etsy, M&S and so many more. Each shop offers a certain amount of Avios points for every £1 you spend. For example shopping with ASOS earns you 3 points for every £1 you spend. It doesn’t sound like much but on a £100 order I earned around 600 points, when it was at 6 points per £1.

---

SHARE THIS POST AND GIVE IT SOME LOVE !!

How do you save for your travels? Let me know in the comments below.