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Who our 'Plan a world trip in 10 steps | Instruction manual' quickly came to an essential part of a world trip from: save up† Saving for a world trip is not always easy. Yet everyone can save and save with simple adjustments in his or her daily life.

In order to save money, more money must come in than go out. Simple, you might say. However, there is a lot more to it. It starts with you first mindset change. Do you ever want to travel? Or are you determined to leave? It's a difference of a few letters when you write it down, but determination is common key when it comes to traveling the world.

You'll have to bite the proverbial bullet for a while. But don't worry, you're not doing it for nothing! Reward yourself later during your world trip and until then, dream of the beautiful beach below!

Step 1 – Set the world travel budget + date

Start here. Make sure you have a goal. An important part of determining your goal and also world travel budget is choosing which countries you want to visit. With a clear goal you save faster, more targeted and easier. You can also calculate your progress with a clear goal and take measures where necessary.

Bucket list world map from the World Travelers webshop
Bucket-list world map from the World Travelers webshop

Is your budget fixed? Then immediately attach a departure date. Once you have set these 2 goals, you will immediately feel like being frugal. That may sound crazy, but suddenly 'the higher goal', the journey, feels very close. Suddenly you realize that you are really going to do it. There is no better motivation to save and live frugally.

Step 2 – Save a fixed amount for your world trip

Now that you know what you need to save and how much time you have, you know exactly what you need to save monthly for your world trip. To reach your goal, set up an automatic monthly transfer to your savings account the day after you receive your paycheck. Force yourself directly to get by for the month on a small budget.


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Save a fixed amount every month for your world trip

Do you happen to have money left over, even if it is only 50 euros? Deposit it to your savings account! An interim financial windfall? Birthday? All options to save faster.

STOP shopping, START saving.

Chris – Wereldreizigers.nl

Step 3 – Register all your expenses

Create an Excel list on your PC or laptop in which you can clearly put everything next to and below each other. View and record all costs you have incurred in the past year. Don't forget to write down all out-of-pocket expenses. Cups of coffee on the terrace, sandwiches at the bakery, donations to charities, etc. etc.. This is the only way to gain complete insight into how much you have to spend per month and how much you can save each month.

Register all your expenses in Excel to get an overview
Register all your expenses in Excel to get an overview

If you zoom out a little further, the effect is even greater, look at how much you per year can save. Many banks often have household books that can help you with this. Sit down for a night and map out in detail what is going on every day, week, month and year.

It is definitely not the nicest job to do, but you will notice that it gives a very good feeling afterwards. Put on some nice music and go for it!

Step 4 – Eliminate all unnecessary expenses

Go through all your expenses critically. After all, you now have it neatly in a household book or overview. Start cutting out unnecessary or unnecessary expenses. By unnecessary we mean the expenses for things that you (un)consciously do not use.

Chris can laugh again, he found a new way to save money | Photo by Max KNeefel
Chris can laugh again, he found a new way to save money | Photo by Max Kneefel

Think of magazine subscriptions, Netflix, Videoland, Prime, HBO, etc.. Double insurance, gym subscriptions, NS discount card, there are often many current affairs that you do not or hardly use, but for which you pay monthly. Do you have a car, motorcycle or scooter† Maybe you can leave it on a little more often or even better: sold† Besides the fact that it saves on insurance, road tax and maintenance costs, it also cleans up nicely. Don't forget that a car is an enormous luxury and you can really do without it for a year if you really want to.

Step 5 – Reduce fixed housing costs

This is a rigorous measure, but one that can help you enormously to quickly achieve your goal (saving quickly for a world trip). Do you live in the city center? Move to an inexpensive suburb or village. Your mortgage or rent will be significantly lower. Do you have very sweet parents? Do they have an extension, attic or floor that you can live in for a year? Then seriously consider this and discuss it with them. The amount of money you can save in just one year is unprecedented. There is hardly a better way to save money.

Step 6 – Save on going out

Go to a terrace on Friday afternoon, go to the pub every week, go out late into the night, get coffee outside, eat and drink a lot, consume a lot of alcohol, you know the drill. These are all things that we find important to let off some steam every now and then. After all, we work hard all week...

Chris loves specialty beers | Save for a world trip
Chris loves specialty beers | Save for a world trip

You can just keep doing this! Just do it less often. And do it just a little smarter. Think in advance about the evening and what you can do to save money. Chill out in the park instead of on the terrace with specialty beers for 6-7 euros. Share your world travel plans with your friends and family and explain that you just need to take it easy with your money. You will see that there is often a lot of understanding - and that every now and then a good friend or family will step up and pay something extra so that you don't have to. Real love!

Eat before you leave home

Yes, another open door… Go did not with hunger or an empty stomach if you already know that you are going to a terrace, or already know in advance that you will be away from home a little longer. Eating out is a big expense. Cook more often and make sure you always have leftovers or meals in the fridge or freezer. This not only saves euros, it is also much healthier.

Don't drink or drink (alcohol) before going out

It might sound stupid and childish, because it's something 'teenagers do'. But if you do want to go out and have a drink, have a drink at home before you go. Are you having fun dancing? Then omit those cocktails and just order a (draft) beer instead of a good wine or specialty beer. You will be surprised how much money you can save with this. Drinking a little less or not at all is of course also possible!

Go (out) on your bike

Go out by bike instead of by car, bus or taxi. Yes, it's nice to just hop in a taxi after a night out and be stumbled home to be dropped off. But every time you do this you are spending money unnecessarily. Cycling is wonderful! Sober up a bit on the way home, the fresh wind in your hair and yes, completely free.

Go (out) on your bike to save money
Go (out) on your bike to save money

Step 7 – Take a critical look at your subscriptions

Every year you are confronted with advertisements to switch energy supplier or health insurer. Sometimes to get tired of it. But no matter how annoying they are, don't forget to use them. Do you care who supplies you with your energy? Yes, we are also a fan of sustainably generated electricity, but you can also compare and save here. It can be quickly earned to switch. The same applies to your TV and internet subscription.

Switching energy suppliers can easily save you 300 euros per year. Switching from TV and Internet subscription also saves you 150 euros per year, because you often get great deals (6 months 50% discount, for example).

Check your health insurance, are you extra insured and do you actually use it? Are you with a cheap insurer? All options to save extra for your world trip. Take advantage of that!

Step 8 – Hang out on the couch more often

Okay, this sounds really lame. But you just save a lot of money by staying at home. Watch a movie at home instead of at the cinema. Invite friends at home instead of in the pub and skip the expensive festivals this year. A festival day (ticket, food and drinks) will easily cost you 100 to 200 euros. There are many free alternatives! And don't forget that you are planning to travel the world. Think of the bigger goal. A weekend at the festival suddenly means nothing anymore.

You can also use these dull evenings to actually to plan a world trip† Map out routes, book flights, view hotels, you name it!

Step 9 – Don't buy a new phone

New phone? No, save for your world trip!
New phone? No, save for your world trip!

Do you have a telephone with a subscription that allows you to choose a new telephone every 2 years? Does your phone really need to be replaced or do you mainly enjoy choosing a new model? Let's be honest: it's probably the latter. Investigate for yourself what the possibilities are of a Sim-Only subscription. If you don't buy a new phone for 1 or 2 years, you can easily save 500 to 1500 euros. With today's high-end telephone prices, perhaps even more so.

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Step 10 – Say goodbye to television

Do you actually still watch TV? Do you still really need that cable or digital subscription? Cable television (or digital TV) appears in 2024 unnecessary for more and more people. Nowadays, programs can almost always be viewed via services such as Uitzendinggemist and KIJK. On YouTube and Vimeo is also a lot of free to find. And if you really are a movie and TV viewer, think about a cheap subscription of, for example, Netflix or Prime so that you can still see what you want to see.

Step 11 – Be smart with spending

This is an important step that comes with creating one new mindset. Will you continue with your normal spending pattern or are you willing to adjust it? You can easily save hundreds, if not thousands, of euros per year if you really want to. In this step we discuss a number of daily expenses and how you can deal with them in a smart way.

Save on groceries

It is relatively easy to save hundreds of euros per year on groceries by shopping smart(er). Saving for your trip around the world will only go really fast if you are able to minimize standard expenses such as groceries.

Save on your groceries - Save for a world trip
Save on your groceries – Save for a world trip
  • Do your shopping for a full week. If necessary, you can make an extra visit to the supermarket halfway through the week for fresh products. This will limit the number of times you may be tempted to make unnecessary purchases.
  • Choose a cheap(er) supermarket. Ask yourself if it is necessary to go to the nearest supermarket. Is this also the cheapest supermarket?
  • Buy (almost) no A-brands. Do you always need A-brands? With many products you don't even taste the difference, give it a chance!
  • Buy offers. Are non-perishable products such as coffee, detergent, toothpaste or toilet paper on sale? Then feel free to buy some extra with a good offer, this will save you in the following months.

Save on Clothing

Of course, some clothing items are essential and everyone wants to look good and well-groomed. But do you really need that new shirt or sweater?

Save on new clothes | Save for a world trip
Save on new clothes | Save for a world trip

The Dutch buy an average of 25 items of clothing and 8 pairs of shoes per year. An average Dutch person spends €1.800,00 annually on clothing and shoes. Wow! These are of course huge amounts that you can easily save on.

Do not buy new clothes the year before your trip,
except for special clothes you need for the trip.

Chris – Wereldreizigers.nl

Clear out your closet(s)! Pull everything you have out of your closets and give old clothes a new life. Often you have barely worn something or you have even forgotten that you had it in the back of your closet. Swap clothes with friends. There are many ways to look nice and at the same time save thousands of euros in just one year.

Save on Furniture

An average household in the Netherlands spends about €1.000 annually on new furniture and accessories for the home. Again, it is good to ask yourself whether these expenses are necessary at the moment. Clear out your attic, exchange unnecessary items with friends to have a 'new look' in your home or sell unnecessary items.

Tools

As cool as it is to buy that new wrench set or drill, do you really need it? Why not borrow it or share it as a neighbor, with a family member or friend who also likes to do the odd job yourself? It is one of those simple but often unnecessary expenses. You can better use that money to save for your world trip.

Save on gifts

A number of things are fixed in the agenda every year: birthdays, Sinterklaas and Christmas. That's where all those new hip parties come from America, like Halloween, gender reveal parties en baby showers still there. Don't wait until the last minute to buy outfits and gifts. Buy it in advance if you see a nice offer and pack it. This way you can easily save money. On the website of 'Enjoy living with less' is an interesting sales calendar. Here it is stated which type of product is traditionally the cheapest at which time of the year. Perhaps it is of some use to you?

Save on your gym

Do you make regular use of the gym and do you plan to keep it up? Many gyms offer a discount for off-peak hours or if you transfer the membership annually instead of monthly. Might be worth considering! Are you less faithful? Take a look at the possibilities of home sports. YouTube is full of online Yoga classes and complete workouts, for free and for nothing.

Staying fit is also possible without high costs
Staying fit is also possible without high costs

Also read: Get fit and stay fit while traveling + 4 tips from a personal trainer.

Save with pin savings

Do you find it difficult to save for a world trip or do you simply forget to withdraw the money from your checking account 'on time'? Many banks give you the option to save by debit card. For every PIN transaction you make, a predetermined percentage is transferred to your savings account. You can set this percentage to 1,5 or 10%. So suppose you buy a new dress for €100,00 and you have set 5% savings, €105,00 will be deducted. The €5,00 is then automatically transferred to a savings account you set up. This way you unconsciously save further for your goal!

Save on heating at home

According to this article On the website of the Consumers' Association you can easily save hundreds of euros per year by only turning on the heating when really necessary. Especially if you live in a less well-insulated house. This saves about €150,00 per year for every degree you set the heating lower. Not heating your bedroom will save you around €100,00 per year and this counts for every room you heat. There are many more tips to be smart with your thermostat and therefore your gas bill.

Nibud tips

We saw a number of nice little tips on the Nibud website. Every little bit helps, right?

  • Cook with the lid on the pan, save 25 euros per year.
  • Turning off the tap consistently saves 50 euros per year.
  • Steaming or stir-frying dishes instead of boiling saves 25 euros per year.
  • Placing the refrigerator in a cool place and 10 centimeters from the wall saves 25 euros per year.
  • Showering instead of bathing saves 30 euros per year.
  • A self-switching iron saves 25 euros per year.
  • A water-saving shower head saves 75 euros per year.

Step 12 – Sell stuff you don't use

You can find a million reasons to put aside things you don't want to sell, but once you get the mindset right, it's hard to stop. Mentally detaching yourself from your possessions can be difficult, but once it's done, you'll feel free of all that material baggage and you're ready for a new chapter.

Oh yes, and it also makes a lot of money!

Chris's Mitsubishi GTO (now sold).
Chris's Mitsubishi GTO (now sold).

Are you (like me) selling a car for which you have saved for so long? Those are potential six months in round trip costs around the world. Selling old toys, some unused stuff and collectibles in your attic? That's just another week of food and drink + hotels. Go through your possessions, make a plan to sell it. Stuff is just stuff – how much do you really need if it's been sitting in a closet or in the attic for years? You will be surprised how much stuff you have collected over the years.

Do you really want to get serious and start selling your 2nd hand stuff? Then read Selling used stuff for a world trip – Fast extra money!

Chris – Wereldreizigers.nl

How much does a world trip cost?

It may be obvious, but this is a question that is impossible to answer. An example: Malou and I have made several world trips over the years. The cheapest world trip, for which we took about three months, visited 4 continents and 13 countries, cost us about 9.000 euros with everything included.

The most expensive one (lasting one year), cost us a total of about 60.000 euros. The differences are enormous and that is easy to explain: we travel based on our budget. Our experience is that when you have more money to spend, you also choose more expensive countries to visit. We sleep in better hotels, eat out more often and book more exclusive excursions.

In short: take all the 'How much does a world trip cost' blogs that you can find online with a big bag of salt.

Why, again?

Because every world trip is unique. It is YOUR world trip and it fits within the budget YOU have available. It's about countries YOU want to visit, the activities YOU want to do and the hotels or hostels YOU want to sleep in.

YOU decide what your world trip will cost. No one else.
YOU decide what your world trip will cost. No one else.

YOU decide what your world trip will cost. No one else.

Chris – Wereldreizigers.nl

Want to travel the world as cheaply as possible?

Do you have 5000-8000 euros to spend? Then you just do it with that. That's how we humans are wired, we adapt. Staying in Homestays, hitchhiking, going to the cheapest countries travel in Asia, take the local bus more often, stay for free via couchsurfing, house sitting, you name them. There are countless ways to travel the world for a long time with little money.

Also read: Top 10 | What are the best backpacking destinations in Asia?

Where there's a will, there's a way. Don't let anyone tell you what your world trip will cost. Just save as much money as you can – as much as you can! And whatever amount you end up with, that's what you have to make do with.

Remember: you can do it! With the right mindset, everyone is able to save (a lot of) money. A year of rigorous saving seems like an eternity, but gradually you will notice that a year of saving is actually quite easy. We can do it, so can you!