How to travel on a good budget and for a good mental health

How To Travel On a Good  Budget and For A Good Mental Health

Travel/Traveling is regarded a (verb or action) make a journey, to move from one place to another place. Everyone has their very own reasons to travel.  Some people travel for work, some travel for pleasure while for others it is just a way of life. They travel to live and to escape at the same time. It makes you open minded; it allows you to get in touch with new people, to learn their culture, their language, their cuisine, their history, there way of life. 

When you travel, you begin to notice that people spread across different geographical corners of the world may be different in the way they behave and act and represent themselves, but after all they are all people, like you and me.

You’ve finally decided to take that trip you’ve been dreaming about for years. You’ve chosen a destination and read all about it in a guidebook or online. But how much will this trip cost? How much money do you need for daily expenses while you’re traveling? When can you afford to go on this vacation? Travel expenses can vary greatly depending on how you like to travel, so it’s important to make a travel budget early on. Here’s how to budget for travel and take that dream vacation.

Start your budget with the biggest expenses first

Usually this will be your flights, but accommodation also adds up. You need to get to your vacation destination, and unless you’re just driving a few hours away from home, this will probably be a big part of your budget. If you’re going from one continent to another, this probably means looking at airfare. If you’re going a shorter distance, it’s worth looking into other forms of transportation to see which works best for you. Chances are you will need transportation once you arrive at your destination. 

Public transportation is a great option in most cases because it’s inexpensive and it gives you a more local perspective. A simple search on the internet for public transportation in the city you’re going to should lead you to how much tickets cost. Also factor in taxis if you think you might need a taxi from the airport or within the city.

Allow for an occasional splurge. Add a little fat for a cocktail or two at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace or skydiving in New Zealand. 

The worst budget is a chain at your leg pulling you away from the best (if slightly more expensive) travel experiences. Sure, it can be cheaper to self-cater your way around Europe, but if you’re missing out on tasting pizza in its birthplace or discovering the delights of vegan weed burgers in Amsterdam then you won't enjoy the trip.

Make Budget for food and Accommodation

Food is usually the hardest area for me to estimate what I will spend. But think about where you’re going. If you’re traveling to western Europe, Australia or New Zealand, eating out will probably cost you approximately the same as it does in the US or Canada, maybe even a little bit more. If you’re going to South America or Southeast Asia, it should be cheaper in most cases.

Lodging can also be a big part of your budget depending on where you like to stay. Decide what type of accommodation you prefer, whether it’s hotels, hostels or guesthouses, or apartment rentals, read the reviews, and see what the prices are for the area you want to visit. Be sure to multiply by the number of nights you will be there. Remember, the point is not to choose the exact place you will stay, but to get an idea of what lodging costs in the destinations you’re going to.

Add Pre trip Costs

Visas, reliable travel insurance and immunizations. Some travellers skimp on travel insurance, but if you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel. Even if nothing goes wrong, it pays for itself in peace of mind and when something does go wrong (lost luggage or cancelled flights) you'll find it invaluable.

Make budget for Your Activities

Add in a little more for activities, museum entry fees, a couple of garish souvenir T-shirts you’ll probably never wear when you’re home and last-minute taxi fares to the airport when you’ve slept through your alarm.

How can I keep cash safe when I’m travelling?

Before you go, someone is bound to force one of those ugly, flesh-toned money pouches on you because it 'saved their life' back when they did their gap year. Not that there's anything wrong with money belts or pouches, but you could probably do just as well by having your valuables in an inside pocket of a zipped-up jacket (or, for those who really like to keep their belongings close to their chest, a secret pocket of a scarf).

How Traveling can affect your mind?

Travel disrupts your routine and introduces novelty to your brain, which improves cognition and helps reactivate reward circuits. You have to think about how to get through new neighborhoods, new transportation patterns, new customs and rules. Initially, such changes can be stressful and frustrating, as anyone who has dealt with minor annoyances like different toilets or trouble getting change back for large bills knows. 

But ultimately, your brain can benefit from being put on its toes; according to Brent Crane’s article in The Atlantic, the cognitive flexibility helps stimulate neuroplasticity. This, in turn, can help generate creativity that persists even when travelers return home and helps with innovative idea generation at their jobs.

Travel helps on an interpersonal growth level as well; seeing different people and cultures and encountering them directly as individuals and human beings opens yourself to becoming more tolerant and flexible about unfamiliar ways of life. Your sense of empathy can increase, which can help you feel better able to negotiate interpersonal issues back home as well. You can also learn and appreciate things to seek out and continue enjoying at home, like a delicious dish or new genre of music.