My first plane ride was from Manila to Bohol in May 2008. I was 22
years old. Some say I started my wanderlust too early, while others take me
as a late-comer (well, it really depends on who’s perspective were looking at).
Since then, I’ve taken 9 local and 11 international flights. Here’s
the list of local and international cities I have been and the months and years
I visited them:
Local*
1. Bohol and Cebu (May 2008,
Nov 2011, Nov 2013)
2. Puerto Princesa & El
Nido, Palawan (July 2009)
3. Boracay (July 2010, June
2012)
4. Davao (Nov 2010)
5. Coron, Palawan (Aug
2011)
6. CDO & Camiguin (Feb
2012)
*Not included
those provinces that can be reached by land
International
1. Hong Kong (June 2009)
2. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (March
2010)
3. Taipei, Taiwan (March
2011
4. Bangkok, Thailand (July
2011)
5. Seoul, Korea (Nov 2011)
6. Singapore and Bintan,
Indonesia (April 2013)
7. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Aug
2013)
8. Beijing, China (Nov
2013)
9. United Arab Emirates (Jan
2014)
10. Hong Kong & Macau (March
2014)
11. Siem Reap-Phnom Pehn,
Cambodia (July 2014)
And because I am so excited, sharing as well my upcoming trips for the
rest of 2014 & early 2015 (flights were already booked)
1. Davao (Nov 2014)
2. Seoul, Korea (Dec 2014)
3. Tokyo & Osaka, Japan (March
2015)
More often than not, I get questions like “how do I get to travel”,
“how do I save for a trip”, “where do I get my travel fund”, etc.
The answer is simple: I know how to prioritize. And travelling in my
PRIORITY! It is the thing I enjoy the most. So what I do is, I prioritize my
expenses, budget my expenditures. And
all excess are saved and used to fund my travelling saga.
You might be surprised but I really do not have a “travel fund”. It
takes a lot of discipline not spend the amount that so very liquid on my
account. Liquid meaning can be easily withdrawn and be used. For some who might
have hard time keeping off on buying things specially during “sale season”, may
be you may want to consider having a travel fund.
Also, I keep track of my daily expenses (really!). I record ALL my
daily expenses and categorize what kind of expense is it i.e., food, transpo,
groceries, shopping, etc. By month end, you’d be surprised to discover how much
you spend for these things. Little
things add up. You just need to be honest with yourself.
For me, I don’t really go to coffee shops unless there is a valid
reason to be. I don’t go shopping often and only buy things I really need. I
don’t go out and eat out often. I bring packed food. I take public transpo. I
stay in cheaper hotels. I don't spend more than I earn. I buy airfare on
promo/sale so I have one month to save on airfare and the others months for
pocket money.
So it’s no luck. It’s a matter of setting priorities and doing what I
enjoy the most. And at the end of it all, It’s not what you earn, but what or
how much you save.
