By Monica Dunn
Have you ever booked a flight on a Monday for a weekend getaway in four days with your friends? What about traveled for two weeks across Europe by yourself?
Traveling provides so many opportunities to expand your knowledge and perspective on the world. You learn things while traveling and exploring the world that you can’t learn within your normal schedules and habits.
I knew from a young age I was passionate about seeing the world. I would watch travel documentaries and TV shows frequently. However, I knew that money is a key factor to making that dream a reality.
This is where a “To See The World Fund” comes in hand. I started this when I was in middle school, and I still keep it up to this day. My exact investment aspect has changed throughout the years, but the idea is the same. Every time I get money – whether it’s a paycheck or money for my birthday – I always tuck 20 percent into savings, as is recommended. I don’t use this for traveling, though. Instead, I also put 10 percent into my “To See The World Fund”. In middle school, this looked like an envelope I labeled in my safe below my bed. However, in high school, I moved this into a CD. Now, I am traveling more often, so I keep it in a high yield saving account.
I enjoy taking spontaneous trips with my friends, but the only way you can do that is if you are intentional about budgeting money towards that. If you don’t, then you simply won’t have the money when the opportunity arises.
I have been able to go to multiple locations using my “To See The World Fund”, even though I work a minimum wage job. There are many tips and hacks to traveling cheaply, which I use that help make these options affordable. I won’t dive into those here, but you can google them.
Here’s where my “To See the World Fund” has taken me:
- Washington, D.C. to visit my brother
- New York City to visit a friend who lives on Long Island
- Florida with my cousin and friend
- Colorado with my cousin and friend
- Chicago with two of my friends
- Colorado with my boyfriend and our friends
- Colorado to visit my friend
Now, this concept can be applied in other areas. Although I think travel is a great thing to invest in, you might have other values or goals. The concept of this fund can be used to save money to go to Disney or buy designer items.
I challenge you to put 10 percent into your own “To See The World Fund” and go explore new places and make new friends. Because at the end of the day, we are all just hanging out on a floating rock in space, so why not at least go see it while making fiscally responsible moves.
