There is a reason we call this Blog “Travel Rich, Money Poor” and it might not be for the reason you actually think… Au pairs come from every sort of background. Some are rich with parents that fund their whole time here, some left high paying jobs & don’t want to use their whole saving account on travel (THIS IS ME), and others came here with absolutely nothing.
But no matter what your background is I am here to hand you some very helpful information
1. CASH ENVELOPES WILL BE YOUR BEST FRIEND!
What are those you may ask? They are the way to save for ALL of your holidays. These envelopes are sacred and you can NOT touch them unless you are putting money inside. So what do you do?
I TAKE HALF OF MY PAY AND PUT IT STRAIGHT INTO MY TRAVEL ENVELOPE, this way I won’t accidentally spend it. I get paid 100€ each week. This means 50€ goes straight to travel and 50€ goes to eating out, going to museums, and enjoying my new city.
2. THE SPENDEE APP TO TRACK YOUR SPENDINGS!
Why is it important for me to track my spendings on a year abroad? I don’t have any bills..
Tracking money is always important. It gives you an insight of where all your money is going. A lot of my Au Pair friends say “I came here with $10,000 and I am leaving with $3,000 AND I DID NOT DO ALL THE TRAVELING I WANTED TO…” And that my friends is a scary reality.. When we go home from these years abroad we have bills that need to be paid.
So my goal for you is to ONLY spend your Euros while you live abroad. NOT YOUR MONEY FROM HOME!!
Spendee can help you with all your needs. Knowing where your money goes, how much you spent on traveling this month, how much you made overall, and YOU CAN EVEN CREATE YOUR OWN BUDGETS (HOW COOL IS THAT)! Oh also it’s free!! Thank me later!
3. FLIXBUS is AWESOME for overnight buses!
FlixBus has become a good friend of mine. And do you want to know why?
I LOVE SAVING OUR ENVIRONMENT and MY WALLET! I was able to travel to Zadar, Croatia with FLIXBUS for only €32.99 ONE WAY, when originally I looked for the flight home it would have cost €280 ONE WAY, that was not doable for me! Flixbus made this trip and many other trips possible for me due to their low prices! Another reason I love FLIXBUS is that they save me money outside of just the flight! I can book an overnight bus and not have to waste money sleeping in a hostel for those two nights. So instead of having to book 3 nights at a hostel I ONLY have to book a bus trip and 1 night at a hostel!
4. Sometimes I HAVE to fly and when I do I ALWAYS go for RYANAIR
Why is Ryanair my number one go to? Once again, as an Au Pair or cheap traveler you should know the answer, THE PRICE!! Usually I hate flying because of how bad it is for the environment but sometimes you just HAVE TOO. If I only have weekends off there is NO WAY I can take a 24 hour ONE WAY bus ride! So what do I do? I take the quick two hour flight. And I pick RYANAIR because they always give me the best prices! Once it cost me €9.98 to fly to Sofia, Bulgaria and BACK! How amazing is that? And how do I try to offset my carbon footprint? I ALWAYS take with me a reusable water bottle, I only use public transport when I arrive, and I do not buy meaningless souvenirs or fast fashion! I also try to skip take out and buy snacks such as fruit at the store! AND A MUST I ALWAYS USE MY ZERO WASTE SHAMPOO AND BODY BARS!
Travel Rich, Money Poor 