If you follow me on Instagram it's no secret that a) I'm annoying when I travel and b) I've been a lot of places in the last year. I'm really incredibly fortunate that I've gotten to visit some really amazing places just in the last few years alone and whenever I go somewhere new, I love documenting it (especially when someone tells me that I put somewhere on the map for them after they saw my photos).

Anyway, I got to travel a good portion of the country this summer/fall and will be traveling all over the world in 2018- a lot of people know this and ask me about it frequently. I went to a party this weekend where almost every person I talked to asked "so, when's the next trip?"

Because I didn't travel a lot in my childhood or even until I got to college, I'm not going to pretend I'm some expert but I've done trips abroad, with groups, solo, impulsively, etc. so I've gotten some experience around it.

But the number one question people keep asking me over and over is...how are you paying for this? I never really thought about it before but because it's been asked alot..I figured I'd break it down for you.

1. Create Multiple Streams of Income

I have two jobs that I work on a regular basis: one is a "9-5" Monday through Friday job and one is a job I work Thursday-Sunday. One is in the industry I want to work in, the other is not. So yes, I work seven days a week. Over the holidays, I had three jobs (which was actually kind of tricky because then my schedule was just a mess and it was really overwhelming) but I'd say if you want to travel and you can add something else into your schedule, definitely get a second job and save that paycheck (or part of it) for travel. I also have a couple of freelance projects that I have been working since college (but, freelance is not a guaranteed paycheck every month- it does fluctuate so don't put all your eggs in one basket and bank on that as solid income). I wrote a book too, so any time someone buys that, I get income from that too. I think if there's a will, there's a way. If you make something a priority, you'll find ways to achieve it rather than coming up with excuses.

2. Plan Ahead

For my international trips, I usually go through the company EF Ultimate Break. I traveled with them for the first time to Europe several years ago and really, I couldn't recommend this company enough. I think sometimes you're going to pay higher prices- but for me, it's worth it rather than me going somewhere by myself, and I'm really just super anxious about planning logistics when it comes to other countries, so for the sake of my anxiety I'd rather just have a company take care of it. EF has trips for groups, so if you're a solo traveler, you'll be part of a group, which is awesome because then you get to meet a lot of interesting people who are around your age, and it's always more fun to be with other people anyway. You also have a full-time tour director (and, if you sneak out of your hotel in Paris during a terrorist attack, they WILL yell at you...) and transportation. This was so important to me because let's be real here, I'm not about to attempt to drive in another country or figure it out (like I said, I'm still working on my anxiety...) and honestly, in countries like Belize, I have no idea how the hell people travel through there on their own. I'd be scared to death or get stolen (which almost happened anyway, so).

But the best part about EF is that they let you pay for trips on a monthly or bi-weekly basis- so your trip is already fully paid for before you leave. So if you plan your trip out farther in advance, you're only paying one sum per month rather than shelling out thousands of dollars up-front, which makes it easier to afford. (side note if anyone ends up traveling with EF, let me know because I can get you money off of your trip :) ) Also, if you travel with them repeatedly they give awesome discounts and they run sales pretty frequently.

3. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!

Outside of working like I don't need sleep, the biggest suggestion I have for anyone looking to travel is easily...save your money. When I decided that I wanted to take a big chunk of time to travel, I knew I had to cut some things because I wanted to travel more than I wanted those. So, I cancelled pretty much every subscription I had (yes, including Netflix), and cut out what I was spending on eating meals out, started bringing my lunches to work or eating at home (even when you seriously have that craving for sushi and it's only a five minute drive)! I don't spend my money at the bar every weekend, or buy unnecessary things. I stopped buying things like clothes or going into Target (because, you're just asking for it there). We live in a society of instant gratification...so yes, I know this is quite a concept but if you're sitting in front of a dress you really want and remind yourself you could buy a three-course meal in Italy instead, you just might walk away...(ALWAYS choose the pasta, people).

I'm also incredibly lucky that my mom let me move home for a year after college, so I really can't make a realistic post about this without acknowledging my privilege. I have to pay my bills and student loans, so if I had moved out right after college and started paying rent, there's really just no way I would've been able to save enough money for this. (So thanks Mom :) )

4. Sell The Things You Don't Use Anymore

Another way to a) declutter your room and b) make more money is to sell old clothes you don't wear, things you don't use, etc. I sold a bunch of my college textbooks online and a lot of old clothes right after I moved home. There are a ton of websites you can use to sell online or those swap and sell Facebook groups wherever you live.

5. Do Some Research

Whenever I'm booking a plane ticket, hotel, or rental car...I do a lot of research. I use Expedia a lot of the time (and when you book through them, you build up points that you can use towards another booking) or apps like Hopper or Skyscanner. I found a cheap flight to Hawaii using the Hopper app which was really awesome (at least, my bank account thought so). I also use Southwest a lot when flying in the US- they run a lot of deals and have a bunch of cheap flights into cities (just sign up for their emails and create a rapid rewards account). Really, just look into the area you're going to- sometimes I use Pinterest for suggestions and recommendations on what to do or where to stay and then build from there. In cities, there are a lot of free things to do and see, and you can usually find a cheap Airbnb to stay at. In Europe there are some nice hostels that are very affordable, rather than that $250 hotel room. I google everything from the best time to visit, to the best hotels and places to stay, etc. Staying outside of the city is usually cheaper if you're looking to reduce costs that way. You can also get credit cards that will give you travel points or cash back, some even give you credit to use towards air miles or hotels.

You can also sometimes lump destinations together- I went to Halloweentown in St. Helens, OR this fall but i stayed in Portland and also drove to the coast of Oregon as well. My friend and I went on a trip to Maine, but we also visited Boston (which would have been expensive to stay in- but was only an hour from where we were in Maine) and we visited Salem, both were easy drives and we got to see multiple places on our list from one trip rather than traveling back to them all separately.

I think the most important thing to note though, is that on Instagram and in the age of "travel bloggers", a lot of people curate their experiences to look like luxury vacations. In reality, luxury vacations are just that: a luxury. Be honest with yourself about what's important to you when traveling. Maybe you buy a cheap flight but get a nicer hotel room. Maybe you're flying somewhere that's really expensive (New Zealand I'm lookin at you), so you find cheaper accomodations. I did a road trip after graduation and stayed in all AirBnb's- I think all five of them cost me $150 total. Make sure you're staying in a safe area of course, but be aware of where you can cut prices. I took a super-long-got-in-at-5am-flight home from Honolulu because it was wayyyy cheaper than the flight that arrived at 4pm (wasn't at all fun but hey, that's the price you pay when you really want to go somewhere). Also, flights are usually cheaper in the mornings, so sometimes, I'll plan to fly out early and spend most of the day in the place I'm flying to, which usually counts as one of my trip days. You can also travel light- I usually bring a purse and a carry-on rather than checking a bag, which also helps because then you're not lugging your luggage up European stairs while breaking your back.

As far as food goes when traveling: it's usually cheaper to just go to the grocery store and buy snacks and drinks rather than eating out for every meal. I wish I'd done that more often on some of my trips! Do NOT buy food at the airport if you can help it (but I think a glass of wine is worth it, lol). And when you're in cities, go towards the outskirts if you're looking for cheaper options.

Basically...I'm not going to pretend to be an expert (I'm not) or a "travel blogger" (I'm definitely not), but I am someone who loves to jump on a plane, explore a new place, and has made it a priority in my life this year, so hopefully some of you who have asked me about it can find this advice useful (or not, and then you can tell me to shut up. haha)

Emily and I on the beach of South Water Caye in Belize on Spring Break

Venice, Italy on New Year's Day in 2015 (don't ask us how the night before went, lol)

Laniki Pill Box Hike in Oahu...views for miles, after Steff and I kayaked SO LONG out to those islands!

Oahu, after a 14 hour flight, serious jetlag, and disbelief that this is a real place. Right after a rainstorm!

Charleston, SC...some of the most beautiful houses I've ever seen on my post-grad southern road trip.

HALLOWEENTOWN! One of my favorite memories. This was taken in 30 degree weather at 8am, before the crowds overtook this pumpkin for photo ops :)

Chicago, on a December weekend to visit my dear friend Aida. Quickly became one of my favorite cities ever...so much fun!

Cannon Beach in Oregon...a nice man from Virginia took this picture! Such a stunning coastal town and yes, that's haystack rock in the back!

The 2017 version of dumping tea into the Boston Harbor, with Jen who provided endless laughs on this trip!

When people ask me how I travel...