If you want to catch a glimpse of my soul, start by taking a glance at my Google search history or my social media profiles.
You will be forgiven for thinking that I am always on vacation.
Almost all of my searches start the same way: “what are the (insert country) visa requirements for Kenyan passport holders? Which countries can Kenyan nationals travel to visa free? Travel contests, travel competitions, travel jobs open to Kenyans? Visa on arrival countries for Kenyans. How to etc.
Don’t get me wrong, I feel very blessed for the opportunity to travel far and wide. But the constant surprise that I receive when I tell people that I pay for most of my travels leaves me completely baffled.
At social gatherings, my buddies, colleagues, and relatives would be surprised by my presence.
Only to respond in shock when I tell them I just returned this morning or last week from… (plug in any country here that starts with the first letter of your last name).
“I envy you.”
“How do you afford to travel to all these cool places?”
“Where do you get all the connections?”
“You’re so lucky.”
Bla bla bla…
Don’t mistake me.
I’m certain I have a four-leaf clover strung in my DNA that I probably don’t deserve, because I am certainly blessed for the ability to pursue my desire for travel beyond just wishful thinking.
A nice bonus is being able to travel with my Kenyan passport and all its inherent visa related limitations.
But the constant surprise on people’s faces when I answer that I pay for most of my travels (at least 90%) leaves me completely baffled.
There’s no question that there’s been a mega shift with more Kenyans (and people of color generally), traveling abroad, and as such, enhancing the experience for us all.
A cursory glance on Instagram portrays a glimpse of this narrative.
For some reason though, social discourse is still oblivious to this reality.
In place of considering the curiosity into my wallet an insult, I choose to roll my eyes.
Here’s why:
What's Covered in This Article
Travel costs money
To afford travel obviously therefore, you must start with proper preparation and careful itinerary selection that matches your wallet.
But if you’re wired that travel can only happen on the weekend and during the April, August and December holidays, my friend, you’re definitely signed up for trouble.
I do understand that these are the dates available to the average middle-class employee with a full-time job.
However, to be able to handle the cost of travel, you must be willing to shift your schedule to travel on cheaper days, like on a Tuesday – supposedly the cheapest flying date of the week.
Or be flexible to travel on red-eye flights, when prices may be lower.
Or prepare to travel take a flight with multiple stops to save on airfare.
Evidently therefore, the more flexible you are and the more trade offs you’re willing to take, the more affordable your travel expenses.
Make Google your friend
I mean, people consult Google for all manner of queries.
Surprisingly though, a streak of laziness suddenly strikes when it’s time to google something as simple as “How can I afford to travel?”
As at the writing of this post for instance, Google has like 237,000,000 results for this query.
While I understand people’s preference for a human answer rather than a computer generated one, interestingly, I can count on one hand the number of people who followed through with my advise and tips on how to afford or pay for travel.
A simple Google search would ‘reveal’ to you that Asia and Europe is rife of dirt cheap budget air, train, and ferry travel options.
And therefore, to make the most of your travel time and money, it makes more economic sense to country hop once you find yourself in any of these continents.
An example is this Oslo, Norway to Copenhagen, Denmark for only 94 cents round trip (min 2 pax)
I mean…
For example, instead of just landing in London and staying for 3 days then coming back to Nairobi, get yourself a Schengen visa via any of the 26 Schengen member states.
Then take advantage of the cheap budget airlines and explore the neighboring European city of Reykjavik, Iceland on this non-stop flight from London, UK to Reykjavik, Iceland for only £20 roundtrip.
Alternatively, once you have your Schengen visa, you could combine your visit to the Schengen visa states with a visit to other non-Schengen countries that offer Kenyans a visa exemption, courtesy of the Schengen visa.
Example countries include budget travel destinations such as Croatia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to mention just a few.
Related:
How I visited Croatia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina with a Schengen visa.
Additionally, a cursory glance at the various OTA websites will give you tons of affordable travel options.
Skycanner for instant has this awesome feature where you set your departure point, and then it shows you all the destinations you can fly to and the cheapest dates to fly to those destinations.
It all boils down to your frame of mind, people.
Furthermore, subscribing for Google alerts on terms such as “error fares” and to deal websites such as Secret Flying goes a long way in making sure you don’t miss out on any travel deals.
Like this direct flight from Nairobi, Kenya to New York City I got for only $230 USD (i.e. KES 23,000) round trip.
Or this other Nairobi, Kenya to Montreal, Canada flight I got for only $451 USD (i.e. KES 45,000) round trip.
But there’s a catch.
As already alluded to above, you must be willing to sacrifice conveniences such as direct flights, etc.
The above itinerary for instance has a journey duration of 37h 55 and has a long stop in Heathrow on departure, and in Paris on the way back.
In my case for instance, I have this issue taken care of as I have a valid UK visa as well as a Schengen visa.
I will therefore use these layovers to sample the two cities which I happen to love very much.
And the savings will be worth it.
Also Read:
Canadian visa requirements for Kenyan passport holders.
And you wonder why I don’t delve in local tourism as much as I’d have loved to.
Sometimes, It’s actually cheaper for me flying outside of Africa than within.
I hope things change soon.
Travel happens to be an expense item just like any other
When most people have money, they go through careful planning to allocate the money to their various expenditure buckets.
Money for beer.
Money for an 11th hand bag.
Money for a new hair do.
Money to pay the car loan.
Money for the 7th pair of black pants and 29th pair of heels.
Money for the new iPhone 11+.
Money for restaurant lunch every day.
Money for pretty much everything!
It many not always seem like it to ‘non-frequent travelers’, for lack of a better word, but the same way you plan for the above items, so do frequent travelers plan their money out.
The only difference is that they include travel as a budget line.
And then they prioritize and do everything in their power to realize the dream.
Luck = Opportunity meeting preparedness
While I pay for most of my travel expenses, on one or two occasions I have had the privilege of having my travel expenses paid for.
But before you start imaging how lucky I am, yada yada, please stay with me for a moment.
Like all other aspects of life, the many different building blocks of opportunity in our lives definitely lead us a step closer to luck.
It takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to make it to the point where your initial ground work preparation crosses paths with opportunity and you’re suddenly getting the free stuff.
For instance, If it wasn’t for my regular activity on social media and my deliberate decision to read every post before double tapping, I definitely would’ve missed the #VisitOslo2018 opportunity.
Related Reading:
How I got a fully paid for trip to Oslo
I guess the gist of this post is that it is possible to travel and to afford it.
You just have to want it badly enough.
I am not sure what happens to most of us as we get higher up the age ladder.
Somehow, along the way, we forget that living a full, healthy and happy epic life is a noble goal.
And it it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
Epic is still epic even if it is happening in your backyard.
Bonus Tips on How to Save Money for Travel
Get $25 USD off on your first Airbnb stay
Get $20 USD off on your first Uber ride
Get $15 USD cash back on Booking.com after your stay
