Well, it ain't quite Europe...
Well, it ain’t quite Europe…

This travel bug bite was a topic of discussion in my last therapy session and at the end of the session, we concluded that next year’s trip to Europe would be my reward for finishing my first school year. We talked about planning and how, with my limited resources, this was going to be possible and I drew a parallel to how I got myself out of debt. (FYI, I am now debt-free — yay!)

I worked two jobs, albeit one of those jobs was a higher paying job and I am no longer working there. I ate at home, I stopped going out, I started making coffee at home, lived with a bunch of roommates and I quit smoking temporarily. I was at a baseline of $200/mo towards debt which is not a lot, but in comparison to how much I was bringing home, it was quite a good chunk of my monthly income. Whenever I could, I would stuff $300-$400 per month towards my debt and at one point, I threw $700 a month towards that debt.

Basically, within ten months, I paid off what I needed to pay off and resumed a lot of my old habits and I imagine the road to Switzerland will be paved a similar way.

The difference here is that I actually opened a savings account last week with my bank and I am upping the baseline that I had set for debt up to $300, so it’s $100 more that I am putting away. $300 per month in the bank and if I can afford more, then I’ll stuff more in there. Boom.

Curbing my social life is not hugely problematic as I had already cut it down by quite a large margin when I started school again and I work six days a week with my Starbucks shift starting at 6:00 AM. Friday nights are out because I have school at 8:00 AM on Saturdays and I typically work Sunday mornings, so Saturday nights are out. Then I work most weeknights, so partying on weeknights are out. That takes care of that. Boom.

I am currently in the process of creating a monthly budget and here is what I have so far:

Monthly income: $1300 after taxes (underestimating and reasonably so)
Travel savings: -$300 (+$1,000)
Rent: -$350 (+$650)
Internet: -$15 (+$635)
Electric: -$6 (+$629)
Gym: -$30 (+$599)
Netflix: -$8 (+$591)
Car insurance: -$60 (+$531)
Phone bill: -$60 (+$471)
Groceries and personal care items: -$150 (+$321) (this would include eyebrow threading, pedicures, etc.)
Talk therapy: -$60 (+$261)

I am already committed to using my Starbucks tips for gas money which is, on average, $20 a week (a full tank is $40 for me).

The final step to get the ball rolling before I set foot on that road towards buying that airline ticket is getting that whole passport thing taken care of. I already have a passport, but it is in my maiden name and since I retained my married name, I will have to get that changed. It should cost me $140 and since I am not in a rush, I can get the standard delivery. I’ll have to get a passport photo taken which is great because I looked (and was) hungover in my current passport photo. NOT AWESOME.

So, there we have it. $261 left per month, which I also cannot spend as I need to save it for emergencies and other things. The difference between paying off my debt and saving up for traveling is that there is not much flexibility to add to my $300 baseline. I will also have to plan ahead for yearly expenditures (e.g., car registration in December; AAA membership in June; registration fees and textbooks for school) and make sure I don’t spend any money for those months. Beginning October 1st, I will also have to write down everything I spend, manually, in a book so I can stay on top of it.

And as bad as it sounds, I am considering getting a credit card (gasp!) for textbooks and those other yearly expenditures ONLY so that I can slowly re-build my credit and get to a point where I am able to get a credit card that enables me to accumulate airline miles. I am also considering getting a school loan to help out with my school expenditures (ONLY!). Both of these things, at the very least, could be used for unforeseen emergencies.

Whatever little I have leftover per month (of the $261), I’ll use for leisurely activities such as going to the movies or going to my favorite salad restaurant (Tender Greens!). If I can spare a weekend, I can spend $30 on a weekend train ticket to see my sister in San Diego. I know if I don’t take aside some self-care at least once per month, I am going to DIE and just not make it through this, so this is sort of a necessity. I haven’t yet decided what my monthly leisure budget will be probably around $30-$40.

I’ve already decided that my 2015 tax return will go entirely into my savings account towards my travels. If it’s enough, I’ll use its entirety to purchase the airline ticket and use the remainder of my savings to book local public transportation and for accommodations and food in Europe, and all of these things will be done on the cheap, too. I’ve already signed up for CouchSurfing and I am hitting various forums for travel and budgeting tips.

My trip is slated to happen in August 2015 during my summer break and I am expected to have saved up around $3,000 at that point. The plan is to fly into Zurich, then take the train to Munich, then train it to Berlin, then either fly or train to Oslo, return to Berlin, then fly home. I would stay in each city for one week with the exception of Oslo — I would only stay there for a weekend. I am actually considering Stockholm versus Oslo, but I can explore that later.

That’s right, Oslo, I plan to be inside of YOU! Maybe.