THE STACK #42

I always ask my clients and students: "What would you do more of if money were no object?" And without fail, travel is always at the top of everyone's list.

It's evident that travel plays a significant role in living a fulfilling and rewarding life, so why don't we prioritize it more often?

Every time I travel, I notice a considerable number of older individuals. When I strike up a conversation with them, they always express their admiration for my being on the trip. One thing I've heard them say repeatedly is, "I wish we had travelled more when we were younger."

Many people put off travelling until they're much older, but here's the truth: travelling is much more enjoyable when your joints are still lubricated and your organs are working optimally. It gives you the freedom to explore and embark on adventures you might not be able to when you're much older.

I also believe in enjoying life in the present while setting aside money to secure your future, which is why I coined the term "B.E.S.T. life." It means balancing enjoyment and security today and tomorrow.

I understand there could be several reasons preventing you from travelling, so in today's issue of The Stack, I will share some tips on how you can make your travel dreams a reality.

THE STACK

Start with a bucket list

Write down a list of all the countries you would love to visit. You can get inspiration from Pinterest boards or travel influencers on Instagram. Whenever someone posts pictures of their trips, and it looks like a place I would love to visit, I immediately add it to my list.

Group the countries by region/continent

To plan your travel itinerary, you can begin by grouping the countries on your list that are on the same continent, such as Europe, Asia, or North America.

You can further divide your list within each continent by grouping countries within the same region.

For instance, in Europe, we have the Nordic countries, including Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Greenland, and Iceland. This group can be further broken down by Scandinavia, which includes Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

Additionally, there are the Alpine countries such as France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and more.

By doing this, you can make travel plans to visit multiple countries within a region in a single trip since some of the countries are just a train or bus ride away. I used this approach to visit France, Italy, Switzerland, Monaco, and Vatican City and explored five countries and over 15 cities in one trip.

Start a travel sinking fund

Creating a sinking fund is a great way to save money for an upcoming expense. If you're planning a trip, you can start a travel sinking fund by opening a High-Interest Savings Account (HISA) in a bank different from the one you use for daily spending. This will help you avoid the temptation of using the money for something else. For extra motivation, try naming your account after the location you plan to visit. I currently have an "Asia fund" that I'm growing.

One of my favourite HISA is EQ Bank.

To get started, set a goal for how many trips you want to take each year and how much they will cost. Divide the total cost by 12 and transfer that amount every month to your travel fund.

For example, if you plan to travel twice a year and both trips cost $4,000, you will need to save around $333 per month.

To make it easier, consider automating your transfers on payday so you can stay consistent with your savings.

Stack your vacation days with national holidays and weekends

Many people often use lack of time as an excuse for not being able to travel.

There is a little hack I used during my 9-5 days that you can use to maximize your vacation time without affecting your PTO. You can plan your vacation around national holidays and weekends. By doing so, you can get three extra vacation days.

For instance, let's consider Canada Day, which falls on Monday, July 1st.

You can book your PTO from Tuesday, July 2nd, to Friday, July 5th, which is four days in total.

To make the most of your vacation days, find a flight that leaves on June 28th night, so you can leave after work.

When you return on Friday, July 5th, you will have the weekend to rest and recover from your vacation.

By following this strategy, you can have a seven-night vacation by using only four days of PTO.

This hack can also help you stretch your PTO days if your work gives you two-day holidays around Easter and Christmas.

Book multi-country packages

If you’re like me and you enjoy travelling and want to visit many different countries, you can take advantage of multi-country or multi-city packages offered by travel companies. These packages allow you to visit multiple cities on your bucket list in one trip.

Using the list you created in step two, you can search for travel companies that offer vacation packages in that region.

For my Europe vacation, I used Compass Holidays. The package allowed me to visit five countries and 15 cities that were high on my bucket list, including Venice, Rome, Paris, Milan, Florence, Nice, and Cannes. The package was all-inclusive, covering flights, accommodations, and entry fees to some tourist sites. It only cost me $1,879 CAD.

I also used AirCanada Vacations to book my trip to Greece. The all-inclusive package included several cities on my bucket list, such as Santorini, Mykonos, and Athens.

Consider travelling solo

I became frustrated waiting for my schedule to align with my friend group, and all our plans never left the group chat. So, I decided to book my first solo vacation, which turned out to be one of the best trips of my life. If you wait until you have someone to travel with, you may never end up going anywhere.

Many people, particularly women, are afraid to travel alone, but I assure you that it's worth it. Think of it as going to the mall or attending an event...but in another country. At first, it may feel awkward, and you’ll wish you had someone with you. But you will be so captivated by the beauty of exploring a new country that you'll often forget you're alone.

I encourage everyone to take at least one solo trip in their lifetime. It will completely change you.

Leave the friends, leave the spouse…..and even the children behind and book that trip. You won't regret it!

THE TOOL

Here are some of my best travel tools

AirCanada Vacation and Expedia for booking vacation packages

Airalo for travel E-SIM (Get US$3 off your first eSIM data pack from Airalo. Use code EDUEK3398 when you sign up )

Visit a City - for ideas on what to do when you visit a city

Xe - for currency conversion (Get a $25 gift card with code XEREF-FPODOWZS when you sign up)

Also, here is a Google Doc I created with a list of all the countries of the world, grouped by continent and region, courtesy of ChatGPT!

THE ACCOUNTABILITY

There’s still plenty of time to make your travel dream a reality this year. Contrary to popular belief, travelling doesn't have to be costly. I recently booked my trip to Cuba and spent around $1,250 for everything.

☞Start a travel fund for your next dream destination.

☞Book your PTO now so you have enough time to start planning for your trip.

THE COURAGE

THE KNOWLEDGE

Sinking Fund

A sinking fund is a type of savings account individuals can set up to save money for future obligations or expenses. This fund is typically used to pay for large purchases.

By making regular contributions to a sinking fund, individuals can accumulate the necessary funds over time to meet their financial obligations without taking on additional debt.

I like to call mine my “Happiness Fund” or “Enjoyment Fund”.

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