I am no trust fund baby, neither is there one rich Alhaji funding the travel lifestyle. I also do not work with an organization where business traveling is possible.

This year my travel frequency has increased from previous years. I have visited 3 international destinations this year and 4 more are to come before the year ends.

But here is my life, I don't pay rent, pay utility bills or have car maintenance bills yet.

Even though I do not have adulting bills to pay, I also don't have plenty free income to play with. As we all know, travel is not cheap.

For every 1 Naira spent on traveling, is money I could use to fund another need. So the opportunity cost for my choice of travel are the rents, car maintenance bill and every other adulting bill that I do not have yet.

Although some travelers will tell you to cut out on unnecessary spending and stick to spending on basic needs, it does not mean I am not able to live a good life outside of travel. I still buy restaurant food, hang out with friends, go see movies, buy shoes and every other thing I want in this life.


The major source of my travel funds is the monthly salary I earn from my 9-5 as HR manager. My 9-5 offers me a fine income and the time to achieve this expensive hobby of mine. Up until this year, my salary has been the only source but this year I have curated 2 group tours for Travel KOTRoom which have contributed small change to the travel funds.

So here is how I do it:

The traveling life actually kicked off when I lived and worked abroad. So while I lived in India, I was able to explore the incredible nation and also visit Malaysia and the UAE. Living in Germany, I was able to visit Italy and Belguim.

So even though I am not into that budgeting life, I have a savings lifestyle. I save a percentage of my salary which is specifically for travel and every other emergency that might happen. I save this in an account that I do not have access to except I visit a banking hall which I hate doing.

I plan in advance. I am going on an East African tour in November and I got my flight ticket which is the most expensive purchase of the trip as far back as June. That way I was able to get my ticket at a cheaper rate even before the airlines increased the exchange rate they use for dollars conversion which has led to the recent increase in flight fares.

I avoid traveling during destinations peak period, and if I ever have to, the trip would have been planned in advance.

I travel off the beaten paths. So instead of visiting Milan or Rome, I visited Bergamo. I am currently traveling Africa because the flight fare for  Asian and European countries right now is the total cost of a trip to an African destination.

For accommodation, I stay with friends or  Airbnb (which is always cheaper than hotels) or stay in 2/3 star hotels. Couch surfing is also another way to save cost on accommodation, I tried it for 1 night in Nairobi.  I use sites like Jumia Travel and Booking.com  to get discounted room rates, I am yet to pay actual price for hotel rooms ever.


I love solo travel, but traveling with a travel partner keeps cost especially accommodation and car hire down.

And there you have it, the secret to how I am able to afford traveling all the time. The ability to travel is actually a lifestyle choice because there are people who can afford to and who have the time to who just will not travel.

So if travel is really what you want, make the decision, commit and be determined to make it happen.

♥Lara