How to Save for Travel Without Feeling Miserable

If you've ever scrolled through travel Instagram while eating ramen for the third night in a row because you're "saving for a trip," this one's for you.

Here's the thing nobody tells you about saving money: it doesn't actually have to suck.

I know, I know. Revolutionary concept. But stick with me here.

I recently sat down with money coach Rachel Covert on the Type 2 Travel podcast (yes, that Rachel—the one who retired at 36 and then un-retired because being fully retired in your 30s turned out to be boring as hell). And she gave us a plethora of profound sound bytes, but one thing stood out to me in particular:

"Saving money is not about eating lentils and never going to restaurants. When you start actually saving, you'll be surprised—it really doesn't feel like you're doing anything."

The saving savant herself—Rachel Covert on the podcast this week.

The Problem With Everything You've Been Told About Saving Money

Let's talk about what Rachel calls "boomer financial advice"—you know, the Dave Ramsey school of thought that says while you're paying off debt or saving for something, you should basically live like a monk. No restaurants. No fun. No life. Just you, your budget spreadsheet, and a deep sense of deprivation.

And then what happens? You crack. You book that spontaneous weekend trip on a credit card because you've been so miserable that you deserve it, right? And now you're two steps backward instead of one step forward.

Rachel sees this all the time with her clients (most of whom, by the way, are six-figure earners). The ones who succeed? They're not the ones white-knuckling their way through extreme frugality. They're the ones who figure out how to build a sustainable plan.

The Real Secret: It's Not About Deprivation, It's About Priorities

Here's what Rachel told me that completely reframed how I think about this:

"Ask yourself: Is it really that you can't afford it, or is it that it's not a priority for you right now?"

Because here's the truth bomb: if you're saying "I can't afford to travel" while also:

• Getting DoorDash 3-5 times a week AND buying groceries you aren’t eating

• Throwing random minis into your basket at Sephora

• Paying for 6 different subscription services you forgot you had

...then maybe it's not that you can't afford it. Maybe travel just isn't actually your priority—and that's okay! But own it.

The magic happens when you get really honest with yourself about what you actually care about. Do you really want that $80 moisturizer more than omakase sushi in Tokyo? Maybe you do! But probably not.

What Actually Works: The Non-Miserable Savings Plan

Okay, so if extreme deprivation doesn't work, what does? Here's Rachel's approach—and trust me, this woman knows what she's doing:

Step 1: Do a Reality Check (Not a Judgment Session)

Pull up your bank statements from the last 30 days. And I don't mean write down your bills—I mean look at every single transaction.

This isn't about shame. This is about awareness. You need to see where your money is actually going, not where you think it's going.

Rachel says the most common thing she sees is people spending $1,200/month on groceries AND getting DoorDash multiple times a week AND grabbing breakfast out every morning. They don't realize they're basically paying for three different food budgets.

Step 2: Identify What's Actually a Priority

Look at your spending and ask yourself: Is this serving me? Is this thing more important to me than [insert travel goal here]?

And listen—if your daily Starbucks genuinely brings you joy and you'd rather have that than an extra trip per year, that's totally valid. But if you're just getting it because you're too tired to make coffee at home, that's a different story. That's not a priority; that's a habit.

Step 3: Set Up the System (So You Don't Have to Think About It)

Here's where it gets good. Rachel is all about automation because it removes the daily decision-making that exhausts us.

Create a "sinking fund" for travel (yes, that's the actual financial term for it). Here's how:

1. Figure out how much you want to save per month (even $100-200 makes a difference)

2. Set up a separate high-yield savings account (because why not get 3-4% interest while you're at it?)

3. Automate a transfer the day after your paycheck hits

4. Pretend that money doesn't exist

And here's the beautiful part: when you see a $600 flight deal to Europe pop up, you're not scrambling or putting it on a credit card. You're just like, "Cool, I have my travel fund. Let's go."

Step 4: Let Yourself Enjoy Things

This is the part everyone skips, and it's why most people fail at saving.

You still get to have fun while you're saving.

Skip happy hour tonight because you're genuinely tired and have laundry to fold? Great—mentally "bank" that $60 you would've spent and put it toward a savings goal. But your best friend's birthday dinner? Go. Enjoy it. You're building a life, not serving a prison sentence.

Rachel put it perfectly: "When you're saving for something you're excited about and you're anticipating that thing, it really changes your experience of what it feels like to make a different decision."

The Timeline Thing Everyone Gets Wrong

Here's something I tell people all the time who say they want to come on one of my trips "someday":

Start saving now, even if the trip is years away.

I get messages like, "I've been following you for three years, and it's my goal to go on one of your trips someday." And I'm like, cool—so start putting away $200/month, and in 2027, you'll actually be able to do it.

Because here's what the research shows (and what Rachel confirmed): the anticipation of a trip is just as rewarding as the trip itself.

The shorter the time between deciding to go and actually going, the less overall enjoyment you get. So that "someday" trip? Making it a concrete "September 2027 to Greece" trip and saving for it for over two years is actually going to make the whole experience more rewarding because of the time you spending anticipating and working toward the goal.

Why This Actually Works (When Everything Else Hasn't)

Rachel's clients constantly tell her: "I didn't really accomplish as much as I wanted."

And she's looking at their files like, "But your net worth went up $16,000 in three months?"

"Wait, it did? But it didn't feel hard."

EXACTLY.

You've been conditioned to believe that saving money should be miserable and unpleasant. But that's a lie that keeps you broke and traveling nowhere.

When you:

• Save for something specific that excites you

• Automate it so you're not relying on willpower

• Still let yourself enjoy life in the meantime

• Give yourself an actual timeline

...it stops feeling like deprivation and starts feeling like you're designing the life you actually want.

The Thing About Group Travel (That Makes This Easier)

Quick sidebar: One reason I'm such a fan of group travel isn't just because I run group trips (obviously biased). It's because it's actually easier to save for and budget.

When you book a group trip:

• You know the exact cost upfront (no surprise $100 Ubers you forgot to budget for)

• You're not making 47 decisions that lead to expensive mistakes

• You're getting experiences you literally cannot access or afford on your own

• Someone else has done the research to find the best value (not just the best Instagram)

Rachel's been on several of my trips now, and she's also traveled extensively on her own. Her take? "You may not necessarily spend less money dollar-for-dollar, but the quality and value you get is so much higher."

Plus, when you know exactly what you're saving for (India in February 2026, $3,950 all-in), it's way easier to reverse-engineer your savings plan than when you're vaguely saving for "travel someday."

Your Actual Action Plan (No Lentils Required)

Here's what to do right now:

1. Audit your last 30 days of spending (I know, it sucks—just do it)

2. Pick one thing that's not actually a priority and redirect that money

3. Set up a high-yield savings account for travel (Ally, Marcus, Capital One 360—pick one)

4. Automate a weekly or bi-weekly transfer (start with whatever you can—$50, $100, $200)

5. Pick a trip with an actual date (even if it's 18 months away)

And then? Live your life. Go to the birthday dinners. Buy the nice moisturizer if it actually matters to you. Just stop spending money on things that don't.

The Permission Slip You Didn't Know You Needed

Rachel said something on the podcast that I think a lot of people need to hear:

"It's okay to make a splurge if it's something you're really going to treasure."

She was talking about the $1,500 she spent on rugs in Turkey (which she still has and loves). I was talking about the $2,000 marble mosaic I bought in India (which is still in a box for my next home but I regret nothing).

The point isn't to never spend money on anything. The point is to spend it on things that actually matter to you instead of just... whatever happens to be in front of you when you're tired.

Listen to the Full Episode

Want to hear Rachel drop more truth bombs about money, travel, and why high-income earners are somehow still broke?

Listen to the full episode here where we also cover:

• Why credit cards aren't your emergency fund (no matter what you tell yourself)

• The real cost of travel points (spoiler: it's probably more than you think)

• Why Europe is actually cheaper than you think

• What to do if you have debt AND want to travel

Rachel's on Instagram at @rachel_talksmoney and has a free financial wellness checklist that will help you figure out where the hell all your money is going. DM her the word "checklist" and she'll send it over.

The bottom line? Saving for travel doesn't have to mean living like you're in a Charles Dickens novel. It just means being intentional about what you actually want—and then building a system that gets you there.

Your passport is collecting dust. Your PTO is piling up. And somewhere, there's a rug in Morocco with your name on it.

Time to start saving for it—without eating a single lentil.

P.S. If you've been following me for three years saying you want to go on a trip "someday," this is your sign. Pick a trip. Set a date. Start saving. I'll see you in Morocco in 2027. ✈️