Affording Travel with Danielle Desir (The Thought Card)

Having the right mindset is a popular topic no matter what you’re trying to accomplish. When it comes to travel, the two main mindset issues people often have are lack of time and lack of money. Our guest today has developed strategies to make travel a priority. She talks about her techniques for intentional budgeting and saving for travel. We also talk about how to find the best flights and deals, the difference between a trip and a vacation, and why travel can be so rewarding.

We are joined by Danielle Desir. Danielle is the author of the book Affording Travel: Saving Strategies for Financially Savvy Travelers. She’s a personal finance writer, a blogger, and the host of The Thought Card Podcast. She has managed to pay off $63,000 in student loan debt, buy a house at 27, and travel to 27+ countries all while working a full-time job.

Danielle is a financially savvy traveler who is passionate about travel and money. Today she shares how we can also be financially savvy travelers, and how we can plan and save for travel and also pay off debt at the same time. She even throws in some quick tips for finding the passion and will to pay off those student loans. She is a pure delight and you’re going to love her as much as we did.

Show Notes:

[02:01] Danielle started traveling at a young age. As a child, she spent every summer with her grandparents in Haiti.

[02:39] She grew up with a mother who was really conscious of saving money. She opened her first retirement account at 15 and started putting money away right away.

[03:31] In college, she wanted to travel more, but money was an issue. That's when she made it a goal to find creative ways to make travel a priority in her life.

[04:42] She's made travel a priority, and it shapes all of her decisions.

[05:24] She started her blog in 2015 in order to document her trips.

[06:03] She started her The Thought Card Podcast in 2018, because she wanted to create a more intimate connection with her audience.

[08:04] Danielle recently launched her book, Affording Travel: Saving Strategies for Financially Savvy Travelers.

[08:17] One of the first things when you want to start saving for travel is to think about your mindset and is there anything holding you back. People often complain that they don't have the time or they don't have the money.

[08:38] In Danielle's book, she really tackles the money aspect and the first chapter is about adjusting your priorities.

[09:16] She makes saving for travel a priority by treating travel expenses like a bill. Saving for your travel expenses will bring richness to your life.

[10:30] Danielle created a separate bank account for her travel fund. Seeing your travel savings grow is a quick win.

[12:31] Danielle uses a virtual envelope system by having multiple bank accounts.

[16:05] She discusses how her student loan interest was accruing every day as the clock ticked on.

[17:03] Emotion is a good indicator of passion.

[18:05] Danielle wanted to have the financial freedom of not having student loan debt. So she stayed at her mom's house and made sure to pay extra principal every day and month until the debt was paid off.

[20:09] Be creative and look at things as challenges as opposed to obstacles.

[21:07] Her reward was a yearly trip.

[22:50] She saved and found great deals when she had to spend.

[23:57] At the beginning, she would choose destinations according to deals. She's more intentional now.

[24:52] A trip is about the external experience. A vacation is more relaxing. Based on your travel style choose the destination.

[26:43] Define what you want to experience and find good deals based off of that.

[29:01] Automation can help your saving systems operate in the background.

[30:12] Danielle gives us great resources for cheap flights like Secret Flying and The Flight Deal.

[32:24] She also likes the deals from Travelzoo.

[33:24] She's been to more than 27 countries.

[34:00] You can get her book on Amazon to find the best deals and money saving travel tips.

[35:02] Her top three favorite places include China, Bermuda, and Iceland.

Links and Resources:

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