Affording Travel with Danielle Desir (The Thought Card)

05/25/20 • 39 min

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:

Fly with Chris and Di on Facebo...

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.

[08:38] 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.

[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:

Fly with Chris and Di on Facebo...

Previous Episode

Budget Friendly National Parks with Michelle (The Wandering Queen)

National parks are a great way to explore natural beauty close to home and in other countries. Today, we chat with Michelle Stelly who fell in love with hiking, backpacking, and camping. She runs the The Wandering Queen blog, where she talks about her adventures and shares tips and tricks for beginner and experienced hikers and campers. Michelle’s enthusiasm and love of nature is contagious as she talks about how she began, where she’s been, and her favorite places to go.

Michelle and her husband are in Washington where they have access to great national parks. They’ve also traveled to Patagonia in South America, Iceland, Switzerland, Australia, and all over the US. Her favorite park is her first one visited which is Zion National Park in Utah. Michelle gives tips for exploring hiking and national parks. She talks about travel tips, activities, choosing accommodations, and why you should make a reservation. We also get a first hand look into top essentials and extras you should bring, what to wear, how to save on park fees, and Michelle even shares what she likes to eat on her trips.

Show Notes:

[01:54] Michelle runs The Wandering Queen which is an outdoor hiking travel blog.

[02:17] She was born in Panama, but grew up in Houston Texas.

[03:05] She is also an engineer. She didn't start hiking and camping until after she graduated from college.

[03:21] Michelle began indoor rock climbing. She was afraid of heights. She was invited to go outdoor rock climbing, which eventually led to hiking and camping.

[04:30] She then became obsessed with exploring the outdoors.

[04:59] Michelle, her husband, and her two dogs started their outdoor adventures.

[05:52] Their first national park was Zion National Park.

[07:27] Michelle began exploring cities and then discovered that national parks were it for her.

[08:09] Her first backpack trip was in Canada. Then they went to Patagonia and Iceland.

[09:30] After moving to Washington, finding great places to hike became so much easier.

[10:19] She hikes, camps, and backpacks almost every single week.

[11:05] She goes winter backpacking in the snow and is able to hike in the rain.

[11:31] Patagonia is in South America.

[13:33] It's a good idea to check the weather before you go hiking. It's better to hike in warmer climates in the fall, winter, or spring.

[14:25] Find the nearest airport, and you'll have to rent a car.

[15:50] There's so much to do at national parks. You can hike, kayak, backpack, rock climbing, and just about any other outdoor activity you are interested in.

[16:17] Choose your activity before booking your accommodation.

[17:30] When choosing accommodations you may be able to find a hotel, but you can also camp or backpack.

[19:29] Some camping and backpacking areas are first come first serve, but for many of them you have to make reservations at recreation.gov. Michelle would recommend getting a reservation.

[22:46] Camping is usually around $10 to $20 a night. You can also get an America the Beautiful Pass for around $80 to handle yearly park entrance fees.

[23:40] Be sure to pack the ten essentials which include navigation equipment, sun protection, first aid kit, a firestarter or matches, hiking tools, extra food, extra water or water filter, emergency shelter, headlamp, and extra clothes.

[26:59] You might need a daypack, trekking poles, camera, bear deterrent, a personal locator beacon, and bug protection.

[30:00] Michelle has seen moose, elk, and bears. She also shares a warning about the attacking squirrels.

[31:59] Don't wear cotton. You want wicking material. Have a rain jacket or a poncho and dress in layers. You can also bring a sweater just in case. Leggings can be more comfortable and you could also wear hiking pants. Wear hiking shoes or hiking boots. Also bring wool socks, a hat, and sunglasses.

[37:19] A typical weekend hike could be from 4 to 11 miles depending on the weather. Michelle has a 19 mile goal.

[38:43] Michelle brings things like fruit, jerky, nuts, protein bars and sometimes sandwiches. When she camps, she likes burgers and s'mores.

[40:34] Michelle's top three national parks include Zion National Park, Mount Rainier, and Canyonlands National Park.

[45:03] You can start hiking at any age. Be sure and check out Michelle's hiking course.

Links and Resources:

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Next Episode

Italy with Traveling Tanya

Tanya Shelburne, author of the Traveling Tanya blog is here with us. Tanya is on a mission to inspire busy people like you to make travel a priority by sharing her vacation adventures and travel tips. Like us, she has two teenagers and loves to travel the world. Today, Tanya is going to take us to Italy. Tanya shares all kinds of insights about going to Italy. She even shares a great tool for trip planning and creating your own itinerary. This episode will have you dreaming about visiting Italy and will give you tools to begin planning now.

She also shares tips for packing and why it pays to pack light. We also discuss transportation and why it’s important to plan in advance. We discuss trains, planning airport to hotel transportation, and traveling through Venice in vaporettos. Talking to Tanya feels like taking a trip to Italy as she shares her favorite hotspots, tours, food, classes, and amazing places to visit. She talks about historic landmarks and where to find the best view in Florence. We discuss Venice, centrally located Florence, and Rome along with how to get the most out of your trip.

We are recording this in mid-march of 2020 and Italy is under a full lockdown. Everyone is on quarantine due to the impact of the coronavirus. This doesn't mean we can't plan for future travel and have something to look forward to in order to keep our spirits up.

Show Notes:

[01:33] Tanya is a mom and wife who lives in the Midwest. She has a husband, a full-time job, and two teenage daughters. She also does a lot of volunteer work.

[01:56] She loves to travel and that's why she started a travel blog. She makes time to travel whenever she can.

[02:23] Tanya would like for people to make traveling a priority and not put those trips off.

[03:31] We are recording this in mid-march of 2020 and Italy is under a full lockdown. Everyone is on quarantine due to the impact of the coronavirus. This doesn't mean we can't plan for future travel and have something to look forward to when our spirits are down.

[04:33] Italy is Tanya's favorite place in the entire world. Tanya is passionate about traveling to Italy.

[05:49] She loves travel planning almost as much as she loves the actual travel.

[06:22] Tanya uses Tripmasters for all of her planning.

[06:48] She loves creating her own itineraries. Tripmasters will combine everything and your per person cost. It's not as expensive as you think.

[09:12] You could also get an organized tour, but Tanya likes to plan her own trip with some help from Tripmasters.

[10:04] Rome2rio can help you plan your transportation ahead of time.

[13:37] Tanya is also a Rick Steves fan. He has a great app with walking tours that are fabulous.

[15:57] YouTube is also a great travel and Italy travel resource. There are also great travel blogs like Traveling Tanya.

[18:30] Pack what you know you will need. You can always buy stuff there.

[20:06] Check with your airline about baggage fees before packing. Decide if you want to check your bags or not.

[21:39] Tanya says it's possible to do a week in Italy with just a carry on and a backpack. The largest bag you can fit in the bin.

[22:36] It's also possible to do laundry in Italy. Learning to pack light will make your experience better.

[24:42] In Venice, you will travel by boat. Often in a ferry.

[28:32] Without vehicles, you can enjoy the beauty of Venice.

[29:40] Great things to see our Saint Mark's Square, the Basilica, Doge's Palace, and the old prison. There is also a wonderful old bookstore. There are also neighboring islands and amazing food and wine.

[35:23] When you visit Europe, you will definitely get your steps in. Pack comfortable shoes.

[36:51] You can also go through guided tours with locals.

[38:50] Florence is south of Venice. It's centrally located and a great home base for exploring many of the different cities in Italy.

[40:40] Tanya's favorite spot in Florence is the Piazzale Michelangelo. The view is amazing.

[46:54] Tanya and her daughters took a cooking class in Florence.

[49:17] Teenagers need downtime and activities. Older traveling companions may need a slower pace. Pay attention and keep your plans flexible.

[50:09] If you go to Italy, you will probably go to Rome. There's more hustle and bustle. Tanya and her family took a day trip there. You could spend a week there, but it's a good idea to see what you can.

[52:11] They went to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. They also went to the Pantheon.

[54:24] Pizza is available every...