“Am I Ready to Travel?” Checklist: A Financial Approach

Travelling out of town and country has been a status quo, since the rise of social media. If you can’t travel, you’re not “in”. I was inspired to create this write-up, when a friend was recently caught in the middle of deciding whether she should book a an airfare ticket or not. I hope the list below will help you decide immediately too, the moment you see that airfare seat sale on your news feed. YES TO TRAVEL (If you’re ready)!  

The “Am I Ready To Travel” Checklist:

• Can I handle the accommodation, transport, food and other pocket money expenses? You better! This is the first question you should really ask yourself. You may afford the airfare seat sale. But, can you handle the expenses that comes with it? If you plan to charge the expenses of your upcoming trip to your credit card, then NO. Stop reading and don’t ever book that ticket.
• Can I still meet my target savings for this year, if I go to this trip? Or, do I even have savings to begin with? If your answer is yes, because you changed and lowered your initial target amount. Shame on you. Be strong. Resist. You must stay true to your initial target savings. You can do it!
• Have I paid all my monetary debts? I mean really, if you have any debts at all, why will you even travel? Set your priorities straight. Pay your debts first!
• Am I cleared of any financial problem within my family? Note: If you have your own family now, please still include your parents, brothers and sisters as part of your family. Somehow, they’re still your responsibility.
• Have I checked at least 3 out of 4 Priority Funds? To know more about priority funds, check this article. It depends on you which of the priority funds you should consider as “done”, “checked”, or “cleared”. For as long as you’ve cleared at least 3, then you’re good!
• Lastly, am I sure that I want to do this, because I love to explore other culture and places? … not because I just want to update my Facebook profile so my friends can see them.

If you answered “YES” to all of the questions above, then, YES, you can travel! Book that ticket now! Enjoy! 😀

However, if you answered “NO” in just one of the questions above, then unfortunately you will still have to wait and settle them first. Resist temptation! You can do it!

In the end, the decision is still up to you. Bear in mind, that the list above are only guidelines to help you decide if you’re still on track with your financial goals. I know how tempting it is to book that ticket now and enjoy life as it happens, but remember that keeping on track to what matters most will help you keep enjoying life not just now, but in the future too.

Is the checklist above helpful? Share away!