It remains a mystery among older folks how today’s young generation is funding their travels with only their allowance or starting salary as resource. Because necessity is the mother of invention, millennials, who would rather spend on experiences than material things (78 percent), have found ways to tick items off their travel bucket list.
Take these smart and young travelers Adrian Cailao, JJ Se and Aia Tabal for example; they have seen sights in and out of the country perhaps more than some of those older than they are. Here they share their secrets on how they are able to go places.
Plan
Adrian considers traveling as one of his core interests. At 29 years old, he has explored some of the best destinations in the Philippines. He shares he usually travels with a group of friends, and together they plan ahead, about a year in advance.
“We look for airline seat sales, we read blogs on budget traveling, and we have a (savings) pool for travel fund,” says Adrian.
Hustle
Contrary to popular description of millennials, they do not wait for an apple to fall from the tree, they work hard before they can eat the apple.
JJ believes travel is a great means to expand his range of experiences, but says dreams don’t just fall into one’s lap. When he is not out posting his adventures on Instagram, he is busy shuttling between his work in Alabang and graduate classes in UP Diliman.
“I live in the south so I have to go back again, go home to get rest, and repeat the routine the following day,” relates JJ, who recently went on his first solo flight abroad to Malaysia and Singapore last year.
Invest
JJ admits that he didn’t understand the importance of life insurance before, considering it as something that only adult should get. But his policy at Insular Life (www.insularlife.com.ph) has helped him fund his goals.
Aia, a new graduate from Ateneo Business School, has explored much of the Philippines, popular Asian destinations like China, Korea and Japan, and recently in Norway. How was she able to do that? She strategically saves up for her trips.
“I compute my expected cash inflow for the year, deduct expenses including my premiums for Insular Life’s Wealth Secure, and then plan out my trips,” she shares, adding “If budget permits, I also do top-ups for my Wealth Builder policy, because I’m planning to withdraw some of it for my future international trips.”
Aia says her next destinations are Australia and Maldives
Adrian, meanwhile, says that he already has two years worth of financial tracking records. He uses them to strategize on his spending and investments.
“If a travel would not fit the budget, I have to say ‘no’. I’ve learned to focus on my goals and now I am building up my insurance policies and investment profits to fund my next trips in Europe and America.