How to raise money for backpacking?

Wishing tree in Sydney's Botanical Gardens: another way to get some cash?

Strapped for cash, but dreaming of that trek on the Machu Pichu? Fear not! I am exactly the same. Therefore I am brainstorming to find new ways to raise money. Here is what I came up with and intend to try out.

1. Work / Moving home to mum and dad (when available)
What? W.O.R.K? No sorry I only do sunbathing. Right if that is your answer, well, good on you, you’ve got the cash already, so please scroll down to the next post or something. Right, moving on.

I have a job, so well this is my first source of savings.  And I moved back to mum and dad. Area covered.

2. Bake sale.
I can hear you giggle from here. Don’t mock the bake sale. Everyone loves a good cake. It asks minimum capital, it’s fun to do (fun to say!). I remember back at school, we would make a bundle from cookies and carrot cake to finance our school trips. I am going to intend to do that at my hostel on a sunny day just when exhausted backpackers will come back. But I am not that selfish, because I would feel bad to take all the money from backpackers to finance my buckets on a beach, I am going to choose a charity to split the profit with.

3.Ebay
Classic but always good. Need a guitar, amplifiers or clothes? Ally’s own car boot sales online. I will post my shop up on this blog.

4.Flyering
Easy job only a few hours at night/day, and quick way to make some cash (as long as you don’t spend it that night, happened before.)

5.Freelance.
Might as well use that journalism degree of mine. From pitching newstories about potatoes to going to rubbish gigs. I will be a word whore.

6.Insert Idea here.

I am all ears people, what is YOUR plan to get that cash flowing to get the extra mile?

To be continued....

Mission Asia: THE CHALLENGE

Finishing your course? Easy. Save up for travelling? Possible. Pay back your debts? Just take your time. Find a job and move to the other side of the country? Why not. But when you have less than 300days to do it, it is not that simple.

Everything started when I could not find a job. No that’s a lie… All really went to hell when my plane touched down in Heathrow two months ago. I remember the pain. Terrible. The one from the burnt skin on my back from my last tanning session on Bondi but mainly the one in my heart. I was home. Party is over.

The pain then gets greater as I come out of the airport, tears rolling down my cheeks, pushing my backpack on my little trolley. My toes, my fingers, my nose and the top of my ears are in agony. Why, you ll ask. Well, let me tell you:

It’s bloody f**king freezing in this country.

It’s january, it’s 7am and every drop of icy rain is like a dagger through my skin. You see I did not play that one very well. I left Sydney 24hours ago, straight from the beach with a pair of shorts, some ballet pumps and one of those VangVieng “In the tubing” vest. Not exactly London A/W fashion in other words.

As I force my frozen body to get on the bus, I promise myself one thing:

To get the hell out of here as soon as possible. But that was not on the cards.

The original plan was simple: Get a new flat in London and get a graduate job around 20k a year, doing something that has nothing to do with my degree, (because journalism is not really an open field at the moment), in an office, biting my nails in rage while I slowly but surely pay my debts from travelling. Then given that I havent got insane in the city, I would just as slowly save up and take my 25days of holidays somewhere nice and that would be it.

Well, that failed a little bit. Not all of it, I do have a great flat in East London, but most of it. I havent got a job, I have even more debts, and travels are not an option for the next 5 years. Bummer.

So as I was crawling on my sofa watching afternoon telly like any unemployed person, I came up with a new game plan (I like plans).

A. Go back to live at home.
Heartbreaking but necessery. I lived in London for 4 years, but it is now to time to go back to Paris. Also mainly for family reasons but no rent and a magical fridge that always seems full? DEAL.

B.Get a job.
Done. Sorted. Because before travelling and all, you had friends. And for the little circle that is left of them after leaving the country for years; they are willing to help. Cheers Zin.

C. Pay back debts.
No rent. No bills. By August say goodbye to the debt guilt.

D. Enrolled in TEFL.
Yep thats right I m getting my TEFL on and will teach in Asia for a year. That will give me something to blog about. And a good reason to leave the country.


SO that’s it, I am going back travelling and even better, live out there for a while. I’m spending all the rest of my money on a one way to Bangkok. Problem is.

AM I GOING TO MAKE IT?

I have 280 days to pay back my debts, save up some money, pass my TEFL and find a job. Easy brrrah.

And this blog is going to be my platform to tell you about it. I’ll try my best to keep it fun and up to date, with news, tips and articles on travelling.

Stay tuned, it should be a laugh.

Ally.