The number one question I get when I mention our “10 Countries in 10 Years” goal is: “How on earth do you afford that?”

Let’s be honest: Traveling as a group of 5 isn’t cheap. If you try to book everything like a standard tourist, the costs spiral out of control. But, if you change your strategy, the world opens up.

Here is how I use data, flexibility, and a little bit of grit to make our travel dreams a reality.

My Secret Weapon: Google Explore

Before I decide on a destination, I don’t look at “where I want to go.” I look at “where we can afford to go.” I use Google Explore to set our departure hub and look at the entire world.

If I see that flights to [Insert Region] are $400 per person instead of $1,200, that’s where we go. By letting price dictate our destination, we save thousands of dollars that we can then spend on experiences once we arrive.

The Math of a Budget

To stay on track, I keep a simple formula for our target trip cost:

Total Budget = (Flights + Accommodation + Food + Activities) / 5. If the math doesn’t work, we don’t go. It’s that simple.

In order to save for my Bucket List travel plans, my goal is to save $500 a month. I looked at my expenses and noticed I was spending around $400 a month on iced coffees and work lunches. Cutting those down gets me more than halfway to my goal! I set it all aside in a Money Market account so that I earn more interest than I would in a traditional savings account (pennies on the dollar, but I’ll take it).

My 3 Rules for Budget Travel

1. Skip the Resort: We prioritize apartments or house-rentals with kitchens. Eating 3 meals a day out with 5 people is the fastest way to blow a budget.
2. Be Flexible: We never have our hearts set on “dates.” We travel within “windows.” Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter breaks give us plenty of days to choose from. We travel when the flight prices are low.
3. Prioritize “Free”: My goal is for at least 50% of our activities to be free. Parks, hiking, walking tours, and street markets provide a more authentic experience than paid tourist traps anyway.

Budgeting for travel isn’t about being “cheap”—it’s about being intentional. It’s about deciding that the experience of seeing a new culture is worth more than the new couch or the upgraded car.

What is your biggest roadblock to family travel? Drop it in the comments, and let’s figure it out together.