A to Z 2014: Invest

{For the month of April I will be blogging alphabetically on the topic of travel tips.}

Invest your money, time and heart into travel. Be invested.

I'd dreamt of visiting Italy for so long...

Do you have a dream trip? Save your money, do your research and then enjoy it fully!

There are a lot of unconventional ways to make money while travelling these days. Being a professional travel blogger looks pretty cool! But for most of us, it takes years of hard work to save up to visit lands far away. Trust me, it is worth the effort!

Don't save just enough money for airfare and accommodations. You shouldn't have to turn down activities on a life-time adventure. Have enough cash to take advantage of your destination's offerings.

I'd wanted to pet tigers for as long as I knew it was a thing!

Do a tonne of research! Know how much things will cost so you know how much to save. The UK is a very expensive place, North America is less, Asia tends to be fairly cheap (with exceptions) and Europe has a vast range of costs. I've never been to South America or Africa (besides a day in Morocco) so I can't speak to the prices there. You'll have to find out for yourself.

Try to find out what the sites are where you're going so you know how to best plan your time. This might include festivals, seasonal sports, mobile museum exhibits, concerts, national holidays... Find out when things are open. Many destinations have seasonal attractions. It would be devastating to fly half-way around the world to find out you just missed seeing what you had hoped to.

We visited an orangutan sanctuary in Malaysia.

Once you get to where you are going, enjoy it thoroughly! See all the things! Eat all the foods! Meet all the people! This is not the time to penny-pinch. It's time for adventure and experiencing new things. By far, you will regret the things you didn't do, more than things you did. Even if something turns out disastrous, it will make for a good story later. Don't go home wondering "what if". Even if you can't do everything, plan to do all the things you really want to.