I have done back-to-back gap years for a decade (since 2015 and counting) and I personally take gap years in countries where my nationality allows me to work on a working holiday visa for example. This way, I can enjoy my trip overseas and get short-term or temporary jobs to support my travels. In the instance I want to travel to a place where I cannot possibly work due to absence of appropriate visas, I would prioritise my travel saving fund for about 6 months before I leave, and cut down on unnecessary expenses such as eating out when I can eat for a fraction of the cost at home, find free events rather than expensive paid ones and maximise my time outdoors in nature instead of going to cafes, theatres, restaurants and more that cost money to enjoy. If you stay consistent, every little bit helps. Plus, if legal in your country, you could offset some of your home rental costs by subletting your room or property so you're not completely out of pocket.

My rule is simple: pay for the trip with savings, not debt. Borrow or rent gear if needed, but do not borrow money. Set up an automatic transfer into a trip fund in a savings account every week. Use credit card rewards only if you pay the card in full each month. Book flights and hotels you can change or cancel, and use the 24-hour rule for flights. Travel in the shoulder season when prices are lower. Rent, borrow, or buy used gear. Plan for all the small costs early, like permits, park fees, rides, tips, and emergency rescue. Get travel insurance for medical care and rescue that matches your activities. Skip buy now, pay later, and do not carry a card balance.

When I plan a big outdoor trip, I treat it like any other important goal — I start early and make it a line item in my monthly budget. I'd rather cut back on takeout or streaming subscriptions than come home from a trip with a credit card bill hanging over my head. I also set up a separate savings account just for travel. Watching that balance grow over time adds a bit of excitement — it feels like I'm already halfway to the trailhead. I've learned that the smartest trips are the ones you can actually enjoy without worrying about money the whole time. If I can't pay for it upfront, I wait. The view at the top of a mountain feels a lot better when you know you're not going to be paying interest on it later.

When I plan a big outdoor trip, I start with the numbers before I start dreaming about trails. Flights, equipment, meals, and even the little things like park entry fees, so I make sure to budget for everything. In order to have the money available when I need it, I then automatically transfer savings into a different account every month. I try not to use credit to pay for vacations because I don't want to return home burdened by debt. I postpone the trip a little if I can't pay for it in full in advance. Coming back from an adventure knowing that I won't be paying for it for the next six months is a lot better, even though it's difficult to do. The objective is straightforward: have fun on the trip without making it a financial burden.

Planning a big outdoor trip is a lot like making a big investment. It's half the fun and half the work. I always start by making a "trip jar," both in real life and online. It's nice to throw spare change into a jar and watch your savings account grow in the background. I try to plan ahead so that I can save in small, easy-to-manage amounts. For example, skipping one takeaway meal a week can pay for a night at a campsite. I also like to pay for as much as I can before I leave. I get my flights, park permits, and even gear rentals out of the way early so I don't have to swipe my card in the middle of the trip and worry about the bill later. And to be honest, I set aside a little "oops" money because trips never go exactly as planned. When you don't have to worry about overdrafts, that unexpected stop at a diner or an extra day by the lake is always worth it.

Hi Outdoor Project, I'd love to contribute to your article as I specialise in sharing details about how to travel low cost without compromising on experiences. I've written about budgeting in a few articles but this is a guide with my top tips on how to travel the world https://planetofadventures.com/solo-travel-things-to-know-before-traveling/ After travelling for 3 years on US $20/day, my main tips to be able to finance your adventures are: - Take it easy and embrace slow travelling. The more you move around the more your costs go up - Look for volunteering opportunities. Whether you pet sit, join a farm, a sailing boat, a hostel, or anything else. There are so many resources out there to get free accommodation and board in exchange of 2-4 hours of work per day. And at the same time you will get a much deeper cultural integration - Embrace wild camping, specially in Europe where a campsite can cost even more than a hostel bed. - Don't be afraid to hitchhike to save on travel costs. You may end up making some great friends on the way! I could go on and on as this is a topic I'm very passionate about. I hope you find my tips helpful for your audience. Feel free to ask me any questions. Happy adventures! Juan planetofadventures.com

Shop last seasons gear rather than buy new stuff (use REI or even charity shops). Even better is to buy gear when you arrive if you are travelling to somewhere cheaper than were you live. For example, when I planned a trip to Patagonia, I went shopping in Buenos Aires to find a waterproof jacket. It was much cheaper (at the time in 2024) compared to buying a brand new one. In Medellin, you can find vintage stores that sell old traveller gear like North Face jackets etc. too. I also like to sign up to a credit card with bonus point sign ups - for example the British Airways Amex platinum card gives you a 50,000 point sign up bonus and a companion voucher if you spend x amount in the first 3 months. This target is usually easy to hit if you just spend on your credit card and then pay it off with your salary. You then can use the companion voucher and points to book a cheap return flight.

As an avid adventure traveller, the best thing to do when it comes to funding trips overseas is save throughout the year as opposed to paying with your credit card at whim - just having to pay off that debt later. For culture immersion trips in Europe, I both auto-transferred money to adventure accounts and slashed discretionary spending, giving myself an extra $300 to $500 per month of room without sacrificing my quality of life. Redeem travel rewards from credit card spending by paying off the bills in time -- no interest, just rewards. Don't finance the journey through credit card debt or plunder already depleted emergency savings, which only adds more financial stress and lessens your enjoyment. Go into planning with multiple lines of revenue, say from the sale of equipment or freelancing, to underwrite your adventures. Invest in something that will improve your life not an expensive escape that you're still paying for years down the road.

One smart move many people skip is pre funding your exit and a few delay days. I believe this should come before saving for views or gear, because the get home plan is what stops small surprises turning into big costs. Start with a single figure that covers a changeable ticket home, two budget nights, food, local transport, a data top up, and a modest medical bill. Move that amount into a separate pot called Exit plus Buffer, keep it liquid on a debit card, and treat it as hands off money. Book refundable options so routes stay open and you are not boxed in. If weather, strikes, or a sprain stretch your timeline, that pot gives you calm cash, not panic plastic, and it keeps you away from twenty five percent APR traps. To me it is belt and braces for your budget.

A big outdoor trip is exciting, but it can get expensive fast if you are not careful. The best move is to set a budget early and save for it little by little in a separate account. That way the money is ready when you need it, and you are not dipping into rent or grocery money. Using credit card points or rewards can also cut costs, but only if you pay off the balance right away. Carrying debt from a trip is one of the fastest ways to sour the memory. It also helps to be flexible. Shifting your dates to the off-season, picking less touristy spots, or looking at alternative routes can save more than most people expect. And before you book, make sure you have an emergency fund at home. It takes a lot of pressure off knowing that if something unexpected happens, you will not come back to a stack of bills waiting for you. Best, Sean

If you are going to national parks or protected zones, you will almost always need a permit. These can be access fees for trails and huts, fishing licenses, etc. I highly recommend researching these as early as possible. Some national parks have early bird prices. In some cases, you can volunteer for a free permission. You will need to collect the litter, help with hut repairs, or perform trail maintenance to avoid incurring fees. Finally, if you have a large group, you may be eligible for a group discount. If you are planning a multi-week expedition, this can save you about $1000 per person!

The primary key to financing any adventure trip is to plan well in advance so that the price never seems to weigh heavily on one's mind. Saving for such trips is just one easy thing to do. A travel fund, with a small deposit monthly via an automated process, is a great way to save for such vacations. By the time they punch the people, most of the expenses are already taken care of. You could pre-book larger ventures such as flights or offline guides and distribute spending to smoothen its economic downward influence over time by emerging disbursements. And, for the love of adventure travel, never put hefty expenses related to the trip on a credit card unless paying them off is fully planned! Adventure travel should create memories to cherish, unlike debt that lingers.

One of the best things you can do is budget for travel. Even if you don't have a planned trip coming up, it's a good idea to have a travel budget category that you put money aside for every month. That way, when a big outdoor trip comes up, or some other travel opportunity, you will have already saved up a decent amount of money to cover at least a portion of the trip out-of-pocket right away.

The most frequent trend I noticed is when travelers book a dream trip such as the or with the help of credit cards and do not know how to pay the bill. They come back to memories, but monthly payments of interest that makes a trip that was initially costing $3,000 cost them around 4,000 or more. The monetary pressure turns out to be overwhelming the experience that the individuals had struggled to achieve. I lead people to separate the trip into layers and to finance each of them. Flights, gear, permits and local spending are all targets unto themselves. It helps to organize four savings envelopes, whether digital or not. Suppose the cost of the flight between and is 900 dollars, break it down into 9 deposits of 100 dollars in 9 weeks and lock it up until it is completely financed. Same case with gear, generally costs $600 (boots, outerwear, and a pack), and rent specialty gear (trekking poles, etc.) at the destination (approximately $15) so that you are not buying something you are not going to use very often. Another thing that I want the travelers to do is to book the trek itself last. The trek fee of 1200 dollars is the last reward with the flights and gears already paid. Arriving at the top without being indebted to home is what keeps the memory fresh and that is what makes the journey really last.

One of the smartest ways I've seen people prepare for a big outdoor trip is by treating it like a project with an assigned budget. I used to overthink where each dollar was going until I realized accounts payable automation could track, categorize, and flag every expense before takeoff. From coffee chats to boardrooms, everyone nods when expense visibility comes up and automation tools are mentioned, because they cut out those awkward payment surprises mid-travel. My advice is to plan your trip costs as you would any business workflowmap it, automate the tracking, and keep emergency cash reserves separate for flexibility.

The best way to fund epic outdoor adventures is to make adventure travel funding a life goal, and avoid using credit cards (in some cases) or loans leading up so there's no financial stress before you head out. The smartest adventure travelers build their budgets into transfers set to automatically go into a separate, special travel savings account at least a year ahead, they say. This "Investing in Yourself" viewpoint regards wilderness treks as investments in self-improvement, and money spent on safety gear and professional assistance. One key tactic is to help fund your travels will be through some other skill you can develop before you leave- be that selling research, photos, gear reviews or even freelance work. In most cases this is better than just scaling back, as it develops valuable skills and contacts. Furthermore, the establishment of adventure communities that allows resources to be shared and information to be exchanged can reduce the travel cost of the individual and increase travel safety. From group buying and group travel to skill-share networks, these organizations just simply help people keep costs low and experiences high - so you can have an amazing adventure without breaking the bank.

Adventure financing is best done by where you take the opportunity to capitalize on the skills you already have in the off-peak seasons rather than simply reducing costs. It is a strategy I learned when financing my drag racing season as I developed my marketing agency. During the months of the year when you are not using your specialized equipment, such as climbing equipment or mountain bikes, rent them out and make a profit of $75 a day. Offer weekend skills classes in rock climbing, navigation, or wilderness survival at a cost of $200 per session during winter seasons when big trips are not possible. The generation of income surpasses the reduction of expenses in all cases since it generates long-term funding without sacrificing lifestyles. Conduct guide local day-hikes at a rate of $150 apiece or guide photography tours in your area in the process of planning your big trip. My racing friends finance their track seasons through conducting driving schools and renting their trailers during their off-months. The same concept applies to outdoor adventure and your passion is both your source of financing and not a liability.