Big Travelling Expenses

Once upon a time my biggest travelling expense (aside from airfares and accommodation of course) would definitely have been shopping. And by shopping I mean clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories and makeup. You name it, I bought it.

Whilst I still love to shop when I travel because I enjoy buying items I can’t get at home, I’ve really dialed things back since I’ve become a minimalist. Namely because when I traveled I used to buy far too much and since having a change in lifestyle it was no longer something I was able to justify.

However since shifting to a more minimalist lifestyle, my biggest travelling expense would now have to be food. Hands down. When I travel I don’t necessarily want to live how I live at home. At home I tend to eat on a budget, preparing most of my meals at home, scrimping and saving. But when travelling I like to eat out at as many different places as I can, trying as many different dishes as possible. Sure this isn’t the cheapest way of doing things, but if I’m going to spend hundreds or even thousands on a holiday, I’m going to spend a little bit more experiencing things rather than denying myself. If I was going to travel how I live at home, I might as well just stay home in the first place.

As a result, I’m willing to splurge on a few nice restaurants and drinks to experience and immerse myself in another city or culture. I don’t even necessarily mean sitting down to an eight course dinner, but going to a half decent restaurant and having a nice meal with perhaps even a drink or two. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy a few supermarket based cheap meals especially because I love exploring supermarkets in foreign countries! I especially love finding new gluten and dairy free snacks in other countries that we don’t have here!

Foodie experiences while travelling is about as minimalist as could be, especially seeing as eating is a necessity anyway. Food experiences also provide the most perfect souvenir photographs which make family back at home super jealous!

What are your big travelling expenses?