my trip budgeting & accommodation lessons

11.03.2023

i’ve been planning my trip for about a month now. the closer i get to going on my trip, the more i’ve already learned about planning a short-term remote work situation.

i booked a one-way ticket and i’m letting it lead me through the next few months.

almost all of my housing bookings have been made through airbnb and outsite, though i’ve also found some luck with a site called sabbaticalhomes.

i’ve found the best luck on airbnb by making sure that wifi, dedicated workspace, kitchen and washer are selected when filtering through options.

when i started planning this, my dream was to stay in london for three months straight. i felt that this would help me set up a home base while i traveled around to neighboring countries. but i had to face one problem. i’m risk-averse and i hate not being able to plan ahead.

looking for a short-term month sublet in london 3 months ahead of when i wanted to arrive was so difficult. i was also just torn by the amazing options that i had to explore other countries. so i decided to split it up - and i’ll be a lil bit of everywhere for the next few months.

my main priority on this trip is still to maintain a degree of calmness in my work, life and routine while getting to know the various places i stay in. i’m so excited. i feel like i’ve needed this for so long but didn’t know it.

what do i do if i don’t want to come back?? i guess we’ll cross that road when we get to it. so far i’ve got a one-way ticket and lots of places to see.

i’ve planned my next few months until mid-june, which i’ll deal with over time as i get closer to that date.

~budgeting~

i’ve been stressed because i was struggling with how to keep track of future and potential expenses that are coming up over the next few months in balance with the income i’m making.

i ended up making this lil spreadsheet where i can input my future expenses to calculate it against the income i know i’m going to be making in those months. i made a copyable version with fake numbers and details if you want to try it out. to make a copy just go to “file” → “make a copy”.

anyways, ever since i created that budgeting sheet i’ve been feeling a lot more at peace because i can test my options and see what flexibility i have.

~latest lesson learned~

the biggest takeaway i’ve learned so far on a technical level at least with airbnb is to only book refundable spots. i got locked into a place for my first month’s stay (not the end of the world, it’s nice) but it’s still something that i might have been able to be flexible with otherwise.

i’m in the final stages of ordering a bunch of gear and travel things that i think will help me along the way, going to write down my packing list here next time. it’ll be interesting to compare what i brought to see what ended up being super helpful or not helpful at all.

until next time…