The Struggle of Being a Broke Traveller when your Friends Back Home Make Money

The day I spend my money on adornments at a home furnishings shop is the day I know I’ll have officially “grown up”.

It seems do be that most 25-year-olds around me are well into their jobs or careers and have chosen where they want to enjoy the routine and comforts of the place they call home. Money may not be abundant, but after rent or mortgage payments, bills, and groceries, they still have the pocket money for things like champagne brunches, wing nights, Scentsy Parties, and days at the spa.

This all sounds lovely, but what about when you’re the black sheep of the group who chooses to live a frugal lifestyle as a traveller of sorts, hopping from place to place, barely making enough to cover your costs to get there?

When you come “back home” – aka. the place you come for a couple months to sponge off your Mum’s homemade cooking and dance under a rainfall shower and actually feel clean- you hope to save money and maybe make a few bucks doing odds jobs. All of a sudden you’re invited to these gatherings and you’ve already spent the small stipend you made abroad on the flight to your next destination. What do you do?

Well it’s embarrassing, I’ll tell you. But money doesn’t grow on trees. I’ve tried filing complaints to get free air-miles- real stressful situations which deserve a trip across the States- only to get a sandwich and soft drink coupon in return. The thing is, when I make “money” I have to save it for things like travel insurance, flights, and a new pair of running shoes because my last pair is covered in sand and probably vomit from the last place I worked.

Suddenly I find myself out of pocket from special occasions.

Birthday parties… it’s not just enough to show up anymore and party with your friend on their special day. Since most Birthday Parties no longer take place at a nightclub or bar, a gift is expected and often times you’re paying for a pricey meal out. I feel like the biggest piece of poop for sounding so cheap, but for me nowadays, the cost of dining out is equal to upgrading my luggage on an airline so that I can bring my hairdryer and a bag of medicine with directions explained in my own language.

Weddings, showers, and gatherings with flowers… It’s that time of life where an invitation is the last thing you want in your mailbox. Ok, that’s not true. I’m happy to be invited and love to be part of my friends’ celebrations. However, the amount spent on travel, outfits, gifts, meals, etc for these events is often more than what I could pay for a flight to Europe. Again, if I was in a job making mad cash, it may not be a problem, but I’m still a bum working for experience, and unfortunately I can’t pay for Stag & Doe games with my stories from The Pink Palace Booze Cruise.

I probably sound like the most sour person in the world, and don’t take it the wrong way. I LOVE my friends and seeing them grow into respectable adults and I’m so proud of them. But unfortunately, I’m a few years behind them on the journey there.

Believe it or not, I am NOT opposed to “settling down” tomorrow. I’d make an amazing wife and Mum, and with this if I had a job I was passionate about in a location I enjoy living, I’d be happy to slow down on my adventures. But I’m done fighting to find the missing piece. Living in different places is teaching me a lot along the way and eventually, I will have more to offer my future family- and if that doesn’t happen, I’ll have the best dam stories of any lonely old person in the nursing home!

My Bunk Bed Fortress kicks your King Size IKEA Bed’s ASS!

So was there a take-away message from all this. NO. But to anyone in their young adult years who spends their savings on Ryan Air flights and coming home not able to afford life, you’re not alone.

And to our friends. We love you, and nothing beats spending time with you. Just respect our pockets, and in return, we’ll give you a handwritten message of how much we love you on a flashy postcard!