Ah…money. This is the big reason why many people say they can’t travel – lack of money! The reality is that you don’t necssarily need a lot of money to travel if you select good value destinations and know how to work the system. Start saving for your travel goals by  taking a look at your daily expenses and cutting back on the little things. You’ll be surprised by how much you can save and invest towards your future dream trip.

Here are some ways to SAVE money:

• Cut out coffees at Starbucks. It’s amazing how much those $5 lattes add up. If you have three a week for a year, that’s $720 in overpriced coffees…enough for a plane ticket overseas.

• Embrace your inner cook by bringing your own lunches to work and cutting back on dinners out. Same principle as above, since all those little meal expenses can add up drastically. Save that money and immediately transfer it to your “travel account.”

• Save money on gas and car payments by getting rid of your car. Walk, bike, take the bus, or invest in a Zipcar.com car sharing program.

• Renegotiate cable/phone/Internet services. Most companies don’t want to lose your business, so they can offer a lower rate if you threaten to leave for one of their competitors.

• Give up your gym membership. Save $30–$100 in monthly fees by exercising outdoors instead. Buy a fitness DVD, some weights, or sign up for a pay-what-you-can class with friends.

• Go through your closet and pick out the clothes you haven’t worn in a year to sell at a second-hand shop. Any other items you can sell? Furniture, electronics? Sites such as eBay.com and Craigslist.org are your new best friends.

• Save automatically by having the bank deposit a small percentage of your paycheck into your savings account. The money will compound and you won’t even notice it’s being taken off your regular checks.

Here are some ways to EARN money before your trip:

• Become a “task rabbit”at Taskrabbit.com and help people get stuff done (everything from running errands, to cleaning, to compiling an Excel spreadsheet). Sign up for their online community and begin “bidding” on tasks to help you make some extra money.

• If you own your own place and have some extra living space, consider renting out a room or your entire apartment on Airbnb.com. You can make some awesome extra money this way. Some people have turned it into a full-time job and are making six figures! For an expert’s guide on how to make your apartment a viable form of income, check out RentingYourPlace.com Here you’ll learn tons of tips and tricks to becoming a vacation rental pro. Buy the ebook The Airbnb Expert’s Playbook by Scott Shatford or grab one of data and analytics report called AirDnA.Using a Google map, users can select a state and zoom into their particular city of interest to uncover information such as: average nightly price, number of listings, guest reviews, and the availability of amenities. With this data you’ll get a glimpse into the cost of staying in each town and how much you should charge to rent your own place.

• Do you have an epic adventure in mind that might rouse the interest of fellow travelers and inspire them to fund you? Crowdsource for your trip using sites like Kickstarter.com or GoFundMe.com.

• Love pets? Start a dog sitting business from your home. The companyDogvacay.com is like an Airbnb for dog sitters. You can open up your apartment, set your own daily or overnight price, and take care of other people’s pooches while they’re away on holiday.

• Do you live in a desirable, high-traffic area and have a parking spot that comes with your apartment? Rent that baby out on Craigslist!

• Artistic? Make stuff to sell on Etsy.com, an online marketplace for artists and craftsmen.

• Bring in some additional income. You can find freelance work on Elance.com and Odesk.com.