Motivational quotes. I love them. Daily motivational quotes are just a simple reminder that you need to stay focused.

I wanted to share some inspirational quotes that I turn to when I need a quick pick up. If you want to enter our challenge to increase your freelancing income or if you just want to get some momentum going, I recommend you continue reading on.

What are the best motivational quotes?

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” — Steve Jobs

When you’re worried about going after your goals, you need to remind yourself that you’re going to be gone one day. This really helps me put things into perspective. No mater how badly your fail or fall on your face, it won’t matter. There’s nothing to really be afraid of. For example, if working a second job helps you pay down your student credit card debt, then don’t let your pride get in the way.

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” — Walt Disney

I’ve been guilty of not being full behind my ideas. In the end, others can tell and my results suffer. If you want to start an online business or get an A on your final paper, you need to be behind your argument all of the way. Why go half way? The only point of starting anything is to finish.

“Speak slowly. Such a simple thing, but it can have a big difference in how others perceive you. A person in authority, with authority, speaks slowly. It shows confidence. A person who feels that he isn’t worth listening to will speak quickly, because he doesn’t want to keep others waiting on something not worthy of listening to.” — Leo Babauta

Slow down. Why rush? This is one of the best motivational quotes because it forces you to be conscious of how you speak and interact with others. If you have something to say, then say it. Don’t be afraid.

“Know yourself. Choose the right medium, choose the right topic, create awesome content, and you can make a lot of money being happy.” — Gary Vaynerchuk

It really is that easy to make money doing something that you enjoy. You just need to get started, pick up some momentum, and continue on. My friends have told me that paying down debt is all about seeing results and then pushing harder to pay off more of it.

“In a race, sooner or later there’s a moment that separates the winner from those who don’t win. That instant is your chance, the moment you’ve been waiting for.” — Seth Godin

Your opportunity will come. You just need to be out there working and going after your goals. You won’t get a job if you don’t apply just how you won’t see results if you’re not testing out different ideas.

“The safest way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket.” — Kim Hubbard

You can try to make money fast. You’ll quickly learn that the only people that get rich quick are those that win the lottery and celebrities that make sex tapes.

“Innovation comes from entrepreneurs and others who are willing to accept risk and try new things.” — Chris Guillebeau

You know the deal by now. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

“The more specific you are about what you want to do, the easier it becomes to develop a strategy to accomplish it. Part of that strategy, of course, is establishing relationships with the people in your universe who can help you get where you’re going.” — Keith Ferrazzi

It’s that simple to land your dream position. What you know is just as important as who you know. Don’t be afraid of meeting new people. Don’t let your pride prevent you from asking for help.

Those are the best motivational quotes that I found recently. Did I missed any?

Are you ready to grab control of your life this week?

I’ve seen a lot of posts go up about frugal gift ideas for Mother’s Day and the like. I’m going to take a different stance here and ask, why be frugal on Mother’s Day? I’m not suggesting that you give in to the marketing hype, because I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day or the idea of a Hallmark holiday. I obviously believe in saving money most of the time, but not always.

My parents have helped me out a lot in my life. From giving me a place to stay to helping me out with bills when money was tight. They came to Canada and always worked hard to give their kids a better life.

Now that I’m old enough and making money, I try to give them a better life in any way that I can. As soon as I started making money I’ve made an effort to give back to my family as much as I can.

Some of my favorite gifts for my parents include:

• Sending them to the Bahamas two years ago.
• Throwing a surprise party for their 25th wedding anniversary this year.
• Sending my mom to a spa for most occasions.

Yes I do realize that money doesn’t buy happiness. I don’t want you using your credit card to buy things that you can’t afford. With all things being equal, who wouldn’t enjoy a tropical trip paid for by their kid?

If you don’t know where to start this Mother’s Day, I suggest that at the very least you send flowers!

If you have no money, you can keep it simple with breakfast in bed and getting off Facebook for the day. If you have some money, why not spoil your mom this year?

In case I don’t praise online banking enough I wanted to share a few more reasons why you should make the switch right now.

I keep a traditional brick-and-mortar account open for cashing checks and my retirement account (switching both shortly). The other day I went into cash a check that I cash every single month at the same time. I deposited the check and I went out of town assuming that everything was cool. When I checked my mobile banking app I suddenly realized that somehow the teller managed to input the wrong number. Seriously. I know that it’s an honest mistake, but I just don’t get how you can miss the actual number by that much. Turns out I was out of town and the last thing I wanted to do was deal with this annoying issue.

I realize that this type of stuff happens and that I shouldn’t be rude about it. The problem is that I was already not impressed with the bank because I was hit with some random hidden fee that’s apparently buried in my original agreement somewhere. I just wanted to clear the check and not deal with any hassles.

This ties into my next point…

ING Direct is now offering check scanning. If you have an account open with ING Direct you can scan checks by downloading the mobile app and using the new Checkmate feature. This is a sweet new feature that just provides us with another incentive to make the transition to online banking. You can now scan your checks from wherever you are in the world. You don’t have to make a trip to the bank, worry about lines, or delay depositing in your checks any longer.

If you’re tired of your bank account and the lame features, you can switch bank accounts and get some free money.

If you sign up with ING Direct right now you get $50 for free. You won’t have to pay any petty banking fees or get charged for going over your “swipe limit.” The idea of a limit on debit swipe for any 20-something is just absurd. It would be impossible for me to count how many times I use my debit card in a month.

You shouldn’t be charged to access your own money. You shouldn’t feel like you’re getting ripped off constantly just to keep your money stored. You work hard for your money and the last thing that you want to stress about is counting how many times you swipe your debit card because you don’t want to get hit with some petty fees for going over your “swipe limit.”

Don’t worry if you don’t know what to do because I wrote about how you can switch bank accounts in the past.

For some reason most of my friends have their money with the same bank account (not that many options in Canada). The other day when I pulled out my debit card to buy something, my friend noticed how I had a strange orange looking card (it’s ING Direct). This led to a quick chat about banking and I explained why I’m with ING Direct (no fees and easier to use).

This reminded me of how I asked you guys about your bank account a few days ago. It got me thinking about personal finance, banking, and the bigger picture when it comes to saving money.

Does your bank account really matter? Does it matter where you store your money?

Yes it does. Allow me to explain myself.

Why does it matter where you keep your money?

Save more money.

It all comes down to keeping more money in your pocket at the end of the day. If you sign up with a bank account that respects your money and doesn’t nickel-and-dime you, you can save more money. You’ll save money by spending less of it on fees and by enjoying the higher interest rates. For me, saving money is important when it comes to something like banking. That’s more money to spend on other areas of life.

Get things under control.

I like to compare personal finance to fitness. Your banking account is like your gym membership. Why be a member at a crappy gym? You want to be apart of something innovative and great. You wouldn’t join a gym that hit you with hidden fees, would you? Imagine paying a flat rate monthly rate and then getting charged every time that you go because there’s a gym limit?

It all comes down to getting things under control. You won’t enjoy working out if you hate your gym. You won’t care about saving money if banking frustrates you.

The bigger picture.

As I hinted at earlier, it all comes down to the bigger picture here. Sure it’s only a few dollars a month that you save. You could get this money back by working more hours or finding a part-time gig. You’re not going to go poor because of banking fees. It just all comes down to the bigger picture. It’s all about building the habit of saving money and demanding respect for your money. Why pay fees if you don’t have to? Why get ripped off?

If you want to make some changes you should switch bank accounts right now. Something like this only takes a few hours of your time. Once you take care of your banking situation, you can move on with the rest of your life. Your bank account is just one minor aspect of your life. The sooner you deal with it, the sooner you can move on with other stuff.

Are you looking to apply for law school at some point in the future? Do you want to find out what the best law school is? Do you want to see where your school stands?

This article is devoted to determining what really is the top law school in the country. We looked long and hard to compile a list of the best law schools in the country. We looked at other top law school lists, analyzed the schools, spoke to current students and alumni, and created our own ranking system. The end result is a list of the best law schools in America.

What are the top law schools in the country?

Harvard Law School.

There’s just nothing like putting “Harvard” on your resume. When undergraduate students even think about Harvard they get excited. This is the gold standard for law schools. Based out of Cambridge, MA this popular law school will cost you $45,450 per year and you should expect to see 1,733 students.

It doesn’t hurt to attend the same law school as President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama. If you want to see who else attended Harvard, you can do a quick Google search for Harvard alumni and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Anyone looking for the best law school is going to want to be proud of the alumni that have graduated from there over the years.

The prestige associated with Harvard Law School makes it an easy choice for the top law school in the country. If you want the attend a prestigious law school but don’t think that you can afford it, I have good news for you. Harvard has a Low Income Protection Plan that is ideal for those that are worried about being burdened with law school debt for the rest of their lives. You can’t use a lack of money as an excuse for not going to Harvard.

The obvious knock on Harvard as top law school is the large amount of students. You can look at this two ways. You can complain at the volume of students. You can also treat this law school as a large community of diverse students.

Stanford.

Do you care where your law school is located? You should in my opinion. Stanford is ranked in this position because it’s in an amazing location. Winter, what’s that? Beyond the idea of a world class school in a paradise-like area, Stanford is in Silicon Valley, an area known for technological innovation. You also get to live in a bubble since most Stanford students are known for living, studying, and partying on campus. What more could you ask for?

The tuition per year is $47,460 (2011-12) per year with a low amount of 571 students. There’s also a small amount of students in a classroom. The school is known for its low student-to-faculty ratio. This makes your experience in law school better because you don’t feel like just a number. You also get to actually get to know your peers. You can build much stronger bonds and have more fun here.

Stanford is also well know for high paying gigs post-graduation. According to the always helpful Wikipedia, 98.7% of Stanford Law graduates were employed 9 months after graduation. Many of these students were also able to find high paying work in the area and other states (62% leave California). The median starting salary for gradates in the private sector is $160,000 (2010). Will you be one of these Stanford graduates?

Yale.

This law school is located in New Haven, CT and has ranked at #1 on the US News’ rankings. Tution per year in 2011 was $50,750. This law school only enrols roughly 200 students per year. This means that Yale is very competitive. Once you get accepted you know that you’re surrounded by an elite bunch.

I was able to dig up a little about the class of 2014. There were 216 new students enrolled, 47% women, an average age of 24, 38 different states represented, and 20% directly from undergraduate programs. This creates a unique student body that should make for an interesting law school experience.

You worried about money? 77% of students received some sort of financial aid in 2010-11. This means that you can use a lack of money as an excuse for not attending here.

You concerned about finding work? In 2010 207 students graduate and 190 of them were able to find work within nine months.

University of Chicago.

Do you want to learn about law from a federal judge? This top law school has four federal judges on its faculty.

The strong emphasis on academics and life post-law school has bumped this school up to the top 5 law schools according to the US News rankings.

You’re also in luck if you want to find work abroad. This law school offers the International Human Rights Internship Program. Students can find work in Australia, India, Korea, and South Africa.

Another cool feature is that there are more than 50 student organizations that you can join outside of your classroom. What’s so cool about this? You can actually socialize with your fellow law school students. You can meet some interesting characters.

The biggest negative of attending this school is that it’s not as well-known in the main stream. When you think of law school, you don’t associate it with the University of Chicago. This school just doesn’t have the same reputation (for better or for worse) that Yale or Harvard do.

The tuition per year here is $47,502

Columbia.

Are you looking for a challenge? Columbia Law School is known for it’s challenging admissions process, with only 12% of applicants getting through in 2010. The school prides itself on seeking out diverse students that will formulate a unique student culture.

Founded in 1858, this Manhattan based prestigious law school is one of the best in the country. You don’t have to worry about actual law experience because Columbia requires you to do pro bono work before graduating. This means that you get hands on experience and do some good for society.

There are 29 study abroad programs available in 12 different countries. This means that if you have the money you can actually see the world while studying law here.

There’s just one note that needs to be made about this top law school. The obvious setback to living in Manhattan is the high cost of living. You take the good with the bad because you’re living in one of the liveliest cities in the world. Columbia is lower on this list simply because the living expenses can really cause you to get into some serious debt while in law school. The high rent and expensive cost of living will add up.

Now that you know what the best law schools in the country are, it’s time that we explained our rankings a little bit more. We looked at many areas of the schools when we were comparing the best law schools. We wanted this to be the most complete list of the top law schools in the country, based on relevant factors.

What’s the criteria for finding the best law school in the country?

Pay right after school.

If you’re going to spend top dollar on attending a law school, you’re going to want a sold return on your investment. You want to be assured that you’re going to make good money once you eventually end up working in the field. This is why we looked at pay after school. We want you to attend a school that’s going to land you the gig that pays you what you deserve to earn.

Best reputation (ties into history).

What’s the professional and social reputation of the school like? We looked at the reputation of the school in society and amongst actual professionals in the field. Reputation is important because you don’t want to spend money to attend a school that successful people in your field will mock.

Amount of money borrowed to attend the college.

How much will this law school cost you? Will you end up in debt until your retirement years because of your law school? The amount of money to attend the law school will play into your decision. When looking at costs we also considered other expense aside from tuition. What’s the cost of living in the area? What other expenses will creep up on you?

Location of the school.

Where’s the school located? The location of the school is important because you’re going to be living there so you might as well enjoy where you live so that you don’t lose your mind. You also want to be in a booming area for law school because you want to find placements that are close by. Location isn’t just key in real estate.

Amount of students.

The number of students in your classes and your graduating group is critical because it affects the learning experience and the authority of the degree that you earned. You wouldn’t want to date a girl that has been with all of your friends, just like you don’t want to earn a law degree from a school that’s easy to get into.

Alumni.

Who has graduated from the school that you want to attend? We look at alumni because we want to ensure that the school has a track record for producing great minds and successful people.

That’s our list of the top law schools in the country followed by the criteria that we used to get our results. What’s your take on the best law schools in the country?

College students are pretty good at two things: sleeping and getting things done at the last minute. I may not be a student any more but I love to sleep in and I’m pretty consistent about getting things done at the last minute.

“Scientists know embarrassingly little about why we spend roughly one-third of our lives asleep.” — Tim Ferriss

What are you going to accomplish by laying down unconsciously for that long? I often joke around with friends about sleeping too much. I say that you can sleep when you die. Why bother with being unconscious for so long right now? I’m a hypocrite often because I can be pretty amazing at sleeping in or missing important deadlines because I was out cold.

If you don’t have difficult sleeping then I’m jealous of you. I’ve always had problems with falling asleep and hitting random stages of sleep. I usually just can’t fall asleep. The more that I have to do in the morning, the less likely I am to fall asleep quickly.

Today we’re going to look at the importance of sleep when it comes to getting through college and then killing it in your 20s.

Why am I writing about sleep on Studenomics? There’s an undeniably huge correlation between sleep and productivity (starting a side business, finding a part-time job, and finishing your assignments on time).

Do you need to sleep 8 hours per night in your 20s?

I don’t see anything wrong with sleeping in once in a while. I just don’t see the point in sleeping more than 8 hours per night every single night. If you really want to crush your student credit card debt, save up tons of money, or start that business in your spare time, you really need to get used to sleeping a bit less than some of your friends.

Sleep really ties into your productivity in college and in your post-college years when you’re trying to figure out what to do. The thing is that being productive in your 20s also depends on your diet, fitness schedule, stress, and body. Just because we’re told that 8 hours of sleep is what we should be getting, it doesn’t mean that everyone needs to sleep this long.

If you want to get out of college without a stressful amount of debt, you might have to cut back on sleep while you pick up a part-time job. It won’t be easy, but it beats worrying about a massive amount of student loans in your mid-20s.

The other obvious issue with sleep is that it’s a time killer. Some of us spend way too much time on Facebook. Others will go crazy at the mall when completely bored. Some will watch Saved By The Bell reruns. Sleeping too much is just another bad habit that we create to procrastinate.

How often do you go to sleep just because you’re bored? How often do you sleep in just because you don’t have anything to do?

Is four hours of sleep enough?

Sleeping four hours per night is ideal for productivity. Well, for the first few nights at least. You’re eventually going to be too exhausted to do anything productive. It’s tough to hit the gym, deal with clients, study for your finals, or work on an excellent blog post when you’re mind is half asleep.

You can consume a copious amount of caffeine to get through the day, but this can only last for so long. I’ve been guilty of drinking way too much coffee at times. The problem is that it leads to a caffeine crash and eventual burnout.

The long story short here is that sleeping less might be ideal for productivity, but it’s near impossible to get any work done while totally exhausted mentally.

Can sleeping too much have a negative impact on your hustle in your 20s?

I personally think that sleeping too much can be a problem. I think your quality of sleep is much more important than how long you actually sleep. You need to rest. However, you need to work hard to really enjoy that rest.

If you want to get out of college without massive amounts of debt or to build a side business while you work in your 20s, you’re going to have to get used to getting less than 8 hours of sleep per night.

What role do you think sleeping has on your work ethic in your 20s? How dangerous can sleep deprivation effects be?

“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task.” — Viktor E. Frankl

“Some people become power brokers through sheer intimidation and force of will; others, generally with far better results, learn to become indispensable to the people around them.” – Keith Ferrazzi

I was chatting with a buddy the other day and we got into exchanging weekend plans. He told me that he was staying in because he wanted to focus on his career. I instantly thought about how insanely stupid that was. The logic here didn’t make sense.

Do we really not know that successful people in our field are out there at social events and not sitting at home? What can you possibly accomplish by staying at home by yourself all of the time? If you want to know what to do after college, you need to seek the advice of successful peers.

This is the only holiday post you need to read. If you want to know about Christmas gift ideas that don’t suck or other tips then you can check out my past articles. This year I’m going to go in a different direction. I wanted to look at the idea of planning a party.

The only holiday season advice that you need is real simple: THROW A PARTY.

“You can be more successful in two months by becoming really interested in other people’s success than you can in two years trying to get other people interested in your own success” – Dale Carnegie

Have you ever read the book Never Eat Alone? If not you need to pick up a copy right now. It’s by far the best book on the market when it comes to networking, connecting with people, and moving up in the world.

There’s only one problem with reading this book. You need to actually apply the tips in the book. If you apply the advice, you’ll meet so many new people and leave a lasting impression on a life long network of really cool people. If you read the book and go back to your old ways, well then, you’re going to have the same results as before. It’s really that simple.

I want you to throw a holiday party.

You don’t have to start a side business to make more money. You can sell your copy of Starcraft. Cancel your subscription to that dating site for the month. Do whatever you can to throw a holiday party. Invite lots of cool people. Invite people you want to get to know better. Pick up some booze. Have food ready for everyone. Let people have a great time.

“Most dinner parties don’t call for anything fancy. Follow the Kiss principle (Keep it Simple, Stupid). Good food. Good people. Lots of wine. Good conversation.” — Never Eat Alone

A holiday party is the best time to connect with old friends, build new connections, and have a great time. Put some money aside and throw a party that nobody will forget. Don’t worry about Christmas gifts or any of that crap. Give the gift of a fun (and a possibly wild) night.

Just please remember to make sure that nobody drinks and drives.

Are you ready to plan a party?

What to do after college? Is graduate school the best option right after you finish college? The answer is not always and the alternatives are found within this post.

Life after college is pretty scary. It’s challenging to figure out what to do after college with so many options being available to us. The thought of being completely free is exciting at first. Then as you think about it more, you start to wonder what you’re going to do with all of your newly found free time. You start to wonder if you can still have as much fun and party as hard. You worry about becoming that old guy at parties.

This is the first time in your life where you don’t know what’s going to happen next. There’s no more structure. There’s no more professors and classmates breathing down your neck. There’s no more deadlines. No more last minute cramming for an exam. You’re all on your own.

You can build something amazing. You can also be lazy and stream your favorite shows online. You can save some serious money. You can take time off to “find yourself.” You can get a job and start investing your money. You can also spend more money and go to grad school.

What you accomplish after college is in your control. I can’t tell tell you what to do after college. I can help you think of an amazing idea or two that’s better than more education.

Seven alternatives to an MBA or any form of graduate school post-college are:

1. Work abroad.

One of the best things to do after college is to work in a new country. Instead of finding a job in your hometown or in the downtown core, you can do something radically different and work in a totally different country. If you don’t have any close family or strong job prospects, you can use that as an excuse to take off and find work abroad.

I know that it’s easy to suggest finding a job abroad. Actually finding work in another country can be challenging at first. That’s why I recommend you check out Dave’s ESL Cafe and look for a teaching gig. Usually a college degree is the only requirement. The pay depends on how long you’re willing to stay and what country you decide to work in.

Why’s this better than grad school?

You experience a new culture and you get to make some money. You can watch documentaries, stay in a hostel, and learn all that you want about a country. You won’t know anything until you actually work in a country. Going to grad school will give you all of the theory in the world but you won’t learn anything about the world until you explore it. Studying a culture will NEVER be better than living the culture.

2. Start a business.

It’s relatively easy to find some sort of an average job after college. It takes real balls to start your own business and create your own income. Starting your own business provides you with more opportunities, the potential for more income, and the ability to control your own future.

Before you give me the usual nonsense about how you have no money or how you don’t have any great ideas, you need to read my piece on how you can start a business with no money. If you still have excuses, then you need to get a life!

Why’s this better than more schooling?

All the education in the world won’t help you if you don’t have the ability to get off your ass to get something done. You can go to all of the entrepreneurship conferences you find. You can print your own business cards. You can study business case studies. All of this is fine. If you want to see tangible and real results, you need to start your own business and give it a go.

3. Create something.

On the hierarchy of value, the money goes to those that are not afraid to create something. We can all lift or even sell something. How many of us can actually create? Not many. That’s why those that create see the benefit of disproportionate results compared to those that lift or sell.

Why’s this better than spending your time in school?

In school you create something (boring assignments) that are going to be graded by your professors. Only a handful of individuals will ever get to see your work. If you want create something outside of the school system, your potential is unlimited.

4. Learn a new language.

How many languages do you speak? Is it time that you figured out how to speak another language? I think it is. I’ve been slowly trying to learn some Spanish. The more languages you speak the greater are your opportunities. You can’t work for United Nations unless you speak 5 languages.

Why’s this better than grad school?

Well truthfully you can learn another language while in graduate school or while doing any of these other options. The only caveat is that most of us will use “being tired” or some other excuses to prolong learning another language. I can tell you the truth or I can tell you what you want to hear. You’re not as busy as you think you are.

5. Master a new skill.

Have you been dying to learn a new skill? Do you want to pick up kickboxing? Do you want to figure out how to surf? This is your chance. You’ll never be as free as you are right now.

Even if you have lots of student debt you still have a six month period or so before you need to start paying the money back.

What’ so good about this option?

We all have the ability to remain average. That’s boring. Very few of us will learn any new skills of any significance in our 20s. Why not separate yourself from the pack and master something new?

6.. Kill your debt.

The next option is to take some time to pay down debt. This means that you’re going to work like maniac, cut back your expenses, and put all of your money towards your debt (student debt and credit card debt).

The ROI of this option is immensely high. You do need to sacrifice plans to start a business or to travel. The amazing part is that you can live a life without debt. You’ll be debt free while your friends struggle to make their debt payments on time.

Why’s this better than more education?

Because your education already got you into debt (I know it’s an investment). Do you really need to get into any more debt for more education? I don’t think so. You can try to convince yourself all that you want. The reality is that if you haven’t found a job after college or if you hate your job, more education is not the solution.

7. Do nothing.

I’m not a fan of this option because I can’t sit still for more than a few hours. I do have a few friends that did this. Instead of stressing about finding a job or doing anything else, you can do absolutely nothing.

You can wake up whenever you want. You can watch episodes of Lost on your laptop. You can drink as much as you want. You can do absolutely nothing productive.

What’s the benefit of doing nothing?

You never know when a great idea can hit you. You never know when you can meet a person that can change your life.

If you want to learn more about what to do after college then you need to keep on reading Studenomics. We often look at things to do after graduation.

Have you thought about travelling around Europe?

After reading about it, thinking about it, and talking about it, I’m going to go on my first ever vagabonding stint. I’ve decided on attempting my first ever vagabonding adventure in Poland. I figured it’s the best location because I speak the language and would love to improve my understanding of the culture. Okay, maybe that’s what I’m going to tell my parents. I’m just going to have fun.

I found a flight to Warsaw, Poland for $800. I haven’t figured out all of the details yet, but that’s what I love. It’s going to feel great to go a few weeks without any structure and to experience what it’s like travelling around Europe.

I wrote a piece on how to travel the world many months back as I was getting into the idea of long term traveling.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

Today I wanted to share my thoughts on planning a trip and other travels I’ve done in the past.

Let’s jump into how to not suck at planning your next travel adventure:

Earn your freedom.

You need to earn your freedom. You can’t just assume that you deserve to travel. You need to pay off your debts and save money for your travels. You need to work hard for your eventual freedom.

Traveling for a long period of time shouldn’t be something you want to jump into just because you found a lifestyle design site and the blogger tells you it’s a good idea. You really need to challenge yourself mentally and physically so that you feel like you worked for your freedom.

More on this next…

Save up far in advance.

I think it’s completely irresponsible to travel when you owe a lot of money or if you haven’t saved anything for your trip. You want to enjoy your travels. You don’t want to come back knowing that you owe money on your student credit card for the trip. You don’t want to feel like crap because you’re paying off a trip that happened many months ago. Traveling shouldn’t be another frivolous credit card purchase.

Sell your crap for extra cash.

There’s just a liberating feeling about letting go of stuff, getting money for it, and putting it towards amazing experiences. As soon as I started traveling I realized that I wanted to experience much more in life, as opposed to spending my money on crap that will be thrown into a closet 2 weeks later. How many $50 shirts do you need? Wouldn’t you rather spend a month in Europe than pickup some newest version of a tablet computer?

Be open minded.

If you’re uptight about things you’ll never have a good time. You really need to be open minded about everything. There’s no point in leaving your home if you’re going to find the faults in every situation because if you want everything to be exactly the same as at home, then you should probably stay at home.

You never know when you might have to sleep in less than ideal circumstances. You never know when you’re going to have to eat pizza four times a day. If you’re not open minded you’ll hate these spontaneous times. If you do open your mind, you’ll laugh at all of your random experiences.

Find cheap accommodations.

We often hear people say, “I would love to travel, it’s just too expensive.” Of course, travel can be very expensive if you’re staying in 5-star hotels and sipping on the finest wines every night. If you plan in advance and find cheap accommodations you can find yourself traveling on the cheap.

Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive.  Once again, traveling doesn’t have to be another accessory that you put on your credit card and worry about paying off later. If you check out Couch Surfing and are willing to stay in hostels, you can find yourself traveling without breaking the bank. There’s no need to stay in fancy hotels every single night.

Go with the flow.

I never like to plan too much when I’m traveling or on vacation. I really like to go with the flow. It feels great to lose all standard procedures and routines once in a while. Real life becomes far too structured. Losing that structure is great. You feel like a kid all over again when you realize that you don’t formally have to be anywhere all day. This is why going with the flow is key to survival while traveling.

Talk with others.

There’s really no place in this world that others haven’t been to yet. If you don’t believe me, you can do a quick search on TripAdvisor. This is why I highly suggest that you talk with others before venturing off on a trip. You’ll find out what you need to bring, places to visit, and places to avoid. Talking with others is the best tool for planning a trip. You can check out the forums on Trip Advisor, ask your friends in real life, or even look for feedback on Facebook.

Don’t set limits.

You shouldn’t limit yourself and your travel plans. This is your chance to step out of your comfort zone. Enjoy it. Don’t limit yourself by some self-imposed limitations.

Photocopy your important documents.

It’s critical that you photocopy your passport, health card, and any other important documents so that you have an extra copy in case you lose anything. It’s going to be a major hassle if you ever lose your passport. You really need extra photocopies somewhere.

Get a close friend to watch over your expensive stuff.

If you have a car or home you really need to get a close buddy to watch it. It really helps if you leave a list of emergency numbers, your keys, and important documentation behind for someone that you trust. You don’t want to fly back early from a trip to have to deal with a minor issue at home.

Screw souvenirs.

I really wanted to bring up this point. I’m sick of souvenirs and people asking for them. I like to enjoy my trips. I try to avoid tourist traps. I hate feeling like I’m getting ripped off. This is why I’m not crazy about $30 “I love this city” shirts. I’d rather meet lots of cool people and take pictures that I can look back at with a smile on my face in a few years. I don’t want to take up valuable space with souvenirs. The only thing I want to carry around is my laptop while I work on my online business.

This is also why I wanted to share this quote at the end of the post.

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill.

Did I miss any tips on how not to suck at planning a trip? Do you have any rituals before planning a trip?

(photo credit: mr.imaax, ingy the wingy)

“You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You’ll never remember class time, but you’ll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don’t have. Drink ’til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does…” — Tom Petty

Now that college is done you’re likely confused as to what to do next. Figuring out what to do after college can be confusing. Some of us are always cofused. Some just don’t really care all that much. Either way, if you just finished college you’re likely contemplating what to do next. You want to be productive but you don’t want to spend all of your time working. What can you do if you want to completely crush it post-grad? I’m still trying to figure this out, but I’ve tried many of the things on this list.

Let’s jump into 11 ways you can crush it after college:

1. Recharge your batteries.

You might want to use the first little bit of time towards recharging your batteries. This doesn’t mean that you should squander a year by sleeping on the couch and watching MTV all day. However, this can be the ideal time to get back on a more normal sleep schedule.

2. Travel.

This is a rare chance to get some traveling done. You can take advantage of your free time and the fact that you don’t have to fill out a vacation request form to go visit a place you’ve always wanted to go to. If you have the money you can get some once in a life time style traveling done post-college. Are you ready to travel the world?

3. Work on a side business.

Is there a new business that you want to start? Before you get tied up with a job and are worried about losing your job, you can try to see if you have what it takes to be self-employed. You might discover that being your own boss is the best thing for you. On the other hand, it can be a lesson in the hardships on entrepreneurship.

4. Start a retirement account.

It’s never too early to begin preparing for retirement. If you start saving for your retirement in your early-20s you’ll be surprised by how much money you can save. With compound interest on your side, you can retire much earlier than your peers by starting early.

5. Pick up a new sport.

With your newly found spare time you can pick up a sport. This is a great way to remain active and to meet new people. I’ve made so many new friends just by joining an MMA gym.

6. Switch locations by moving out of town.

It might be time for a change of locations for you. Before you get started with your career and settle in with life, you can experiment with moving away and trying to find work in a different area. This change can lead to an amazing new life that you never knew existed.

7. Live like a college student.

Just because you’re done college it doesn’t mean that you can’t live like a college student any more. This will be the best way to save some money as you figure out what you plan on doing next. Plus, nothing beats eating pizza three times a day.

8. Volunteer your time.

Have you given back to your community? I’m currently looking into ways that I can help out more often by giving my time. Volunteer work is a great way to stay busy while doing something that benefits your community. Have you ever tried volunteering?

9. Work abroad.

When will you ever again be able to just take off and leave for a year? When will you ever be so free of responsibilities that you can take off for an extended period of time to live somewhere else? A friend of mine that worked abroad told me that he loved it because he got to save some money and experience a new culture for a full year. You can learn more about finding work abroad on this blog.

10. Tutor college students.

The best part here is that you can still stay in touch with your college roots. Tutoring college students is a perfect way to make some money, stay on top of key concepts, and help others that are going through a similar experience that you went through.

11. Start reading more outside-the-box content.

Just because you’re done college it doesn’t mean that you’re done with learning. College will give you the formal education that you can put on your resume when applying for jobs. Everything else you read can help you with changing the way you view money and work in general. I wrote on 5 books about money/entrepreneurship that changed my life. I think that every college graduate needs to read at least one of these books in the near future. There’s simply only so much that you can learn in the confines of a classroom.

Bonus tip.

Latisha wrote in a comment that I felt deserved to be a bonus tip here:

I would add “Join your school’s alumni association”. Staying active as an alumni and donating regularly to your school will not only allow your alma mater to remain competitive, but it will put you in a great position when you need a reference or a favor.

What’s a quick tip you would recommend for life after college?