The Ultimate Guide to Crafting a “Travel Fund”: How We Save for Adventures on a 9-to-5 Salary

The 9-to-5 Struggle and the Wish to Break Free

Hey, does this story ring a bell? It’s 3 PM on a Tuesday, just hanging out. You’re looking at a spreadsheet, but your thoughts are wandering off to the bright streets of Tokyo or the chill beaches of Thailand. Your heart’s all about adventure, but here you are with a 9-to-5 gig, a handful of vacation days, and a budget that’s pretty tight.

Totally understand. For many years, I believed that exceptional travel experiences were exclusively reserved for lottery winners or individuals who travel constantly. I found this wonderful game-changer: The Travel Fund.

This is more than just a savings account. It’s a real, cool tool—a commitment you make to your future, more adventurous self. It’s the first, super important step in making “someday” happen this year. Are you all set to create yours? Let’s jump right in.

About me

Hi, this is Chloe, a Hong Kong traveller on a mission to help you

Travel Smarter, Arrive Better on a real schedule.

Key Info Box

The Goal: Build a dedicated travel fund on a regular salary.
Step 1: The Bank. Open a High-Yield Savings Account (HYSA) to make your money grow while you save.
Step 2: The Tracker. Use an expense tracking app like MoneyNote to find where your money is really going.
Step 3: The Blueprint. Apply the 50/30/20 rule to systematically fund your adventures.
Step 4: The Hacks. Make small, smart lifestyle changes that add up to big travel savings.

Give Your Travel Dreams a Home: The Magic of a Dedicated High-Yield Savings Account (HYSA)

First of all, you need a separate place for your vacation money, apart from your regular bank account. Why? Because if you can’t see it, you won’t think about it. It’s too simple to “borrow” from your Bali fund for a new pair of shoes when your trip funds and bill money are in the same account. A separate account makes saving money more real by turning it from a vague idea into a clear goal that you can see increase. One of the best things you can do to stay motivated is to see that balance go up.

But not every savings account is good enough. You should open a High-Yield Savings Account (HYSA). An HYSA offers you a lot more interest than a regular savings account. It’s like the difference between spending your money sleeping and spending it doing a side job for you while you sleep, making you extra money for your trips.

There are so many choices that we’ve picked out a few of our favorites that would be ideal for a trip fund.

Bank Name	Interest Rate (p.a. as of Oct 2025)	Key Conditions / Features
ZA Bank	Up to 5.0%	Reach higher rates by completing “missions” in the “Savings Pot” feature. Also offers a “Salary+” program with rates up to 8.8% for payroll accounts.
Mox Bank	Up to 3.0%	Offers a competitive base savings rate with no strings attached. Higher promotional rates available through features like “FlexiBoost” or by investing.
HSBC One	Up to 6.4%	Requires completing challenges like purchasing investment or insurance products to unlock the highest rates.
Hang Seng Bank	Up to 5.0%	Tiered promotional rate available to new customers who switch to the PayDay+ payroll service.
Citibank	Up to 1.92%	The Citi Plus “Interest Booster” account allows you to increase your base rate by completing missions like funding your account, spending, and investing
China CITIC Bank Int'l	Up to 4.68%	Time-limited promotional “MONOPOLY Deposit” offer with a step-up bonus rate on eligible new funds

The Wanderlustwitch Budget Blueprint: Supercharging Your Savings with the 50/30/20 Rule

It’s time to put your money to work now that you know where it’s going. The 50/30/20 rule is a basic but strong structure that we apply. You put your after-tax income into three buckets, like this:

50% for Needs: These are the bills you have to pay that are most important. Think about your rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, transportation, and the least amount of debt you can pay.
30% for Wants: This is the money you can spend on things you want. It pays for things like going out to eat, hobbies, shopping, and having fun.
20% for Savings and Financial Goals: This is for constructing your future, such saving for retirement, making an emergency fund, and paying off more than the minimum on your debts.

But here’s something special for those people who travel for work. The usual counsel can be hard to understand. Is a trip a “want” or a “savings goal”? It’s both for us. We came up with a dual-fund travel strategy that works nicely with our way of life after realizing this.

Use your “wants” bucket for 30% of your money for spontaneous trips: We all need short breaks from our regular lives to refuel. We set aside some of our “Wants” money for last-minute trips, weekend getaways, and city breaks. This meets our urge for adventure right now without getting in the way of our greater financial goals.
Use Your 20% “Savings” Bucket for Amazing Trips: This is where the magic happens. Like saving for retirement, your large holidays, like the two-week tour of Italy and the safari in Tanzania, are seen as significant financial goals. Every month, a set amount of this 20% goes straight into our HYSA, no questions asked.
This two-pronged approach provides you the best of both worlds: the freedom to have fun when you want and the discipline to save for those once-in-a-lifetime adventures.

This dual approach gives you the best of both worlds: the flexibility for spontaneous fun and the discipline to save for those once-in-a-lifetime trips.

Small Sacrifices, Epic Rewards: Our Top 10 Lifestyle Hacks for a Fatter Travel Fund

You may save money faster once your system is in place by making a few sensible changes to your daily routine. These little things we’ve changed have made the largest difference.

Make a Realistic Vacation Budget: Before I start saving for a trip, I always make a realistic budget. This is a huge help since it gives me a clear aim and keeps me from having to pay for unexpected things. I make sure to plan out every little thing, from the important things like flights and accommodations to the enjoyable things like tours and meals. This helps me stick to my plan.
The Break-Up of the Barista: Every morning, I would get a latte. I save more than HKD 9000 a year by producing tasty coffee at home. That’s almost enough money for a round-trip travel to Europe!
The Subscription Audit: I wrote down all of our monthly subscriptions and saw that we were paying for three streaming services, like Netflix, that we didn’t use very often. Canceling two gave me HKD200 a month, or HKD2400 a year, which is plenty for a stay in a lovely hotel.
Master the Meal Prep: I spend a few hours on Sunday getting meals ready for the week instead of buying pricey lunches at work. It is healthier and costs a lot less.
Automate Everything: As soon as my paychecks come in, automatic transfers send money to my travel fund. I “pay our travel fund first” so that we don’t want to use it.
Become a points Rockstar: I use a credit card that gives me travel points to pay for my “needs” (such as food and gas) and pay off the debt in full every month to avoid interest. A lot of the time, the points I earn are enough for a whole flight.
Sell Your Stuff: I recently sold a lot of old clothes and things that were still in good shape on Carousell and made an extra HKD 2000 for my travel money. One person’s junk is another person’s money for travel!
Embrace Free Fun: I go hiking on local trails, have picnics in the park, and go to museums that don’t cost anything instead of going out to eat. It gives me the thrill of adventure without the expenditure.
The “No-Spend” Challenge: Every month, I have a “no-spend weekend” where I don’t buy anything new. It’s a pleasant challenge that changes how I spend money.
Picture Your Goal: A photo of our next fantasy vacation spot is usually on the wallpaper of my phone and laptop. It’s a simple yet strong reminder of what we’re working so hard for every day.

From Mystery Spending to Money Master: Tracking Your Expenses with MoneyNote

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Before you can find extra money to save, you have to know where your money is currently going. This isn’t about creating a restrictive budget that sucks all the fun out of life; it’s about gaining awareness and empowerment.

For this, we recommend the app MoneyNote. We love it because it’s incredibly simple and manual. You don’t have to link your bank accounts, which can feel intimidating. It’s free, requires no registration, and lets you create your own spending categories.

A “Wanderlustwitch” Mini-Tutorial

Download and Customize: Open the app and create categories that reflect your life and your travel goals. We have the usuals like “Groceries” and “Rent,”
The 2-Week Challenge: For the next 14 days, log everything. That $5 coffee, the impulse Amazon purchase, the Uber ride.
Analyze the Report: At the end of two weeks, open MoneyNote’s report feature. It will show you a simple pie chart of your spending. This is your “Aha!” moment. You’ll instantly see the “spending leaks”—those small, recurring costs that are secretly draining your travel potential.

A Quick Note: All of the tips and strategies shared on Wanderlustwitch are based on our personal experiences. I am blogger, not financial advisor. Please be sure to do your own research and consult with a professional for personalized financial advice.