Rebekah Swatton, 26, from Powick, Worcestershire, saved £18,000 in just seven months to fund an open-ended trip to South America. She achieved this by selling her car, working up to 20 hours of overtime weekly, and clearing out her wardrobe on Vinted, while living with her parents to minimise expenses.
Life-Changing Loss Sparked Travel Urge
Swatton's outlook shifted after her boyfriend died suddenly from a cardiac arrest five years ago. She said: 'It really made me wake up and I felt that nothing is certain going forwards. I'd gone straight from college into career mode without thinking. I'd always said I wanted to travel and this really catalysed my first trip, as I want to live my life to the fullest.'
First Backpacking Adventure
In March 2023, she took a sabbatical from her job at Lloyds Banking Group to backpack for six months through Australia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Kenya, and Tanzania. Upon returning in September, she realised she didn't need many of her possessions. 'I had been away for so long that when I came back I realised I had been living without any of these extra material things happier than I was living with them,' she said.
Aggressive Saving Strategy
Determined to leave her job permanently and not return to the UK for years, Swatton saved aggressively. She worked her £30,000 banking job full-time plus 15–20 hours overtime weekly, sold her car for £2,500, and over 200 items on Vinted. 'This, plus working 60 hour weeks and living with my parents, meant I saved nearly £20,000,' she noted.
Plans for South America
Swatton booked a flight to Guatemala for the first week of May, with plans to travel through Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile over the next six months. 'I've planned out the first couple months of my trip with flights and loose accommodation,' she said.
