'My 10-year-old paid for his own international trip. Here's how he managed to save $6.5k'

Inspired by a Year 5 school assignment about Egypt, my son Max told me - with no doubt in his voice - “I’m going to go there!”

To which I jokingly responded, “Ok, then you’d better start saving”. 

I have since learned to never underestimate this child again.

Max was so focused on his goal of a boy’s trip to Egypt with his stepdad Olaf that he managed to save $6,500 over 3.5 years, and this month the dream was finally realised.

The boys visited countless temples, pyramids, bazaars and museums. They rode camels, travelled on a luxury boat cruise down the Nile, took overnight sleeper trains, ate street food and at high-end restaurants – and the entire trip was funded by Max’s savings.

Max and Olaf on their trip. Image: Supplied.

My children take on a share of chores around the house each week: they need to set and clear the table for all meals, load/unload the dishwasher and do the dinner dishes, they walk the dogs and pick up any mess in the garden.

They need to regularly tidy their rooms and their shared bathroom and occasionally vacuum the living areas. In return they each earn pocket money based on their age; so the 10-year-old earns $10 per week, and the 13-year-old earns $13 per week.

The only condition on spending their pocket money is that it can’t be spent on sweets or impulse purchases.

My daughter likes to spend her pocket money on small things such as magazines or art supplies but will occasionally save for bigger purchases. For example, she has bought herself an electric guitar (approx. $300), and Converse sneakers ($130).

My son was so focused on the bigger goal of a trip to Egypt that he rarely spent any of his pocket money at all. Over three-and-a-half years, he saved $2,200 in pocket money alone.

Feeling like this wasn’t accumulating quickly enough, he would volunteer to do more paid jobs around the house, such as washing the car or mowing the lawns. 

Eventually he was able to get a part-time job delivering catalogues. This paid approx. $60 per week for 9 months, adding another $2,200 towards his goal.

Instead of birthday gifts and Christmas presents, he asked for cash which was another $600 towards his goal, and he inherited $1,000 from a grandparent who passed away.

At the beginning of his saving journey, we offered to match his first $500 achievement, and by November 2022 he had managed to save more than $6,500.

It seemed unlikely that this would be enough to cover flights, accommodation, food and outings for two people, but he worked with his stepdad to carefully plot out the trip.

Since our family had a Christmas holiday planned to Singapore, the boys realised that flights from there would be much more affordable, and the dream quickly became a reality.

Max and I have always been close, but his bond with Olaf is really special and makes me so proud. There was never any question that this was exactly who Max wanted to travel to Egypt with.

The family. Image: Supplied.

My marriage to the children’s father broke down in 2013 and I met Olaf a year later. For a few years the children had two homes, one with Olaf and me, and another with their birth father, who all but disappeared from their lives at the end of 2019.

Despite this, the children are confident, happy and thriving.

Olaf says that Max was very nervous in the first few days of the trip; overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and smells.

But he quickly gained confidence and would share his extensive knowledge of Egyptian facts, myths and legends with fellow travellers, and engage with locals.

Image: Supplied.

Now that he's 13, I’ve been wondering what Max might have his sights on next. He recently asked me, ‘how much do I need to save to buy an apartment?’

Help me. My 13-year-old is planning his move out of home and I’m not ready!

Becca Maxwell is a relational intelligence consultant, divorce coach, podcaster and mum of two lovely humans.

Feature Image: Supplied.