There are many places in this world that people have always dreamt about going to. Quite frankly, many of those places are very reachable. However, there are few countries that set themselves apart in most of our minds. The Maldives is definitely one country that fits this bill. For most of us, the Maldives only seems attainable in one of two ways:

1. Winning the lottery OR 2. Rinsing your bank account and selling absolutely everything that you have

Ugh! I know! Both options don’t really seem like options at all. Especially when you’re inundated with Instagram pictures that display Maldivian rustic villas, surrounded by the most turquoise waters in the middle of nowhere. It’s easy to understand why our minds drift off into a realm of fantastical hope instead of a space of possibility. Now, there’s nothing wrong with living in a fantasy but my goal is to help you construct a bridge between the two.

When we live too long in the fantasy world, one word grows more prominently in our minds; “can’t”. This word literally blocks our creative imagination from figuring out ways of having our thoughts materialize. The bridge that I want you to construct from fantasy into the space of possibility will lead you to new word. Albeit, you may need to nurture and care for it in order to see it grow. However, when it does grow, it can seriously change your life! I’m referring to the word “how”.

The word “how” is the greatest single word that is tied to all inventions known to man. No problem has ever been solved by someone who repeated said to themselves that they can’t do something. All problems have been solved by first thinking about how to do it. “How” gets your brain thinking creatively; “can’t” shuts down the creativity. In essence, traveling is really no different than inventing solutions to worldly problems.

Okay, I hear some of you saying to yourself, “This is all nice Brian but how can I actually visit the Maldives myself?” So, I’m going to give you some strategies that you may be able to implement one day to make your Maldivian dreams come true. This is the bridge that I’m talking about. With these strategies, you can build the bridge into the space of possibility to make this fantasy come true!

1. Flight Deals In Addition To

The beauty of visiting the Maldives is that it is in the continent of Asia. If you know anything about traveling within Asia, then you’ll know that Asia is full of budget airlines and flight deals! Consider tagging the Maldives as apart of your Asia tour. There are very cheap round trip flights to the capital Malé, Maldives from Singapore every day. This is a great thing because there are often many flight deals to Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong from North America. If you can’t scoop up a flight deal, then resort to using travel points to fly to somewhere in Asia in order to buy a separate flight to Singapore. Using airlines like Air Asia, Jetstar and Tiger Air, you can easily (and cheaply) hop over to Singapore in order to get to the Maldives.

The next time that you’re in Dubai, try using that as an opportunity to hit the Maldives. You can get direct flights to Maléfrom there. Lastly, if you’ve decided to visit India, you can fly over to Colombo, Sri Lanka and buy a cheap round trip ticket to Malé from there as well.

2. Mixing Up The Accommodations

I know we all want to stay in an over water villa for a solid 7 days. But the reality is that most of us simply can’t afford that. Some of you reading this now will say then “You shouldn’t be taking a trip to the Maldives if you can’t fully afford it!” But I say, why should we wait to visit the Maldives if we have an opportunity to go now? Consider staying a beach bungalow for a few nights in combination with your overwater villa. You can significantly save by doing this.

3. All-Inclusive Options

If high over water villa prices aren’t enough, enjoying food may be financially painful to do as well! Most people don’t think about how much it actually costs to eat, do activities and go to the spa in the Maldives. These said items are notoriously expensive in the Maldives. So to save on food costs, try booking an all-inclusive resort. Most people don’t even know that this option exists out in the Maldives but it does. Usually this option is available for the lower to mid-range resorts.

4. A Budget Range For All

As expensive as the Maldives can be, I am pleased to say that it also can be very affordable. Staying in an over water villa isn’t everyone’s dream. You can very easily stay in a room that goes for $200 a night if doing super-luxury villas ($1000+) isn’t your thing. The Maldives is absolutely full of resort options to the point it may even make your head spin!

5. Speedboat Over Seaplane

Choose a resort that is close enough to Maléthat you can take speedboat as opposed to flying by a seaplane (or having to take a domestic flight). The average cost of a speedboat is roughly $200 while a seaplane is around $500. This is a hefty price to pay in addition to paying for an international flight to get to Malé, Maldives.

6. A Free Extra Day

No matter what the length of your stay is in the Maldives, you can technically gain a free day. All you need to do is choose the last possible international flight that leaves Malé. This way, once you check out of your resort (around 11am-12pm), you can still stay on the resort to enjoy all that it has to offer. Sure, you won’t have a room to rest in but you still have the Indian Ocean, beach, pool, spa, restaurant etc. The resort will hold your belongings until it’s time to transport you back to Malé.

Hopefully by now, you’ve finished constructing your mental bridge and have started to see “how” visiting the Maldives can actually be possible. I’m a big advocate for doing things now instead of waiting for the right time later. If the chance to go to the Maldives presents itself now then do it! Your dream awaits you!