financial hangovers exist: how to prevent one

One of the biggest sources of financial anxiety for me (in my early 20s at least) were holidays and travelling.

Yet here I am, having wrapped up an incredible week in Brazil and while scrolling through my expenses this morning, I realised something that might sound counterintuitive: the boring budgeting work I did before this trip is exactly what's letting me fully enjoy it now.

So how am I staying present and enjoying every moment while most people come home to a financial hangover worse than any you'd get from caipirinhas? (Which, by the way, are unreal.)

Let's break down why the supposedly boring approach to vacation budgeting is actually your ticket to freedom, not restriction. I'll walk you through it – science, personal fails, and all.