Planning a trip for 2019 but can’t afford it? Think again! I hail from a small town in midwest USA where traveling is virtually nonexistent. I hear all too often from others around me how expensive it is to go on vacations. They chalk it up to something they’ll maybe have the opportunity to do when they retire… in 25 years! The best thing that you could EVER spend your money on isn’t things like cars and clothes, it’s experiences! With these tips, you’ll be on your way to financing a vacation in 2020.
Here’s Financing a Vacation: How to Finally Take that Trip in 2020:
Book in Advance
While there are the circumstances of last-minute deals, I’ve had my fair share of trips where I paid too much because I booked too late. I usually start planning my trips out anywhere from 4-6 months in advance. This allows me to scan all the deals and sales before making a decision about where I’m going.
Once I’ve narrowed my trip down to where I’ll be going and when, the first thing I do is check Skyscanner for deals. I then make a note about pricing and input my travel details into the Hopper app. Hopper scans all available online rates and makes a projection as to whether or not those prices will go up. While it’s not 100% accurate, I do try and follow it religiously after I learned the hard way one time.
While booking my trip to Scandinavia, the Hopper app told me that my flights would be going up in 3 days. I booked in an instant. Sure enough, the prices went from $300 to $850. Thank you Hopper!
Make the most of the comparison websites, like Kayak or Booking.com. Keep an eye out for voucher codes and cash back sites that could be advantageous to you financing a vacation!
Another great hack for finding great deals is the jet card programs from Jettly. This company allows its customers to arrange on-demand flights at over 8,000 airports worldwide.
Play With Flights
I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve seen people complain about how expensive their flights were. Some travelers book the cheapest roundtrip deals without considering the departure, dates and destination first.
I touched on this subject most recently in my ‘How I Booked My Trip to Thailand‘ post, when I discuss how I usually book one-way flights to help in financing a vacation. For example, when I was originally researching flights from San Francisco to Bangkok, the roundtrip ticket was about $1300. I ended up booking a one-way flight from San Francisco to Bangkok for my departure and a one-way back home from Bangkok to San Fran.
Total cost? $440. I saved $860!
Buy Airline Miles
This is actually something that most people don’t know that you can do and it can often be beneficial to that budget. Before booking a flight, look into airline miles for sale rather than paying for the vacation directly.
I have a rewards account with United Airlines that I utilize a lot. To offset the price of international airfare or to make up for the remaining miles left, I’ve purchased their airline mile multiple times. When I used to go back and forth from Germany to the States every 3 months, airline miles absolutely saved me money and I especially used them when they were about to expire!
Make Multiple Trips Out of One
One of the biggest suggestions I make to people is to create multiple trips out of one to help your financing a vacation. The most popular place you can do something like this is in Europe. There was a couple I knew who would take a trip once a year across the pond. The first time they went to Rome, the second was to Paris, the third to Amsterdam. I talked with them about how much it cost them in airfare. Adding up how much transport would have been had they visited all three in one trip, they could’ve saved upwards of $9,000!
Read More: 7 Tips for Traveling Europe on a Budget
Travel During Off-Season
So you want to save money on a vacation but the only time you can travel is over Christmas and one week in March for spring break? Maybe you should try and find other dates that could work. A big reason people are unable to save money for their next vacation is because they’re traveling during popular tourist times. Europe in the summer is an absolute nightmare with prices for flights and accommodations seeing a 40% increase. During the spring break months in the States, even gas prices will soar upwards of 25%.
I understand not everyone is able to switch up their vacation dates but try your best to work in different options so you’re able to take that trip!
Prepare for Exchange Rates
It’s no secret that exchange rates for the dollar varies every single day so how do we find the rate most beneficial to us?
One of the best tips I could give is to exchange currency before your trip by purchasing it off the internet. The internet’s currency exchange offers the best rates, compared to the high fees street retailers and airport kiosks charge. Multiple companies offer these services, some charging no fees for the exchange and even offering to ship it to your front door, allowing you to acquire the foreign currency at your own convenience.
By purchasing your currency online, you’re able to check exchange rates daily and research projections as to whether or not the dollar will be strong. Before making an exchange rate purchase, consider all of the charges together to find the best deal, including minimum charges, flat fees, and handling fees.
→ What does this mean? A minimum charge makes exchanging small amounts of money very expensive. A flat fee means you get charged the same rate no matter the amount you’re exchanging. A handling fee relates to how much the company is charging you for their service of exchanging the money.
Along with deciding which company you’ll purchase the currency from, you also need to make a decision about which form of currency you’ll acquire your travel money in. Pre-paid methods of cash are always recommended like a traveler’s check and cash passports because you’ll only incur that exchange rate when you order those currencies, not when you pay for an item or withdraw money, allowing you to capitalize on a good exchange rate.
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