1Vacation Planning: Determine Your Destination

By narrowing down your destination choices you will be able to place your focus on planning your trip on that part of the world. Whether you are planning a trip with the family to Disney or planning a long-awaited romantic trip to Paris – knowing where your next vacation destination is to be is half of the battle!

No matter where you would like to travel to there are bound to be budget-friendly options for traveling to your destination and for getting around while there. Do extensive online research about the areas that you plan on visiting; seek out tips and information from others who have visited your planned destination while on a budget. Many travelers are only able to afford their trips around the world because they take the time to carefully plan and budget for their trips; seek out assistance from other budget-conscious travelers so that you can be as well-informed a traveler as is possible!

2Vacation Planning with a Budget in Mind

Once you have determined your destination, or destinations, you can set about the process of working on your travel budget. Try to make a list of every potential expenses that you could run into while you are on vacation; it can be a terrible sinking feeling to realize that you are out of money or have run into an unexpected expense while you are far from home without a method of resolving the situation!

• Airfare

  Airfare to your destination could be the most expensive part of vacation planning; however, with careful planning and a lot of research you can find the most affordable airfare possible. If you have accumulated many airline miles from travel for work then you may be able to use them towards your airfare to lower the costs. Remember that airfare booked several months in advance is oftentimes much lower than airfare booked a few weeks in advance. Consider, also, looking into taking your vacation during the off-season in an effort to get the lowest possible airfare!



• Hotels

  To enjoy your time in your vacation destination you do not need to spend money on an expensive hotel when you will only be spending a few hours a night to sleep there. Look into budget hotels or even hostels that may offer you a clean and safe place to sleep at night while saving a fair amount of money!

3Vacation Planning: Trimming Your Household Budget

When you sit back and carefully evaluate your spending habits you may just see several areas that could be improved upon in order to maximize your vacation savings. Keeping track of your expenditures and savings in a vacation budget spreadsheet like this one is a good way to make you aware of what you are spending and what you will need to save in order to afford a vacation.

Following are some other ways to help you with your vacation planning:

• Coffee House Expenses

  While everyone loves popping into their nearest coffee house for a large mocha and a muffin for a morning breakfast treat, that $6 can quickly add up to over $1000 a year! Every time you are tempted to pop into your coffee house for that delicious mocha or caramel macchiato, visualize putting that $1000 towards your dream vacation! To help you put the money to good use consider transferring $6 out of your checking account and into your savings account each day and watch how the balance quickly adds up!



• Meal Expenses

  Going out for lunch during the work day can be a great way to escape from the tedium of the office; however, even if you hit the value menus at the nearest drive-through, you can still potentially spend over $600 a year – just on lunch! Consider packing a lunch - make a sandwich or take leftovers - $600 can be an incredible boost to your travel savings account! The same holds true for dinner - cooking dinner at home versus going out for dinner can see a potential savings of as much as $2000 a year! For any family on a budget, $2000 saved is a phenomenal savings! For someone planning a dream vacation – that $2000 can mean the difference between taking your vacation and not taking your vacation.



• Entertainment Expenses

  Going out to see a movie or catching a sporting event can be a great form of entertainment; however, with the added expenses of hiring a babysitter, paying for parking, popcorn, hotdogs and soft drinks, you can easily see a night of entertainment running into the $100 range. Even if you do this just once a month, that is still a potential expense of $1200 a year! Consider, instead, renting a DVD using Red Box and watching it at home where you can prepare a meal and snacks for a much more budget-friendly cost than what you would spend going out for the evening!



• Other Household Expenses

  Use coupons where possible in order to further trim your budget; avoid spending money on frivolous expenses like expensive hair treatments at fancy salons, massages, manicures and pedicures. If you are determined and dedicated to saving for your vacation then you will not miss these types of expenses!

Let your friends and family members in on the fact that you are budgeting for your dream vacation; not only will they be able to offer you support and understanding when you decline going out for dinner and drinks with them, but you may find that they are willing to help you with your vacation planning efforts by suggesting additional money-savings ideas or by inviting you over for a backyard BBQ in lieu of going out for BBQ on a Saturday night.

By being well aware of which expenses can be readily cut out of your budget you will be able to better prepare yourself for a more frugal lifestyle as you work towards saving as much money as is possible for your dream vacation. With careful planning and extremely careful budgeting you will be able to successfully plan for a vacation on a budget!