At the end of the year, when you’ve spent nearly 365 days working hard and tending to the more important things in life, everyone likes a vacation. It’s one of the best feelings in the world when you simply throw belongings in a bag, book a few tickets, and fly off to a magical land, off on a retreat to help you relax and unwind.
It’s supposed to be rainbows and unicorns and everything in-between. In reality, though, you can end up spending more money than you intended, and then you’ll start regretting the trip.
In a survey that was reported by Forbes, 74% of the people said they had ended up in debt because they went on a vacation. Ouch. It doesn’t have to be that way.
What if we told you that you could go on a vacation and not end up spending an exorbitant amount of money?
Budgeting
Before going on a vacation, you must plan for it. Work out where you’d like to go, how long you’d like to stay there, and what are the activities you’d like to take up on the trip. Also find out about the airfare rates, the hotel costs, food and commute. Basically, work out all the costs before you can work out a budget. Once you have an itinerary planned out, set out on making a budget. You’ll be well-prepared for the expenses to come, and will also be mentally at peace for the duration of the trip.
The Financial Forgettable(s)
When you’re doing your budget, make sure you’re not missing out on the things most people forget: the minor purchases and expenditures that add up and can have an adverse compound effect on you, such as a small bag of chips or medical expenses in the event of an accident.
Whether on the trip itself or during the process of saving for it, you can easily forget that these little expenses that you make every day can coalesce into a big amount. In order to avoid this, you should:
(a) Set out a separate amount of money for the purpose, and
(b) Cut down on these expenses.
Make your own coffee. Carry your own water in a bottle. So on and so forth. It’ll make all the difference.
Shop Smartly
For most people, the prospect of a vacation comes coupled with a mandatory trip to the mall or to stores. You end up spending a great deal of money, and a great deal of fuel on the commute. There’s a way to cut down on both these costs.
The first thing to do is to find an online store that has an extensive collection of everything that you might need. The second thing to do is to sit at home, check out these stores, and buy on discounted rates or in packages that are beneficial for you.
And if it’s not summer sale month, no worries: Raging Coupon can help you get great discounts, coupons, and promo codes which you can use to buy clothing, luggage, and so much more!