Most couples are surprised by how quickly each year passes, especially once you have children. It’s a whirlwind event, and you might feel as though you’ve missed the small details and didn’t get any time with your spouse. A vacation is a great way to decompress and connect as a family each year and create lot of wonderful memories to look back on. However, it can also be a significant expense to consider. Here’s how to budget for vacations without breaking the bank.
Make a Budget
The easiest way to budget for vacations is to make cuts to other areas of your budget. Decide what matters more: daily Starbucks or a family trip? Try setting up an account just for saving for your trip. You can plan automatic deposits each month so you don’t even have to think about it!
If the trip you are planning for is your honeymoon, consider having a small, simple wedding followed by a luxurious honeymoon getaway. Buy an affordable, yet amazing wedding dresses online, skip the elaborate decor, have a cocktail reception, and take off on an adventure! I once heard someone say the most important part of the wedding is the marriage, nothing else so start making memories right away!
Register for a Trip
Gift wish lists and registries are becoming more popular as time goes on. Registering for a trip works especially well if that trip is a honeymoon! It’s becoming more popular to register for a honeymoon and guests can contribute towards it as a gift. This way, you can get your dream vacation at Casa de Campo and relax with your husband surrounded by white sand beaches and glistening waters. Traditionally, a couple didn’t live together before getting married– that’s why registries exist. The intention was to buy the newlyweds things that they needed in their new home together. Now, most couples do live together beforehand and don’t need someone to buy them a toaster or wine glasses or new bed linens. Rather than asking for money, which can feel forward and borderline untactful, a honeymoon registry allows guests to contribute to a trip fund.
Book a Deal, Not a Location
If the act of getting away from it all matters more than the destination, plan by deal rather than location. So often we get stuck on a specific place, but try to think of it more in terms of what type of trip you want instead. For example, if you know you want to go somewhere tropical but have no specific preference,keep an eye out for a travel deal south.
Alternatively, make a list of dream destinations and see what options there are for getting there. You may never have flight deals to your dream destination of Norway, but if you can catch a discounted flight to Europe, it’s easy to find cheap travel options within the continent once you are there.
Travel in the Off-Season
Rather than going to a destination when everyone else does, plan on going in the off-season. During the off-season, tourism-related businesses often offer deals to get people through the door. Everything from flights to accommodations to attractions will be more affordable when the usual tourists head home.
One caveat to this approach is knowing what the off-season entails for a specific destination. You don’t want your honeymoon trip south to be in the midst of hurricane season. Likewise, you don’t want to roam the streets of Spain when everything is closed for the summer heat. Even just a week or two difference can save you big bucks! When I was in grad school I had a month off around the holidays so my hubby and I would travel mid January and it was so much cheaper than if we had gone right around Christmas or New Years. When my husband was working in Ireland years ago, traveling in November and March to see him was super inexpensive, too!
Plan Well in Advance
There are multiple benefits to planning your trip well in advance. First of all, you’re more likely to get the accommodations you want in popular areas or at the price that fits your budget. The other important consideration is that you’ll be able to pay for a little bit at a time. Take advantage of “pay now” deals that allow you to prepay for your hotel rooms and transport. That way, you aren’t left with a huge expense when it’s time to travel.
Planning also includes thinking about how you would get around your holiday destination. Would you travel by train or by bus? If you decide to rent a car and drive, apply for an international driver’s license online beforehand. Having an international driver’s permit is a small price to pay for peace of mind while you’re on the road. Without it, you might be stopped by the police and asked to produce a valid driver’s license.
If you can work around the fixed mindset of specific locations, expensive accommodations, and certain times of year, the experience of traveling with someone you love is well worth the extra work! I hope these tips help you budget for vacations this summer!
