HOW TO SAVE MONEY FOR TRAVEL

Thinking of taking a solo vacation? Or you want to go on a trip with boo or perhaps travel with family..

But you are worried you can’t afford it? Yeah? that’s okay, I cannot afford it either. But because there's no such thing as impossible plus you really deserve to go on that vacay, I’m spilling all the tips and tricks on how to save money for travel.

Either as a solo traveler, boo’ed up or with family, I can assure you that with a little bit of discipline, and patience, you can go on your next vacation without having to sell a kidney. The first thing to note is every good thing is executed better with a good plan, and planning takes time, you must give yourself ample time. Eg: If you plan to travel at the year end, the earlier you start planning and preparing, the better.

The earlier you start saving also, the better: Here is a summary of how you can start saving for your next trip

Read on for an in-depth step by step hold your hand guide on how to save money for travel.

• Open a savings account for that specific purpose: It could be an actual bank account or you can use any third party savings method you are comfortable with. Make sure it’s an actual savings and if possible, set it up for a fixed withdrawal date, that way you won’t be tempted to use the money before hand.

• Research your travel destination: Because you need every information to be able to save, find out all you can about where you plan to visit, all the things you plan to do, places you want to visit or tour, the best dates, the available flights, the flight routes and all other important details. Find out the estimated cost of everything, set a budget and don't forget to include a contingency fund.

• Set a monthly target: Based on your lifestyle and income, set a reasonable monthly target of how much you wish to have saved in your savings account.

• Get a credit card with cash back or travel reward: Find our what kind of travel rewards (if any)your bank or third party agencies are offering and take advantage of that.

• Find out about legitimate deals and offers: Be on the look out for legitimate coupons and discounts on tours, hotels, cheap flights and other deals.

• Book flights, hotels, tours months ahead: This one is a no brainer! It’s pretty simple, the earlier you book, the most likely for it to be cheaper. EG: If you plan to visit Dubia, you are most likely to get cheap flights to Dubia if you book ahead of time. Same rule applies to the hotels and the tours etc..

Now that all the planning part is settled and you have an actual plan, it's time to find the money. Of course you can get money from friends and family but here are also a few ways that can actually help you to save and raise your travel funds..

• Forget about eating out: Well, not completely because we cannot come and go and kill ourself but you would need to seriously cut back on how often you eat out or buy food. Making your own food and eating is so much cheaper and frankly sometimes even healthier. And if you are still not convinced, think about all the eating out you would be doing during your vacay..

• Shop when stores/items are on sale: We all prefer shopping when items are on sale anyways so... Duh??

• Give up on coffee: Or iced tea or milkshake or whatever it is you are into. What? Lol. Just kidding, you can’t give up coffee. You would just need to make yours. And save all the VAT and TAXes you would have had to pay at cafes. You would be surprised at how much little indulgences like this could amount to, cutting out buying stuffs would boost your savings significantly.

• Cut out expensive habits/addiction: You can kill two birds with one stone here. Breaking the addiction chain and channeling all that money into your travel funds, brilliant right?

• Sell your junks: Those old shoes. Or the never before worn and never will be worn dress? From clothes to accessories to stationaries and books and equipment. All the loads of stuffs that you never ever use again just lying around? Sell them. You know how one mans food is another mans poison (or vice versa) yep, I bet there are people willing to buy your stuffs either online or offline. Hint: (Yard sale)

• Use your car less: Because think of all the money you use to fuel and service and fix. Also give your car a much deserved rest. Take community transport when visiting or running errands. Utilize the staff (or commercial) bus when going to work or catch a ride with a friend or family member more often.

Armed with these useful tips, your next vacation is just a saving away, so get your pen and paper and get planning.

Do you prefer solo travel or traveling with family? What are your tips and tricks that have helped you with traveling? Share with me!