Saving Tips for That Vacation in Paradise

Travelling to a beach paradise is a lot of fun and it is a dream for most. We could all use sometime away, visit a a deserted beach, learn to scuba dive, speak a different language or enjoy a cocktail from the patio of a beach bar at sunset. For some, merely dreaming is enough but if you want to make it happen, you’ll have to prepare.

Whatever idea you have for your holiday vacation, it will be a time when you are not working and travel after all costs money. If is a good practice to save some money ahead of time, so you can go on your travel feeling good and avoid worrying about finances. Here are a few holiday vacation savings tips.

Open a travel bank account

After making a budget, decide on an amount of money and have that transferred directly to a separate account. When the money is no longer in your current day to day account, you will much more likely to avoid spending and you will automatically start spending less.

Make two budgets

For the first one, keep track of what you are spending money on and make a list of where you can cut down cost. For example, spending $2.00 on coffee daily might not sound like a lot but it will add up, especially if you drink more than one cup a day. Always look at how much something costs over a month, that will help you put things in perspective.

For the second budget, research the travel and living cost of the places you plan to visit. You can find everything on the internet down to the narrowest details on entrance fees to buildings and museums. Do not underestimate those costs. Always try and overstate costs, it’s a good practice which may leave you with a few extra bucks at the end instead of possibly being short.

Additional income

Look for ways that you can get more money to finance your travels. Signing up for surveys and such might earn you some cash. You can try to pick up a coffee shop job or a seasonal retail job for an additional income. On the plus side, you will have less time to spend money. Why not start your own online business in your spare time?

Sell some items from your garage

You will be surprised as to how many things you have in your garage, closet or kitchen that you could do without. Create an eBay account or sell it to friends and relatives to make some additional money. If not there are many websites near you where you can list your old items for sale second hand.

Eat in

Host parties and invite your friends for picnics or potluck dinners instead of going out to restaurants, which will end up costing you a lot of money for things that you can make yourself for a fraction of the price. If you enjoy the social aspect of eating out, invite some friends over and before long you may end up being invited other places as well.