How To Really Save Money On Vacations

By John

Before the military embarks on an operation, it makes a plan. And before it can make a plan, it carries out an assessment of all the factors relating to the operation. The aim is to ensure that the objective is successfully met with the optimal use of available resources. In a civilized way this process can be carried out when planning for a vacation. In that wasting something is the opposite of saving it, good vacation planning will actually help you to save money.

What is your budget?

This is a fundamental question these days. Until you know how much you can afford to spend on your vacation, you can’t make a sensible plan. Having set a budget, you must stick to it.

Click here to check our selection of travel credit cards. Earn miles, travel rewards, and other bonuses.

Strange question, but why are you thinking of going on vacation?

Unless you are going it alone, everybody’s view must be taken into account. Let’s say that Dad wants to go hiking and he likes some local culture; Mom hates walking and swimming but likes shopping and eating out; teenager Susie just wants sun, sea and sand, while little Jimmy likes theme parks. Somehow all these aspirations have to be accommodated, which will probably mean some compromise.

Once you have decided on the aims of your vacation, where should you go? Can the goals be met without going abroad? Or is going abroad one of the ideas?

Click here to review travel deals. From airfares to hotels and car rentals, you can compare and review multiple offers.

Slicing the pie

When you know broadly what you want to do, and where, you should apportion the budget according to your priorities. For instance, a budget airline may not be convenient but would free up money for shopping, and a top-notch hotel might be desirable but could leave you with little to spend on anything else. A real balancing act.

Don’t fork out more than you need to – look for best deals

From here on it’s all research. Here’s what to look for:

Transportation

• Coach versus air. If opting for a vacation Stateside, or even a ‘nearcation’, consider travelling by coach or bus. Coach travel is fast, convenient and cheap as compared to flying. If not, map out a train path and see if it leads to your destination. The savings may not sound like a lot of you add up the savings for each family member, you could really be on a roll.
• Compare travel fares. If you are flying, Internet sites will throw up good deals, but cheaper tickets can sometimes be had by comparing travel packages online. Night flights are often cheaper, especially in Europe. You shouldn’t necessarily limit your research to flights from your nearest airport, though. Sometimes, a few extra miles to the airport could translate into substantial savings. Beware budget airlines’ policies on baggage.
• Package deals may not be to everyone’s liking, but they are generally cheaper than buying each component of your vacation individually. The fixed price means that you don’t run the risk of having to negotiate rates on the ground, which can be a challenge in some countries for a foreigner.

Accommodation

• As with air tickets, internet sites for hotel bookings will often produce good deals but a direct inquiry to the hotel might result in a better one. Hotel rates never seem to stand still and as a rule of thumb, the earlier you book the better. Keep trying!
• When choosing a hotel, it’s worth looking at local taxi rates at the same time. A medium quality hotel in the prime area of the city may be far more expensive than a better one on the outskirts of town that requires only a modest outlay on taxis to get you back and forth to the action.
• Many hotels associated with local attractions, especially theme parks, offer really good deals incorporating admission to the attraction. A typical deal may represent as much as fifty percent off the hotel rate as well as off the theme park entrance fee.
• When at your destination, check the local newspapers. They often contain special offers and coupons for local attractions.

And off you go….

If you have done your planning properly, you should now be able enjoy your vacation knowing that it is the vacation you all want and that it is all budgeted for. And if you agree that not wasting money is the same thing as saving it, then you are indeed saving it.