Have you ever stopped and asked yourself “Why am I not traveling?”. What is stopping you from taking a vacation? Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things that go on in life that may be getting in the way, maybe thats work, school, you have kids in school, etc. But so much that you can’t go on at least one trip a year? If work or school is the reason, what about around the holidays? I have talked to so many people about this and asked what is stopping them from booking a nice vacation and getting away from the stresses of life for a little while and one of the most popular answers I’ve heard was “We don’t have the money” or “It’s too expensive”.
One day, I really stopped and thought “Why am I not traveling?”. I started to compare myself to everyone else around me that was always going on these nice vacations, and it was really starting to mess with my head. “Ill never be able to afford that type of vacation”. But then I really starting looking into it. And soon after that, my life did a 360.
During college, I didn’t go on a vacation during every holiday break like some people in my class. I was one of those people who thought I “couldn’t afford” a vacation. Asking my parents for money was out of the picture, so I would just sit home during the very few breaks I had, and see how much fun everyone else was having on vacation.
Recently though, I really started to do my research, as I have always had a longing to travel. And guess what people, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BREAK THE BANK!!! Many people have this mindset that if you go on vacation, you’re going to need to set aside a few thousand dollars for a week vacation and that is not the case at all. If you look at the right time and in the right places, you can have an amazing week vacation for under $1000 if you do it the right way.
Most people don’t know this, but plane ticket prices fluctuate daily. Obviously, week days are always cheaper than weekends, so we always try to do a Tuesday-Tuesday if were doing a week vacation. That alone can usually save you $200 a person on the plane tickets-give or take. Fridays and Sundays are usually the most expensive, so if you can help it, try to avoid flying somewhere on those days. Also, you don’t need to fly with the most expensive airline every single time! Especially for short flights! We actually have a 4-day trip to Italy coming and our tickets were about 40 GBP a piece round-trip through RyanAir. This is another great way to not break the bank.
Secondly, one of the things that become the most expensive for people when going on vacation is the hotel! Why? Are you going to be spending your vacation in the hotel room? Not us! So why in the world is this something that is costing you so much? Sorry to break it to you, but you don’t need the penthouse suite for every vacation! Once in a while, yeah, that might be nice. If available, skip the hotel room altogether and check into Airbnb! You get an entire house or apartment for usually half the price of a hotel room. Thats right, an entire kitchen, living room, bathroom and sometimes even a yard! Always make sure you check reviews before booking anything, but Airbnb or Bed and Breakfasts are the way to go if you’re looking to save money and have more for your actual vacation.
Some people like to just have super nice rooms when they go on vacation and thats fine. Its your vacation and you get to choose how you want to spend your money , but personally, we’re big foodies and activity people so we like to have more money to spend on this type of stuff. We hardly spend any time in our hotel room!
Some other things that can cut your cost so you can go on more vacations is looking and booking well in advance. Obviously planes fill up, and the more they do, the higher the price is going to get. Same applies for hotels/airbnbs. If you are going to need parking or transportation (such as to hotel or city from airport), try to get those online as well. They tend to be cheaper than getting them in person. If you plan on doing any activities/excursions, always try to get those tickets online as well!
The list of how you can save money to go on vacations is endless. There is always ways to save money. You don’t need the most expensive room, most expensive airline, and don’t need to eat at 5-star restaurants every day on your vacation! Moral of the story, it doesn’t need to break the bank! You CAN afford a vacation, trust me (:
Travelling Jellybean 