Nothing is more important than the prep work; the more you want to save, the more prep work is required. If you get only one thing from this website, remember that statement as it will help you in all aspects of life. What about travel, what type of prep is required?
There are several items to consider.
Where do you want to go? For how long? What are your travel dates? Are they flexible? And what is your budget?
You must have a budget. If you do not, you will spend more than you can afford or you will run out of money before your trip is over. When traveling, almost everything costs but I am here to show you how to keep it all to a minimum. Airline tickets, lodging, ground transportation, food, entertainment, souvenirs, they all cost money. I say this to make you aware and to make you prepare but please do not stress on it, stress will not help and it is not necessary. Spend some time and come up with a realistic budget that you can set aside for your trip, keeping in mind that budgets can and usually do, change along the way.
Where do you want to go? The world is big and there are thousands of beautiful, exciting and interesting places worth visiting. Do you prefer the sunny and warm tropical island beachfront getaways or is a beautiful mountain hideaway with miles of hiking, endless nature and no one in sight, more your style? Or, is it something else altogether? Begin by making a “buck list” of dream spot vacations. List them all, all the places in the world you want to go, from now til forever, and write them down. Then take a good look. I am a believer in “seeing in my mind’s eye”; envision what you want or need and then make it happen. Think of this – if you cannot “see it” how will it ever happen? Become a believer, look at that list you just created, and tell yourself, one day, in the future, I will visit them all. Then try to visit as possible each year until the list is complete. Picture yourself on that beach, hiking that distant mountain trail. You must believe it, if you ever want to make them happen! Now, look at the list again and choose four or five locations you would prefer to visit “sooner” rather than “later”. This is important and I will explain more on this in a bit.
How much time can you set aside? Around-the-world travel adventures take time to get to – and back from, so if you only have a few days, you need to think closer to home. If you have at least a week, preferably more, you can start to think internationally.
What dates can you go and do they have any flexibility? Having flexibility allows you to search a wider time-frame. To find the best deals begin by scouring various travel sites and systematically look for specials to your top five destinations. By keeping the dates flexible and the list varied, you can check expedia.com, booking.com, kayak.com, as well as many other travel sites. Do this on a regular basis and sooner, rather than later, a great deal on discounted airfare (and possibly lodging) will come up to one of your preferred destinations!
Prices vary tremendously; one month an airfare can be one price while the next it can be 70% less! With flexibility, you can find that great airfare and plan an international vacation. Traveling internationally to certain destinations can offer you very generous exchange rates making your trip much less costly than if you were traveling domestically. One of my articles discusses how you can have a fantastic vacation in Rio de Janeiro on the cheap because the Dollar’s exchange rate with the Real is almost 4 to 1. Click here: Strong dollar makes for amazing travel adventure in Rio De Janeiro to read more.
So what if your travel dates are set in stone? Stay flexible in your destination! Expand that list of possible destinations to ten or even more and begin your search months and months in advance of your planned vacation time. Looking for specials, on specific dates, to a large variety of destinations will prove fruitful. At some point, and I am promising you this, one of your top spots will offer a nice travel discounted special, smack-dab in your set in stone time frame. You must be ready for this and when it occurs, snatch that deal up quick because deals like this will pop up and be gone before you know it. So lock up that deal as soon as it comes available!
Remember when planning, if you have the time, think globally, exchange rates in foreign countries will take your Dollar, Euro or Pound, much further than if you stay in your own country thus making your trip much less expensive than you think!
Next up, how to acquire those credit card points and convert them into free airline tickets and hotels stays….