Originally posted on March 30, 2017 @ 9:44 am
A big part of going on a major vacation is the travel aspect of the journey. For some people, the farther away you get from home, the more you can enjoy the distance between your vacation and your day-to-day life. But travel, quite literally, comes at a cost. And in many cases, strictly for logistical reasons, the more distance you want to go, the more it is going to dig into your finances.
There are costs specific to travel including things like gas money, vehicle rental, airfare, the amount of food you need during travel times, and the types of belongings you have to bring to survive or thrive at your destination. And all of those things cost money. So, where are you going to get this money, without having a major change occur in your job or in your basic life circumstances? Try the following options on for size.
Refinancing a Mortgage
If your home was a major purchase, you may be able to save some money in the long run by refinancing your mortgage. With some appropriate planning, this saved money can go directly into your vacation savings account. Because really, it’s all just moving cash around a timeline, you won’t see any major differences in how you live, but you’ll certainly notice when you finally have enough cash for that trip to Cancun!
Paying Debts To Get Tax Credit
Did you know that if you pay off your school debt, that money can go towards tax credits? That means that the more money you put into your old school loans, the less you have to pay at the end of the fiscal year, or the more money you get back on your tax returns. So really, again it’s a matter of understanding the timing of cash flow in order to save money for your travels.
Tightening the Budget, Cutting the Cord
One way to cut back hugely on your outgoing expenses is to cut your cable off. Seriously, people can spend hundreds of dollars a month on getting their channels and their stations beamed to them. Even taking a year off of cable could potentially save you the amount of money that you need for a really nice vacation somewhere! With all of the digital options available, now is a great time to make this decision.
Looking For Package Deals
And finally, sometimes getting money for a vacation is more about saving money on the actual purchase. And to that end, what you need to be looking for during the year is finding travel package deals that are as close to your dream trip as possible. Travel agents may put these together as part of some seasonal deal, or companies may be trying to rebrand at some point, but it’s up to you to take advantage of that!