Summer’s here! That may be beautiful, but perhaps your budget went flying way before the days got warmer, reason why, this can be the perfect time for you to catch up on some useful planning tips for the next chance you get to catch a plane, and perhaps be able to make it a habit.
Even if you don’t have big bucks or the time to leave office for a quick leisure travel, you will sure find a chance to go out at least twice or trice in a year, remember you’ll have a budget for it, now that you will be saving and planning through the year.
Perhaps after reading the following tips, you’ll realize you can afford a cheap trip and might be useful to shake your fears away to take a trip, even in the next weeks to come.
1. Become a Master of Planning
You must know what you’re doing with your time. How much time do you invest in working? Going out? How long can you leave office on vacation? If you know how you spend your time, it will be easier to manage a trip to your yearly calendar. You will also need to work a basic budget, so don’t set a date until you know you’ll have enough saved. Remember that budgets are your best friends when it comes to financial goals.
Envato / Prostock-studio
2. Check your bases and give proper notice
It may be hard to talk to your boss, but remember that it’s helpful for both of you to have a good communication. If your work backs you up, and you are a good employee, you shouldn’t have any problem, remember to do it in a good moment, not 5 minutes before takeoff.
By the way! If you really like taking vacations, remember, you can ask for more vacation days rather than a raise in your job.
3. Cut whatever spending you can
Remember, you have a goal, and your trip will be worthy. So, take a dive in your finances to find saving strategies. How often do you go out partying or to the movies? Try making it less regularly. How often do you eat out? Try cooking your own meals. Eyes on the price, my friend! Besides… if you go to the beach, a little less food might not be so bad. Also, you can add new incomes to your piggy savings, if you have any talent or ability that you can charge, don’t doubt in using them, cooking, singing, any arts or crafts you may know can help you get there faster, remember your goal is in the skies.
Envato / FabrikaPhoto
4. Holidays are a bliss
You can either go for a small vacation on a long weekend or add those days to a longer vacation, either way, don’t forget you can count with them. If you’re up for a small vacation, try not to go too far, don’t waste too long on the road, instead give priority to nearby venues, if you live near the ocean, the beach is full of possibilities, or you can go to a lake, river, the mountains or a close town, or even the city, it will depend a lot on where you live. Remember that shorter vacations may need better planning because of the tight schedules.
5. Make it a “professional growth” trip
“When in Rome do as the Romans do” they say, well, imagine there’s a cool conference in town that you can attend, check out if there’s something in your destination that can help you grow in your line of work, courses, seminars, whatever you can get your hands to may be helpful, and who knows? Maybe you can figure out a way to be promoted once you return and get better chances to travel in the future. By the way! Traveling is an excellent excuse for networking, so don’t be shy and try to make some new friends.
Envato / stokkete
Any business trip can become an excuse to go out, but those chances won’t come by themselves, so try to find them.
6. Save in transportation… Be on time!
No need to save that much when you buy your tickets on time, talk to someone you know that’s been in your wanted destination, you can also search the web for more information, we recommend using Hopper a mobile app that gives you advice on when to buy your tickets according to purchase history.
7. Check for alternative hospitality options
Forget about your 5-star hotel and explore other possibilities that can better fit your budget, Airbnb and Couchsurfing are two excellent apps to start your search, but don’t discard going the extra mile, literally! There are often cheaper options to sleep in the suburbs, but be careful, remember that transportation to the final destination can be expensive, so remember to take that into consideration as well.
