5 Travel Tips For Your Next Trip
Travel accounts for on average 36% of our discretionary spending, second only to food and dining. With travel seemingly on everyone’s mind here are 5 travel tips to implement before your next trip:
1) Set Your Budget – Create a budget for trip and stick to it! A good rule of thumb is to calculate what you think you will spend and add an extra 15% to create some wiggle room.
2) Auto Bill Pay – It happens to the best of us. While we are on vacation often times our minds are someplace else. Instead of coming home to a surprise bill and even worse a late fee, schedule your bills for Auto Pay before you leave. Rest easy and travel with one less item to worry about.
3) Hotels Vs Airbnb – Don’t assume a hotel is always cheaper. On average, business travelers saved $115/night by utilizing Airbnb. Check the rate of your favorite hotel and look for an Airbnb listing in the local area. Once you’ve found your match be sure to book with points or utilize your travel card for extra savings.
4) Avoid Souvenirs – Don’t buy anything in a store you can’t get at home. Unless you cherish something that is uniquely found in the place you are traveling in, leave it there. Sometimes when traveling or walking down a market, it creates the illusion that we can only find something in this one place and it creates this rush of excitement. Before you buy, ask yourself if this is something you really want. If you can find this at home or online chances are it isn’t that unique and can often be found online for much less.
5) Avoid Peer Pressure – If you can’t afford to travel, don’t go! We can get caught up seeing friends or family constantly traveling or be enticed by what we see on social media. Don’t fall for the trap! Utilize the budget and look at your goals to determine if travel makes sense. Want to know a quick way to determine if you can afford a trip? Calculate the budget and look at your own finances. How would you feel about doing this twice in a row? If the idea of that makes you pause, that may be an indicator that you are not financially ready to leave everything behind just yet.
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