15+ Tips for Saving for a Vacation

A week of relaxing on a warm, sunny beach sounds really good right now, doesn't it? My dream is to take one of those "all inclusive" beach resort vacations somewhere in the Caribbean, but my budget says that's not likely to happen anytime soon. My fantasy also includes a thin and tan me in a really cute bathing suit, but my body says that's not happening either.  However, thick or thin, rich or poor, a family road trip to a Florida beach is in my near future, thank goodness.

At the right is the "real me" and the "dream me" (can you guess which is which?) during my last trip to the beach. My travel companion texted this photo to my husband, to see if he would even notice me.

We can all benefit mentally from an occasional vacation but many people I know say they can't afford to take one. Or, the stress of having extra debt when they return simply erases the relaxing benefits of a vacation. I have found there are lots of little ways to save money for trips and other things we need or want.  Here are some of the things I did to save for a trip I took last summer as well as the one coming up this spring:

1. Pack leftovers for lunch most days instead of going out for lunch, even just for fast food -- this has the added benefit of there being less spoiled food to clean out of the refrigerator at the end of the week (who really does that weekly?) I save my lunches out for times I'm meeting a friend, and then we often split a meal.

2. Cancel or postpone some of my hair appointments to color my own hair and trim my own bangs -- then refrain from calling a stylist to fix my mistakes

3. Cut my husband's hair instead of sending him to the barber -- I'm constantly telling him how much I save him by doing this, to rationalize my other purchases (it's really not much but let's let him think it is).

4. Wear six-year old pants, $12 K-Mart sweaters and 10-year old mended coats to work -- life is so much easier if you can ignore fashion trends!

5. Refinance my car loan to get a lower interest rate, when I really want to trade my 11-year old CRV for a newer one. I pretend I need an older SUV for all my off-road adventures or to haul my kayak (which I don't have).

  
To the left is a photo I took during one of my many vacations to Lake Erie. Someday I want to kayak there.  I gladly do without fancy meals out to save money to visit there at least once a year.









6. Cut down on dinners out and share meals with my husband when we do go out.

7. Drink water, not soda, when I do go out for lunch or dinner

8. Quit stopping for coffee on my way to work and make it at home or work instead (or I could quit drinking coffee)

9. Hold on to my 3-year old iPhone 4 instead of upgrading (until recently when I couldn't resist any longer because I got a free upgrade)

10. Choose not to fund a much needed home-improvement project or buy new decor for my home or plants for the yard -- I kill the plants anyways

11. Save and roll all of our pocket change

12. Sell some of my old belongings that I've been hanging on to -- I really don't need the microscope I played with 45 years ago

13. Give up our premium channels and only pay for basic Dish (or cable) -- If Craig can do without his sport channels, I can do without Hallmark and Showtime

14. Combine and postpone trips "into town" to save gas -- we live just 4 miles from our small town but cutting down on those quick trips saves gas and our time. I also try not to drive to the town where I work, which is 30 miles from our home, on the weekends, and plan my errands for after work instead.

15. Cut way back on the amount I spend at Christmas -- this works best (e.g. with fewer complaints from the kids) if you tell your family members you are saving for a future trip that includes them!

 
To the left are my oldest daughters during a family vacation to Cedar Point, in Sandusky, Ohio, about 22 years ago. 

Below is a photo of them during a spring break trip to California, about 14 years later. It was our last trip as a family before my oldest daughter graduated from high school and my first husband and I divorced.

 Bonus tips for saving for vacation: 

- Don't get a dog (yeah, she's eating our savings)

- Go to the library to borrow books and DVDs instead of renting or purchasing them

- Learn to use a needle and thread to sew on buttons and mend holes, instead of not wearing or throwing away clothing items when they get worn

I figure by doing all of the above for a year I can easily save more than $1,000. Much of it makes me healthier too (eating less, not drinking as much soda, etc.) and keeps life simpler and less cluttered. All of these may sound like common sense and you may already be practicing them. If so, that's great! Now you deserve a break for working so hard to save your hard earned dollars!

If you can save enough to take a vacation, even a short one, there are many things you can do to make the trip more affordable, or to stretch your dollar:

- Go with a friend instead of your spouse - if you go without your spouse you don't have to pay for airfare for him. Also you can split the cost of a room, some meals, and some transportation costs, such as parking and gas with your friend.  I know some women won't go anywhere without their husbands, but I think a little time away is good for a relationship (and he just might get an enjoyable picture texted to him). Besides, my husband and I have different agendas for vacations: I want to get up early, go to art museums and great little local shops; he wants to sleep late and sit in the hotel while watching a game or a movie. He can do that at home. Also we make different food choices. To the right is a meal my friend and I shared during our last trip.  My husband would not have eaten that. 

- Use discount coupons for attractions and meals - you can usually get these on the internet or through the area's visitor center.

- If you are a member of AAA or a professional association, check to see what discounts on lodging, meals, attractions and even some purchases you can get; also check with your employer's HR department and with your credit cards for available discounts or rewards.

- Negotiate prices for lodging with the hotel or condo, or use an online discount service like Priceline or Expedia to get better deals.

- Go "off season" to get better airfare and lodging rates.

We all need a break from our hectic lives and stressful jobs, time to refresh and relax.  Whether it's a few days, a week, or two weeks, it's important for our mental and physical health to have a vacation.  Besides, research shows experiences such as vacations with friends or family bring far more happiness to our lives than buying things does.  It's a matter of setting priorities, but a vacation can be in your future if you set your mind to saving money for the trip ahead of time.