Discover how to take care of your money during vacations
It does not matter if you want to go to a city or beach, if it is for a few days or weeks, by bus or car, with family or friends. This summer vacation, before packing your bags, think about how to take care of your savings, so that you do not “burn” through the money that you will need later.
Your best allies in this vacation period have to be budget and planning. Therefore, we guide you so that you know how much money you can spend and what you should consider before choosing your destination, means of transportation, lodging, among others.
How much can I spend?
The first thing you should do is a monthly budget (if you do not usually do one, the time has come), with this you will know your total payment capacity. Once you have defined that amount, identify how much you can spend for this vacation. This is necessary to have a clear idea of what kind of vacation you can pay and for how long. In addition, sticking to a set amount will help you not to make unnecessary disbursements during the same. It is necessary that within the money that you already destined for your vacations, you set aside between 10 and 15% for any unforeseen events.
How to choose?
You already know how much you can spend on this vacation, now it’s time to look for the plan that best suits your tastes and economic capacity.
Compare
According to the places and activities that you want to perform, look for different options. Compare destinations (cities, beaches, mountains, countryside, etc.), transportation (bus, car, plane, etc.), and lodging (hotel, hostel, etc.).
Destination. Take into account that the most demanded are usually the most expensive, as usually happens with known beaches. One option is to visit traditional cities, mountainous areas, or not-so-popular beaches, where prices will surely be more accessible.
Conveyance. You must think about: the one that you will use to go to your holiday destination and the one necessary to transport you once at your destination. Everything depends on the place and the people that go with you. For example, if you go with four members of your family, it may be convenient to travel by car and pay for gasoline, booths, and maintenance, but maybe, if there are two people, it would be better to travel by bus. Also, assess the transport you will use there, for example, if it is a city, it may be better to use local public transport, than your private car.
Lodging. Defining where you are going to stay will also be reflected in your portfolio. Consider the use that you will give to the place where you stay, many times it is only used to sleep and bathe, in those cases the option of a hostel is viable, also renting a room can be cheaper if it has a kitchenette in the which can prepare food. Evaluate all these aspects within your planning.
Take into account the time.
A very common mistake is that when the last day of vacation arrives, a large part of the money is over. So that this does not happen to you do a program in which you distribute your vacation expense between the number of days that you are going to be there and respect this plan. Think about the activities to be done per day, transportation, food, tips and maybe a souvenir that you can buy.
Before packing, keep these tips in mind:
- Advance reservations are usually cheaper.
- In both buses and airplanes, there are cheaper tickets if booked during the first or last hours of the day, in addition, during the week they usually cost less.
- If you travel by bus, take into account discounts for students and seniors.
- Check with your mechanic that your car is in a position to travel on the road.
- Check the coverage and expiration of your auto insurance.
- Consider your cash needs for the trip.
- Record phone calls from your bank for any unforeseen events.
- Find ATMs in your bank’s network to make withdrawals, and avoid using the network ATMs for the commission charged.
- If you pay with your credit or debit card, do not lose sight of it and keep the receipts for any further clarification.
- Do not give the “card”, remember that you are committing money that you will later have to pay with interest.
- Always verify that the amount you are going to sign is correct.
- There are credit cards that offer traveler insurance, ask your bank if your plastic has this service. Some have loyalty programs or points for discounts on hotels and airline tickets.
- Before opting for a vacation package on credit, make an account of what you end up paying at the end, as it may end up costing much more than expected.
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