How to budget for vacation without missing out on everyday life
Okay guys, How many of us want to travel and just don’t have the money to do so….ME, ME, ME! This was me for so long. I would say I’m going to put money away for travel every paycheck and then it never happened. There was always an excuse, The water heater broke, the kids need sports equipment, the cats need to go to the vet. That last one was tough because I really didn’t want to have to take the cat because I knew he would be fine but my daughter insisted that he needed to be looked at after being attacked by the neighborhood bully(also a cat). So there goes the funds I was going to put away for that special trip that year.
I was determined to get to the beach.
I finally decided it was time to do something drastic and make a change for our mental health. We live in a very rainy state and need to get out of the dreary weather sometimes. I found myself a budget worksheet for 52 weeks. If any of you don’t know 52 weeks is a year, or close to it. By the way I had to google that just to make sure, so don’t feel stupid.
My goal was to put away money every week so we had money for vacation next year. I figured I would have to put away small amounts at first so it would take me a year to put away enough for a decent trip with 3 kids. So I started budgeting and seeing what I could afford. I started playing with the numbers a bit. If I saved $100 a week that would be $5,200. That would very much be a nice vacation for the kids and myself. But could I afford $100 a week? not really. So back to the numbers, How about $75? That would be $3900 for the year. That is a good chunk of change for vacation. I still think that was too Hugh for my budget though. So onto $50 a week. That would put me at $2600 for a nice vacation with the kids. I think that is a fair amount for a decent vacation and It doesn’t break the bank.
Check out my FREE printable bundle on budgeting for travel
at the bottom of this page
So I started saving and saving. I set up my direct deposit to another bank account to withdraw from my original bank every week. It was seamless and I didn’t even know I was short that money. I didn’t miss it at all. So easy if you ask me. I just budgeted as if it wasn’t there.
Fast forward to the 50 weeks and I was looking at flights for me and the kids to go some place warm. Preferably with a beach, maybe florida, maybe california. The dilemma I was running into was flights were so expensive. I would check every couple days and they would be more expensive! How does this happen? I have heard all those stories about how airlines or search engines track your every move and know what you’re searching for and bump the price. I had also heard that there is a certain day of the week that is better to book flights. I don’t know if any of that was true but I tried all of those things to try and find an affordable flight. I put my iPhone on incognito searching and would go on my laptop to search separately. I tried a certain day a week and I only ever found a flight $50 cheaper. That was not enough for me to book 4 flights, well it would only be 3 because my little guy is still free but still, too expensive! I did not budget enough for this high flight price.
I started doing some research on how to find the cheapest flights and tried to find different ways to hack that price in half. It seemed to not do anything. UNTIL I found this amazing couple who travels across the world and lives in their sail boat for most of the year, except hurricane season in the Bahamas(smart choice). They have so many great tips on how to find the cheapest flight. They wanted to share with everyone because they know how hard it is so spend so much on flights. They go back and forth from the states to the Bahamas quite often so flights being cheaper is a must for them. I instantly was hooked on their story and wanted to learn more. I hope you guys find this helpful because I sure did! Learn more about them by pushing the button below.
I went on to use their tips and tricks and got the cheapest flights EVER! I highly recommend using their program. They have made it so affordable for everyone and even have a money back guarantee! I believe in this so much you guys! Get to planning and help yourself by looking at their journey and making adjustments accordingly.
Our final price for our whole trip ended up being $2482.31 I was so proud of my money saving skills with this guys! I stayed under budget and we were able to go to California and get some beach time!
Download my FREE printable bundle for planning that next trip on a budget
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my TERMS OF USE POLICY for more information.