Are you counting down?

It seems as if Decemberis much more anticipated more than any other month.  This time of year people start counting down because they plan to take on home improvement projects or go on overseas trips.

What should you do before you plan for your vacation this year?

Travel Changes

It’s important to check if the travel restrictions that were there the last time you travelled have not changed. Some airlines have changed the number of bags that you are allowed to carry on the plane while others may have added additional costs to the ticket.

Since routes are also constantly changing it’s important that consumers check to see if they will have a striaght flight or if they will have hours of lay over in another city.

Travelling at any time can be stressful so of course when travelling at popular times of the year incurs even more traffic. I like to book early flights as they are not as popular as later ones and saves a lot of the hassle. They have the added bonus of being harder to cancel as the later flights.

Save Save Save

Of course it is obvious that you must save in order to go on vacation but many start saving too late. It’s best to save long in advance so as not to place additional strain on the family’s budget.

Some people prefer to save a small monthly sum each month long before it’s time for vacation by using ‘partner plans’ both formally or informally. Whatever route you decide to pursue, saving towards a goal can make saving at the forefront of your daily routine. My father used to have a savings tin in which he saved only coins steadily over the years. At first it seemed such a  small amount but surprisingly it does add up to a lot!

Merging Savings

During these difficult times, it is easy to find it difficult to go on vacation at all. In order to alleviate this stress, why not team up with friends? If you travel as a group then you might qualify for discounted group rates!

Friends and family are usually great travel partners but ensure that if you are going this route everyone is aware of how the expenses will be shared. This will diminish any misunderstanding and  ensure that you have a stress free holiday.

So have you made your vacation plans? If you have or you are in the process of doing so, have a great trip!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner online writer

Tags: expenses, Travel, vacation