Can’t wait to be pool side.
Tomorrow morning, I’m hoping on a plane to Cuba to take a well deserved vacation. I’m unplugging from the world, and relaxing for an entire week. There’s going to be no email, no phone calls, and absolutely no blog. Just me, my new husband, and the two most recently published books of the Game of Thrones series. Words can’t really describe how excited I am to get away from life for awhile. Let’s face it, my world has been a little hectic lately, and I could go for some down time.
I’ve discussed honeymooning while in debt on this blog at length, so I won’t go into the whole justification song and dance. I’ve done a good job at moving my life in the right direction for the past 18 months, and I’m paying for this time away in cash. Sure, the cost of this trip would bring my debt free date several months closer, but I’m also fairly certain that if I don’t take a break soon, I’m going to snap. So, if I have to do it, I’m going to do it smart, here’s how I’m managing to travel while in debt.
How to Travel While in Debt
Get the Most Bang for Your Buck When Travelling
We priced out several options for our honeymoon. From Europe, to a West Coast tour, we looked at every scenario. We priced out flights, hotels, and car rentals. We made travel plans and picked what cities we’d visit. Always we kept in mind:
- a) How much enjoyment we’d get for our money, and
- b) how relaxed we’d feel when we got home.
Ultimately, Europe was crossed off for being more than we wanted to spend, and the West Coast was vetoed because it didn’t provide enough enjoyment for our dollar. I’ve never been on an all inclusive resort style vacation, it’s not really my style. Typically I prefer to visit cities, but those trips often leave me feeling exhausted and financially strained, I think it’s the daily budgeting that is required. We settled on an all inclusive resort style vacation because it would be relaxing and the price was affordable.
Book Early
We saved over $1000 on our trip because we booked 300 days in advance. Sure, there have been a few hiccups along the way and our flight had to be changed once, but those are savings that can’t be beat! If you know what you want, don’t wait.
Keep an Eye Out for Money Saving Opportunities
When travelling, basically everywhere you turn you’ll find opportunities to save money. Since we’re going to an all inclusive, there are less every day choices for money saving, but we’re still doing things like getting driven to the airport for a family member instead of paying to park, not buying food at expensive airport restaurants, etc.
How Not to Travel While In Debt
Do Not Charge a Trip to Your Credit Card
Ideally, you wouldn’t be travelling at all while in debt. I know that I definitely dramatically reduced my standard of living in an effort to pay off debt quicker, and that meant fewer trips. That said, I’m not a machine, I need to take a vacation once in a while. If you’re like me and absolutely must travel while you are in debt, under no circumstances should you charge your trip on your credit card without having a way to pay for it first.
Charging a vacation to a credit card is like a metaphor for the entire reason you’re probably in debt in the first place. It means that you can’t or won’t save the money to pay for the trip in cash, and therefore you should not be going on the trip in the first place.
Vacations are a privilege, not a right, and taking on debt for them is never ok.
Have you taken a vacation lately? Have you ever taken a vacation while in debt? I want to know!