Holidays and travel don’t have to the Earth. However, the reality is, that we all enjoy our trips a whole lot more, if we have a comfortable amount of money saved. Careful planning, budgeting, preparation, consideration and prioritising are key ways to save money.

NOW is the best time to get serious about planning your next holiday! Get yourself a log book specifically to record your spending and map out your plan for your savings.

Dream big and let’s make this happen!

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Top Tips To Save Money For Your Next Holiday

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PLAN AHEAD, TO SAVE MONEY

During the planning stages and in budgeting for a trip, it is good to have an idea of all of the extra things or sights you might like to see, as well as the costs associated.

Know the costs of your holiday expenses, including accommodation, flights and car hire. Based on the costs associated with the above aspects of your holiday, you will have a better idea of what is possible and how much money you will need to save for your holiday.

Know what you might like to do and see when you are on your trip. Get yourself a travel guide, do your research and understand the location. Lonely Planet Guides are our favourites, they provides lots of great information and real recommendations by people who have travelled to all of the great places you can see.

Lonely Planet Guides are available for countries, states, regions and also have speciality guides. Below are some popular Lonely Planet Guides available:

Australia	S.E. Asia	Europe
East Coast Australia	Vietnam	Spain
Australia’s Best Trips	Japan	London
Coastal QLD	India	Italy
West Coast Australia	Bali	Paris

CREATE YOUR PERSONAL MONEY SAVING PLAN

Once you’ve established your needs, make a plan. Get yourself a notebook specifically for this and get organised! Write it all down, make notes on all of your outgoing expenses and then make a plan for how you will save for your next holiday.

Work out exactly how much money you will need to save (and by when), before you lock yourself into the trip. Budget-budget-budget!

BE REALISTIC

Be real! Don’t get yourself into something that you cannot get yourself out of. Work out exactly where the money coming from, to pay for the trip.

Consider your departure date and the duration of your trip, in accordance with what you can afford. Don’t get yourself to a point where you have no money while you are away – a holiday is no fun if you have to watch every penny you spend (speaking from experience here!).

RESEARCH AND SAVE

Do your research is my number one tip for how to save money when travelling! There are so many cheap travel options and the best holiday deals are always available – you just need to find them!

Troll the travel websites, look for the best deals, keep an eye out for sales, join travel groups and learn from those out there doing it regularly.

Talk to a variety of travel agents and see what everyone is offering. Utilise schemes like Flight Centre price match!

Check out the multiple booking sites for accommodation, research for the best accommodation choices. Make sure your accommodation is suitable for your needs and in an appropriate location. Read reviews on accommodation, from people who have stayed there themselves!

Consider whether the additional cost to the accommodation, might outweigh the need to hire a car. Perhaps the additional cost of getting a self-catering apartment, might save money for you in being able to prepare meals.

Keep an eye on deals sites such as Get Your Guide, they often have great ticket prices for activities and excursions.

All inclusive holiday deals and holiday package deals are not always the cheapest way to go. Additionally, ‘kids fly and stay free’ are also not always the cheapest ways to go! Do your research!

FRUGAL LIVING

In the lead up to a holiday, adopt a frugal living approach to life! Ask yourself whether your purchases are really necessary or whether they are just things your want. Don’t spend money on things you really don’t need!

Do you really need that new dress? Perhaps, save your money buy a new dress on your holiday instead. If you’re a coffee snob like I am, you will want a good coffee everyday. Buy yourself some ground coffee and a coffee plunger instead of spending the $5 per coffee each day.

We love our stainless steel plunger for travelling – this would be our recommendation if you are thinking of taking it away on your trip with you! This is one of our tips in our Top Tips For Budget Holidays post!

EASY WAYS TO SAVE MONEY

Here is a list of things that we have incorporated into our everyday life, to save money for our next holiday.

• Drink plunger coffee.

• Make ‘take-away’ foods (such as pizza) ourselves.

• Pack a school lunch every day.

• Bake snacks for the kids.

• Walk or ride a bike as a form of transport when we can – every little bit helps!

• Ensure we’ve got a well stocked kitchen so that cooking at home is easy.

• Be organised with time so we’re not grabbing food on the run.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY FROM SALARY

Allocate a certain amount of money to holiday savings each time you get paid and put it in a separate account so you can’t/don’t touch it. Large and small amounts of money, all help!

You can talk to your business manager at work and ask them to put a certain amount of money (or percentage of your pay) in a separate account – this way, you don’t even see it!

HOW TO BUDGET AND SAVE

Create a spreadsheet or a system that works for you. List all of the bills you have to pay, roughly how much they are month to month and what date they are to be paid.

Work out which bills will be paid for, from week to week. Also, whether you need to put small amounts aside each week for those bigger bills, so they don’t really hurt when it is time to pay them – car registrations, for example.

Set yourselves an allowance for free spending each week, just like it is a bill to pay. Make sure you don’t overspend from your ‘play money’ or dip into other accounts some unnecessary items.

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