Travel Smart and Save

Ah, the hazy, crazy, lazy days of summer are fast approaching. You have plans. In fact, you have been planning all winter, sometimes since last summer, for the next summer vacation. It has been a beacon of light at the end of a dark tunnel - an escape from the every day. You have been batting several ideas around in your head. You want to go big, wander far, push the holiday boundaries or at least escape from work and your everyday life.

You have formulated several big plans on how to spend the time off from work or school. Far away countries beckon. You want to go to an exotic locale. Perhaps, there is a specific tropical island, a cultural icon, a cosmopolitan center, a theme park or a cottage getaway on your mind. You may be dreaming of a camping trip, a hiking adventure or a backpacking journey across some isolated wilderness or foreign country. You could be planning to spend time at a luxury resort by yourself or with a friend. You could go on a romantic cruise or take off to a fun family spot.

These may be realities. They could be possible. However, life can get in the way of taking the ideal summer vacation. Sometimes you really cannot afford to go on a luxury vacation. You work hard and try to save money for that great summer vacation. You or you and your partner have set aside certain funds for the summer holidays. There has been some scrimping and saving involved. For a while, it looks like you are actually on target. Everything is going as planned. Then problems strike.

There are those sudden expenses. You have a medical emergency and the doctors or dentists want their money now. Your dog or cat has to go to the vet's. You car needs unforseen repair work. There are unexpected school expenses. The house or apartment requires major renovations or repairs. Suddenly, the money you thought you had for the holidays is gone. It may not seem fair, but these things do happen. Sometimes, you simply do not have the money to go on the vacation of your dreams.

When you have financial problems or are unable to spend the money you had hoped to on your summer trip, DO NOT give up planning your vacation. In fact, you may need a getaway more than ever. What you also need not to ignore is planning. When your money is tight is the very time you must plan with extreme care. You need to find all the means to extract the most fun for every single dollar you have. You need to be creative in finding the ways and means to make your vacation cheaper. You may also have to rethink your own traditional concept of the vacation idea.

Defining Your Travel Experience

Before you even sit down to plan the budget for your trip, you need to determine where you and possibly your family or partner (friend or group) plan to go. This is not simply about drawing a name out of the aether. You need to understand what motives you have or the specific nature of the trip you plan to take. Knowing what exactly you want will help you decide on your vacation destination.

Sit down alone and draw up a list - not of destinations or specific places, but of definite types or kinds of travel you prefer. Categorize the nature of the activity or character motivating the choice. Your list may fit into any of the following categories.

• Adventure: Trips involving doing things or becoming involved in events beyond the normal realm of your experience.

• Exploration: Holidays where you can backpack across a desert, climb a mountain, take a trek across a country. These are vacations that allow you to explore the natural and built environment.

• Relaxation: Do whatever makes you feel totally relaxed. It must put you in a frame of mind and leave you without a single care or a worry. This may be possible in your back yard or at an elaborate resort or simple cottage. It differs from person to person.

• Fun-in-the sun: Sun bathing, swimming, playing on the sand. Simple beach bumming.

• Active Beach life: This includes surfing, para sailing, jet skiing, water skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling and other water sports.

• Partying: This is self-explanatory.

• Culture/Literature/Educational: Heading to places where the agenda includes museums, art galleries, fine art and even finer architecture, as well as science centers, aquariums, zoos and other such educational and cultural sights or attractions.

• Getaways: Leaving your home for a period of time to do anything to escape the ordinary.

Each of these types of experiences has its own appeal. They differ from person to person. You need to consider which interest you the most then move on to the next items: weather and temperature.

You need to examine your preferences in terms of temperature and weather. What kind of climate are you interested in making home for a while? If you head to the Caribbean or other tropical climates, you will run into what some will consider excessive heat. If you head to Australia or New Zealand, for example, the weather will be cooler. Do you prefer a hot or a cold climate or something in between? The weather is always a factor in how you enjoy your vacation. Be sure to understand what types of climates appeal to you before you sit down and actually pick a vacation spot.

Another factor to consider in your queries is the basic environment. Do you prefer urban or rural? Are you happier to visit a city or spend time in the countryside? You also have to consider your definition of rural and urban. Is a town too small or too large? Is a park within the city sufficient for your naturalist instincts or do you need a national park? Maybe, only the Outbacks of Australia or the Veld of South Africa are sufficiently rural enough for your holiday tastes. Decide what you like then move on.

Once you have a basic rundown of what type of person you are, you can short list. You do this by determining what has priority. What matters the most to you? This does not mean you cannot mix and match. You can combine adventure and culture or urban and rural. You can find an alternate climate or at least weather choices. What you do need, however, is to now narrow down your choices to a short list.
 
Throughout the entire process, you must also be realistic. Sure, you can create the ideal vacation - for a millionaire. You are not in the situation where you can afford the private jet and island. If you were, you would not need to be reading this article. Always be aware of what you can and cannot afford even before you sit down to create your actual budget. This section is all about realistic possibilities.
 
Another variable to consider is who is coming with you. Are you going by yourself? Do you plan to take a long a friend or partner? Is this a family experience? Is the trip to involve a group - are you to be part of a group outing? While you may want to go on summer holidays alone or with your family, it could be cheaper to go with a friend, a partner, a group or with another family.
 
If there is going to be at least more than one member, you will have to take into consideration their own dreams. What kind of travel experience does he or she expect? Are yours and their ideal vacation ideas compatible? You need to know this before you begin to work seriously on the summer holiday plan. If this is a family outing, you will also need to consider the ages of each member. Number of people and age of the involved parties will affect so many different aspects of your holiday budget plan.
 
If you do decide to go with someone else to cut the costs or out of necessity (sometimes it is not only cheaper but also safer to journey to a foreign country with someone else in tow), bring them into the decision-making process at the beginning. This is essential. Have them compile their own list of variables. You need to know what type of vacation personality they are at the very beginning. It may well save your sanity later.
 
After they have their list, have them over to your place or meet somewhere mutually acceptable. Sit down, relax and compare this person's vacation goals with yours. If he or she wants to relax and you want to party, the both of you are in trouble. If they wish to back pack across the Sahara while you would rather lie on the beaches of Florida or Maine, you may need to reconsider going with them. Their idea of fun may be a rustic cottage with little or no plumbing or camping in the deep woods. Meanwhile, you personally might prefer a full-service resort with a cold drink ever at the ready.
 
If any of these clashing scenarios turn out to be the case, politely point out the two diverse concepts, cancel your plans to vacation with them and look elsewhere. It will save you trouble, and possibly rescue you from a possible ruined friendship and/or a lost romance. It will most certainly, in the long run, keep you from having one of your top 10 most miserable summer vacations of your life.
 
Once you have taken into consideration such factors as motivations behind the vacation experience, factor into it the possible partnership with another human or two. Add these together with the different lists. Mix and match the variables. Once you have gathered these specific data, short list the experiences and work on a list of possible places that can fit into your vacation goals. Again, be realistic.
 
Assemble a list of places that fit your vacation description. Look at each and decide which is the most apt. Once you have decided where you want to go, you can then move on to the next stage of planning your affordable vacation - planning.

On the next page we will discuss Other Vacation Options.