Best way to save up for a trip?

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2004
Best way to save up for a trip?
4
Fri, 05-18-2007 - 1:47pm

Any tips on saving up for a trip in about 3 years time? We're not able to afford just booking a trip. We'll have to set aside some money and plan financially.

How does one go about finding the best deals on resorts, airline tickets, park tickets, etc? I'd like to follow the market so that when the time comes, I'll know what's good and what's not.

Any ideas?

Thanks

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-10-2005
Fri, 05-18-2007 - 2:24pm
Does your bank have a Vacation Club? That could be a way to go.
Avatar for carolejd
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-13-1999
Fri, 05-18-2007 - 3:23pm

I think I would sit down and work out what I wanted right now - hotel on site or off, length of stay, park tickets, food (dining plan or not) how would I get there (flights or drive) then work out how much all that would cost now.

Then split that cost over 3 yrs - so much per month or per pay cheque. Then open up a savings account and arrange for a direct deposit to go in every month/2 weeks whichever works for you.

You will have to make some adjustments as you go, some costs may go up - you may be able to get a deal on flights, accomodation etc.

I don't know if you have a credit card, but I know there is a Disney Visa which gives you points and or Disney Dollars which you could put towards your vacation.

Just a few ideas - hope it helps

Carole

Carole

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-21-2007
Tue, 05-22-2007 - 2:26pm
I think Carole just gave you some excellent suggestions. The other side of that same plan is looking at your current expenses and seeing from where you can cut down in order to attain your savings goal for each month. Some ideas include cutting cable TV and movie rentals (start borrowing from the library for free), having a garage sale (instead of donating to Goodwill as we typically would). You won't get much $ from each of these, but if you come up with a long enough list of strategies and do most of them, it could add up. If you have school-age kids or older they can even be involved (probably when it's closer to the goal, such as one year or less) and it's, I believe, a good educational experience for them.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 05-22-2007 - 4:09pm

In previous years, we've used income tax money. This past September, I started teaching pre-school and I banked every paycheck for our trip last week. I was able to pay our trip in full, plus airfare, and some leftover, by banking my paychecks.

I also have a Disney Visa, which I use like a debit card. I subtract every purchase from my checkbook, and then pay the balance off in full every month. I earn about 20 rewards points per month, and this adds up if you are planning a trip for a while! We used the rewards points I had for souvenirs this past week.

As far as airfare is concerned, always check the 'budget' airlines like Southwest and Air Tran. We fly from Philly even though we have a local airport just minutes from my house, because it's generally cheaper to fly from Philly (and they have non-stop flights). You can also download Southwest's DING! program online....DING! fares are cheap fares that need to be booked within a short period of time...like they give you 12 hours to book, but the fares are really cheap. I also check Orbitz, Expedia, etc. for specials and sales.

For Disney deals, log on to www.mousesavers.com for the most recent codes and sales on Disney resorts.

Have fun planning!!

Marcy

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