Off to vacation! But before you go, it’s essential to check your finances. Having a well-defined holiday budget ensures you stay financially secure.
Key Points:
- A holiday budget helps you keep track of your finances.
- Booking early can often save you a lot of money on your vacation.
- Vacation time is approaching. If you want to save money while traveling, the first step is to establish a travel budget.
Beforehand: To save money, it doesn’t always have to be a trip abroad. There are surely places in your local region waiting to be explored. Often, staying within your own region can be much cheaper.
However, for those looking to explore distant lands, early research and planning are essential. This ensures you have enough holiday budget and can enjoy a fantastic vacation.
Finances: Pre-establish Payment Methods
When booking holidays abroad, familiarize yourself with the local currency. Money in the local currency can usually be conveniently exchanged at your own bank.
Exchange fees abroad are often very high. Exchange bureaus or houses often charge a larger fee for currency exchange.
Many countries are almost cashless. Therefore, if using a credit card, be aware of hidden credit card fees abroad.
Plan Your Trip in Advance
Those who plan ahead often get the best deals on accommodations, flights, and activities. Early booking discounts and special offers are available not only last-minute but often months in advance.
Book your summer vacation in winter? Why not? Prices are often significantly cheaper than booking two to three months before the start of the holiday. Planning your finances in winter allows you to travel confidently in summer.
Plan Excursions and Check Discounts
Nothing beats spontaneous excursions. However, for those looking to save money, planning excursions in advance and searching for offers is advisable. For example, weekdays often offer cheaper admission prices or special offers.
If you plan to visit a holiday park, you can often find discount vouchers online or in magazines. Can’t find any? Even on platforms like eBay, there are often bargain tickets to be found.
Are you going to a restaurant in your vacation spot? There might be a weekend dinner deal.
Many pizzerias offer a day of the week where, for example, pizza costs only ten francs. This applies not only to restaurants but also to boat trips or bus tickets.
Keep Your Budget in Check
What good is finding the best bargains on vacation if your finances are not manageable? Card payments can be helpful for keeping track. But cash, which has been precisely allocated beforehand, is also beneficial.
For example, if you’re on vacation for seven days, you can set a maximum daily budget. Whatever is left at the end of the day is carried over to the next day. And if there’s anything left at the end of the vacation, save it for the next vacation.
Savings Tip
We recommend using envelopes. Put money for each day into a separate envelope.
In the morning, open the envelope and take out the money. In the evening, open the envelope for the next day and put in the remaining money.
Tip: An app like “TravelBudget,” for instance, can be used to track daily expenses and finances. The app works offline and categorizes all expenses individually.
