When was the last time you let your mind wander to that dream destination of yours? Maybe you’ve been wistfully thinking about taking a week to yourself on a far-away beach. Or maybe you’re rock climbing in a national park in your mind. Perhaps, you tell yourself, you can jet off sometime next year. Or the next. Or sometime in the distant future. Because here’s the thing: You haven’t quite gotten around to saving for vacation.
You’re not alone! It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking a dream vacation is merely that: a dream. But you can make a big spending event into a more feasible one.
Here’s how:
Earn that extra cash in big and small ways
You can focus your efforts here in three areas. One: Sell any unused belongings of yours. Look through your closet to find clothes that have remained unworn for months. Take some quality photos and note the sizing, brand, and any other details. Then post photos on a resell app like Poshmark or ThredUp. Books can always be resold on Amazon. And you can always count on other resell apps like these to get cash back for electronics, furniture, and other random items.
You can also look for other creative ways to generate passive income, like creating an online course or writing materials for teachers. Or you can try any number of summer side gigs to help earn funds for your dream vacation. Saving for vacation will always be easier when you can add to your travel fund without cutting into your regular spending.
Scour the internet for the best travel deals with these sites and tricks
Finding the very best travel deals takes a little practice and patience. You’ll want to get acquainted with all of the booking sites. You’ll also want to ensure those sites aren’t tracking your visits so you can consistently view the best deals. (We’ve broken down how to hack the best travel sales here.)
It’s worth noting that sometimes the most luxurious vacation destinations are actually a deal! Finding a deal for an all-inclusive resort vacation just requires you to be comfortable with a little bit of risk. (Here’s how one editor scored the best travel deals.) Finally, be sure to check out what destinations are the cheapest to travel to now.
Cut back and save without even thinking about it
When you’re trying to save for vacation, it’s always a smart move to cut back on any and all unnecessary expenses. This checklist will help you examine where you can trim back on your spending. You can also try any number of other random hacks to save money throughout the year (we’ve rounded up a few here). Finally, enlist the help of a discreet money-saving app like Digit to transfer small amounts of money to your savings account on the daily.
Before you know it, you’ll have enough funds to book the travel package you want. And knowing you did so without putting yourself in debt? That makes the time off even sweeter.
