Four Travel Planning Mistakes To Avoid

Today, families have to balance their reoccurring financial requirements such as utilities, college savings and various school activity costs with the rising cost of leisure travel. If families are not careful, the increasing cost of these daily financial requirements can limit their future travel choices and plans. Even though the cost of travel is on the rise, families can still learn to maneuver around these “high-cost” travel snares. Remember, savvy tour operators and suppliers increase their profit margins by capitalizing on a family’s tendency to book travel at the last minute. I generally define the very last minute as 90 days or less before your trip.  Moreover, booking at the last minute is always more expensive then booking far in advance. So, to save money and keep your travel expenses down, I recommend that you avoid these four travel planning mistakes.

How Far in Advance Should You Book Travel

If planning a graduation or anniversary cruise, book travel at least 12 months to 18 months in advance. I remember my wife and I booked a graduation cruise for my daughter’s high school graduation. My wife sent out letters to family and friends about 16 months out, and we started booking the cruise about 14 months out. We were able to save about 25% on the cruise price at that point. The cruise was completely sold out at the 9-month-out point. So, we were thrilled with the perks of group savings and getting in on a deal before the cruise line raised the price based on demand. Identically, resorts typically follow this same philosophy as well.

What type of Travel Accommodations Save You Money?

In case you have not noticed, the demand for cruising on a new ship or staying at a new resort is impressively high during the first 1-2 years of operation. If you wish to save money on these top demand attractions, I suggest you purchase an interior cabin or an ocean view cabin to get the best rates. Another trick I often employ is to sail on the next second newest ship or stay at the second newest resort. In this manner, some of the novelty has worn off, therefore the cruise is going to be much cheaper. Now, you can spend the saved cash on shore excursions, drinking packages or add funds to buy an additional cabin for your in-laws or relatives as a gift. If you would like to learn more about how cruise lines make their money read this article from The Hustle.

(BYOWB) Bring your own Water Bottle

Bottle water during the Summer months at an amusement park is essential. However, parks price their bottled water at a price that does your pocketbook no favors. I have been at parks where a 20-ounce bottle of water can cost you 4-5 dollars. However, the same bottle of water at a store (if purchased in bulk) will only cost you about 25-50 cents. So, imagine drinking about 4-5 bottles of water in the park for about $20-25, whereas the same amount of water would have only cost you about $1.00-2.25. So, find out your park’s policy on bringing bottled water into the park. If the park allows it, I suggest you bring your own bottled water into the park. I typically carry a back-back that has two holders for water. I generally load two 3 bottles of water inside my backpack as well. Now, this sounds like a heavy load to carry, but I typically only have 3 bottles left at about 1 o’clock and 1 left after 7 p.m. So, bringing your own water can be very resourceful. Here is an interesting article I found on the subject at Mouse Travel Matters.

When is the Best Time to Book My Vacation to Save Money

History has shown that travel prices increase during Spring Break, Summer Months, Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, if you can plan your travel during September (after Labor Day) and October, you will save a great deal of money on hotels, rental cars, and accommodations costs. If you have children in elementary school, you will find that you could schedule a 4-5-day Family trip. During the off-season you will typically avoid the super crowds of summer. Florida is always a good place to visit during these months. Also, January and February are good months to visit Florida as well. You just have to be extra careful if you live in one of the Northern states and wish to travel South due to potential snow and ice storms.

In the end, these four points can save you a tremendous amount of money. Furthermore, these tips can potentially save you thousands of dollars over the course of your lifetime.  So, don’t underestimate the savings potential of these tips. So, enjoy your next trip, and hopefully, your thrifty savings habits will allow you to place more money in your children’s college fund.     – D. Alexander

As an added bonus, we have created a great Vacation Pre-Departure Checklist to assist you in planning for your next vacation.