Travel without Breaking the Bank

Traveling shouldn’t break the bank...

While recently watching a movie, a husband and wife were taking a trip to Europe. The wife asked her husband if they could afford the trip and the husband responded that they could, reminding her that he would be getting raise later that year.😮

That’s not the ideal approach to travel. Have you ever heard the saying, “don’t count your chickens before they hatch”? That’s a prime example of spending money before you have it. In the past, I’ve been promised a nice sum of money for services rendered and never received it (ouch...still hurts😐); had I already spent this money, I would have been in quite some trouble.

Traveling should be fun and exciting, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. Ideally, prior to traveling you would have had an opportunity to save and budget for your trip, but even so,  that doesn’t mean you should be reckless with your hard-earned dough $$. Coming home with some extra cash is NEVER a bad thing. 

Here are some tips, tricks, and considerations to help you save some money as you prepare you for your next trip. 

Airport and Airplane Tips to Save

• Rule number one, arrive early. If you’re going to be flying it’s important to come prepared. First and foremost, give yourself time. Delays are common when traveling and you want to give plenty of time to arrive, check-in, go through security and get to your gate. Missing a flight can be frustrating and costly. Fees for flight changes are no fun. 
• Be informed. It is important that you know about baggage fees and airline policies. How much would it suck to arrive at the airport only to find out after purchasing a plane ticket, you still have to pay for checking your bags? This has become the norm, as most airlines now charge for checked baggage. You should not be surprised at the ticket counter when you’re slapped with a checked baggage fee. That would not be a good start. Some airlines even charge for printing your boarding pass. You need to know these things! Always do your research.
• Avoid spending money at the airport (when possible). There’s a huge markup on airport purchases even on very basic items. Before you go to the airport, drink your coffee and eat a meal. If you can’t, grab something that you can bring with you. While liquids are not allowed through security, you are allowed to bring food and snacks. This will help, especially if you’re traveling with little ones. Airport food isn’t great in general, but also overpriced. Many airports have filtered water available so you can bring a bottle and fill it once you've gone through security. If you're not a fan of water, you could even bring some drink mix that you can add to the water.
• Bring your own entertainment. Bring something to keep you occupied while waiting. Books, magazines, music, games, videos, etc. 
• Remember your device chargers. If you have to purchase at the airport expect to spend a pretty penny. 
• Take advantage of what your airline has to offer. If you’re lucky, your airline will offer some onboard entertainment or free WiFi, but if they don’t, you’ll want to have your own entertainment. Also, download the airline’s app, often you can access entertainment through the app even without paying for WiFi.
• Bring your blankie😆. If you know you get cold fast, bring a jacket/blanket. It can get cold on the plane. International flights often provide a pillow and blanket, but that’s not always true. Avoid that unexpected expense by bringing your own.
• Bring headphones. This will come in handy when you’re playing music, games, or videos and also if the airline has built-in entertainment for your use. You’ll be able to just plug in your headphones and enjoy. Airlines will often sell headphones for a fee or if free they’re typically poor quality. Bring your own! Earplugs may be helpful if you like to sleep on the flight or want to cut out some of the background noise. 

These are just some tips to get you started. Travel should be fun, not stressful or unnecessarily expensive. The idea is to have a good time, not to spend what you don’t have or to come back in debt. 

Do your research, be prepared, travel smart and manage your travel money like a BOSS!