Let’s face it, America. You need a vacation. Don’t believe me? Well, according to the U. S. Travel Association, in 2018 Americans left 768 million vacation days unused. That’s a lot of PTO, my friends. And a lot of missed opportunity to reduce stress levels, avoid burnout and spend time with loved ones.
Not only are we missing out on the benefits of vacationing, but we are also not getting the best bang for our buck because we tend to prioritize the value of materiel things over experiences. When actually, studies show that spending money on experiences has a greater impact on our well-being and is a better use of our resources.
So now that I’ve convinced you to take that vacation you’ve always wanted how are you supposed to make it happen? Don’t fret. I’ve got a few ideas that might be useful.
Pick a Destination
The first step in making good use of your PTO is deciding where you want to go.
What excites you? Where have you always wanted to visit? What type of vacation experience makes your heart soar? These are all questions that need to be answered when planning your dream vacation.
And don’t just let your heart rule when making these types of decisions. Let the head have its say too. If you’ve always wanted to sail around the world but the price tag comes in at $200,000 and your bank account has never seen that type of money . . . ever, then the head will likely offer some advice that might be worth listening to. Finding the right destination for you is all about balancing the mind and the soul.
Plan Your Expenses
OK, you’ve decided where you want to go. Congratulations! Now, how much money is it going to take to get you there?
This is one of those rare times that I will point you toward online booking sites. They are great for doing research and for getting a feel for what transportation and lodging will cost for your dream vacation. They are just not able to provide the type of customer service a travel agent can. For that reason, I say knock yourself out researching your favorite destinations online and dreaming about all the possibilities. But when you are ready to book , contact your favorite travel advisor. She’ll make sure you are well taken care of.
You’ve got the big ticket items budgeted, but vacation planning involves more than just transportation and lodging. Think about those smaller but necessary items like food, taxi rides, sightseeing, tipping and souvenirs. These expenses are just as important as bigger items and can make or break your travel budget.
Mathing can be difficult, so if you need a little help with this budgeting process, check out our Travel Planning Worksheet. It does the thinking for you.
Start Saving
Now that you have an idea of how much money you need to experience the vacation of a lifetime, it’s time to start setting that cash aside.
Before you put a dime in your savings account though, you need to determine the maximum amount of money that you have to save each month. Divide that amount into the total trip cost and that’s the number of months it will take to save up for your dream vacay.
Whew! That was a lot of ciphering. Still with me? Good. There’s one more thing to consider.
Because your vacation will need to be paid in full 6-12 weeks before you leave, you’ll want to add about 3 months to your saving time to determine when you’ll be ready to depart.
For instance, if it will take you 12 months to save up for your vacation then you’ll want to plan your departure date for 3 months AFTER that time.
And remember, the benefit of working with a travel agent is, you don’t have to wait until you’ve saved up the full cost before booking your trip. After paying your deposit, you can make payments each month toward your balance. So if socking money away in some bank account doesn’t motivate you but actually paying towards something does, this is the perfect solution for you. You can book now and pay as you go. With online booking sites, you have to pay for everything upfront. No bueno.
Final Thoughts
Planning that bucket list trip doesn’t have to be hard or something that feels way out of reach. With a little bit of preparation and setting of intentions, you’ll be using up those vacation days in no time!