Summer Vacation
Time for Summer Vacation!
by April Qualls
The spring semester is coming quickly to an end, and you are already in gear for summer. Summer classes, summer jobs, and summer vacations are being considered. Here’s how to arrange a cheap vacation and where to find the money to pay for it.
First of all, plan ahead. If you and your friends have discussed a road trip during your summer break, start shopping around now. Go to discount sites to book your travel—Travelocity, Expedia, and Priceline are a few to research. You can book hotels, discount airfare, special packages, and more. Also, a road trip to a destination near your school will be an inexpensive option. If you live in the northeast, drive to Maine and visit the beaches or drive to NYC and see a show. If your school is in the Midwest, drive to Chicago and visit the museums and shopping district. If you live out west or in the southeast, drive to a local beach and rent a house with a bunch of your friends. A summer vacation doesn’t have to be expensive! Learn where to cut corners.
After you’ve decided on your vacation destination, you must add up the total cost you will spend on gas/airfare, lodging, food, and shopping while you are there. When you come up with a budget, plan to save! Did you get a tax return this year? If you did, use part of it for your vacation. Did you get money from a relative for a recent holiday? Save it for your vacation! If you don’t have extra money from gifts or tax returns, start saving today. Try cutting your spending money in half this month and save the other half in your vacation fund. If you do this for three months, you could have enough money by July or August to take your vacation.
The one thing you want to stay away from when paying for your summer vacation is using borrowed money. Using credit cards is the worst idea—you will wind up paying for this vacation when you are 60 (and this vacation won’t seem worth it by then!) Don’t be tempted to use your student loan money either. Even though your student loan interest rate is lower than your credit card rate, you will still be spending more money on your vacation than it’s worth.
Plan cheap, and start saving now!
