2020 was a weak year for travel. Lots of people who normally get away at least once during the year were forced to cancel their plans because of the pandemic. Now, people are more determined than ever to get out there and discover. They want to make up for lost time. Many have even declared 2021 their year of travel. If you feel the itch to travel more, you are not alone. Here are some tips to help you make your budget work with your 2021 travel plans.
Get Travel Rewards
This is a no-brainer. If you plan to travel more, then you should target rewards programs for people who travel a lot. That means not only earning travel points for your regular spending, but also hotel rewards. To save more money on your flights, use an airline credit card. They often offer a signing bonus with free travel included. Just make sure you always pay the card off and you can get free flights just for spending the money you were going to spend anyway.
Shop Discount Gift Cards to Help You Travel More
Gift cards are a great way to pay for things when you travel, but they are also a really good way to save. You can find all kinds of gift cards for sale at discount prices in places like Costco and online shopping sites like eBay, or Giftcards.com. When you buy gift cards for less than their dollar value, that’s a conversion that extends your budget if you use these cards effectively.
Stay Home and Plan Your Travel
One of the best ways to save money prior to a big trip is to make a hobby out of planning it. Some people get stressed out by planning, but planning can be a very fun activity. It allows you to build excitement and anticipation of what you will get to experience while you are abroad. It will help you flesh out your ideas so that things go smoothly while you are away. Your budget also benefits in more ways than one. You have time to work out where you will spend your money and how much you can save. At the same time, while you are at home planning, you are enjoying hours of free entertainment as you actively build your itinerary.
Make Money By Selling Your Stuff (So That You Can Buy More Stuff When You Travel)
Another good way to prepare for travel is to sell stuff. There are a few reasons that this is an awesome idea. Nobody wants to come home to a messy home after an amazing trip. It’s such a downer. If you take time to clean your house before you leave, you not only spend more time on an activity that costs you nothing, you can actually find things you don’t need or want and have the opportunity to sell them. Selling your things helps remove clutter and you get money, which of course supports your travel fund. It also frees up shelf space for whatever you might bring back from your travels.
Make More Time For Multiple Destinations
Travel isn’t always about planning ahead, but planning ahead certainly helps you get more out of travel. If you want to travel more on a budget, mapping out your travel dates in advance is crucial. Consider your destinations, the time of year, and how much time you want to take. Evaluate the cost of each trip and consider what kind of hours, or side hustles you will need to work in order to raise the money to take so much time off. Look for off-season deals and plan your dates to save money by avoiding weekend travel whenever possible. That might mean taking a job where you can work on weekends to make up the difference.
