1. I don’t have money
It’s a matter of priority. People don’t realize that the little things they spend money on add up. We have no personal cell phones. We have no TV so no cable/satellite bills. We have one car. We have a small condo rather than a house so our gas bills/maintenance cost are low.
We assess the necessity of every potential purchase. It is one of the reasons why we don’t own a TV (beside the fact that is useless and ugly). There are a million places I would like to visit more than owning a TV. The average cost of a wedding is 22K. Now that's many trips!
2. It’s expensive
Think outside the box. Typical North American destinations (e.g. all-inclusive resorts, cruises, Walt Disney World, etc) are extremely expensive compared to less popular destinations. Our two-week trip to Peru a few years ago was much cheaper than a week at Sandals. Asia is super cheap. A meal is $3-5. Local transportation is very inexpensive (12 hrs overnight train =$16). The most expensive part is to get there, but once you're there it's dirt cheap.
Take advantage of your credit card. We get a couple of free flights per year with our CIBC Aeroplan.
Generally, company loyalty pays off (airline, hotel, car rental, etc). You accumulate points that you can redeem for free flights, nights, etc.
Travel off-season. If I did not hate Christmas so much, we would always travel in the Fall.
3. I don’t have time
Think red-eyes. Why waste your whole day flying when you can fly at night? Not the best sleep, but the best use of 24 hours.
Plan (itinerary, restaurants, hotels, etc) and book ahead.
Use a tour company.
4. It’s dangerous
It’s usually not unless we’re talking about Afghanistan or Iraq. Do your research.
3 comments:
Good points! We're using some of them to plan Chelleapalooza this summer. We're flying home on a red eye, because then we don't have to worry about sleeping in, and 'wasting' a day travelling. We can spend that time in the mountains with friends instead! Plus, it was half the price of a day-time trip. Bonus!
Also, air miles/loyalty programs. Love 'em!
Its all about priorities. We hardly ever used to spend money on other stuff, just travel. So we often took nice vacations. People didn't get how we could afford them.
I'm researching a magazine feature on Aeroplan and would like to talk with you about your membership in that program. Let me know if you can make time to talk -- david_carr@ziffdavis.com
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