Your Guide to Saving For Summer Vacation

Big savings = an amazing vacay!

Is your wallet shaking its head “no” while you search for airline tickets? Is your bank account at odds with your vacation plans? Then we have great news: it’s not too late to start saving for summer vacation. With a little bit of effort, discipline, and daydreaming, you’ll be able to afford an amazing summer trip!

Check out these savings strategies that’ll turn your travel dreams into reality.

• Set your goal

  If you guys are going to save for an ahhhh-mazing vacay, you need to know how much you need to save. You might not be quite ready to buy flights and book hotels just yet, but a little research can give you a pretty good idea of how much you’ll need for your vacation—and give you time to find budget-friendly travel options.

  Pro Tip: Save more than your budget! Worst case? You’ll be thankful for those extra funds if there’s an emergency, prices increase, or you have an unexpected travel expense. Best case? You’ll have a headstart on next year’s travel fund!

• Open a vacation account

  Use this account for your travel savings only. Keep it separate from your usual spending money, so you’re not tempted to spend elsewhere.

  Make it even easier by setting up “keep the change” or automatic paycheck transfers, so you don’t even have to think about saving for summer vacation.

  Having your travel funds in a separate account makes it easy to track at a glance, so you can see how quickly your fund is growing or make some difficult decisions if it isn’t.

• Budget ruthlessly

  If you’re having trouble saving for summer vacation, there are two ways to save extra: spend less or make more.

  Start by taking a hard, objective look at your budget and decide what you can cut. And we’re not necessarily talking about those $8 lattes. It’s time to slash those bigger expenses, which equate to bigger savings, too.

  Can you cut back on restaurant meals or delivery apps and eat at home more often? Do you really need a new spring/summer wardrobe or can you “shop” in your closet? These will have more of an impact on your savings than the lattes (although you can cut those, too!).

• Boost your income

  On the flip side of spending less, you can also bump up your vacation savings by making more money.

  Gig work is huge. What are your marketable skills and hobbies? Can you pick up extra shifts at work? Or make extra money with a weekend job? Brush off that resume and network!

  Just be careful not to burn yourself out, okay? You don’t want to be so tired from all that work that you snooze your way through that hard-earned vacay.

• Take advantage of travel rewards

  Check with your bank or credit card company to see what kind of rewards they offer. Depending on your account, you may be able to choose an expense category, such as gasoline or groceries, to accrue cash rewards.

  You can also sign up for loyalty programs that help you earn points or miles with your everyday purchases, which you can redeem for flights, hotel stays, or vacation activities.

• Visualize

  All that extra work and cutting back on expenses might not sound like fun, but guess what does? Lying on a sunny beach, hiking through a national park, golfing with your buddies…

  Keep those images front and center while you’re saving!

  Set your phone wallpaper to a picture of your dream destination. Put up sticky notes with mantras such as “My finances make my travels possible.” Whenever you’re tempted to spend on something you don’t need, imagine yourself enjoying an amazing vacation.

• Monitor your progress

  Once you’ve got your travel fund going, keep track of your progress. Regularly review your savings and adjust your budget whenever needed.

  Finally have enough for that plane ticket? Ready to book an Airbnb? Yay!

  Celebrate milestones to stay motivated.

These strategies will take the guesswork out of budgeting and keep you focused on your travel goals. Because saving for summer vacation is so worth it, you guys – we promise!

And to give your vacation fund a last-minute boost, ship your bags to your hotel or Airbnb with LugLess. You can skip hassles at the airport and delays at baggage claim, all for less than the price of the average checked bag. Stress-free savings? Sign us up!