Taking a luxury vacation is one of the best ways for American workers to fight off stress. Yet, studies have shown that more than 50% of people don’t use all of the vacation days available to them every year.
Some people put off taking regular vacations because they’re afraid of being replaced by someone else at work. Others skip vacations because they feel like they’ll fall behind while they’re away and end up feeling more stressed out than they did before their trip.
And of course, there are people who think that taking a luxury vacation will break the bank and cause them to go into debt. But it doesn’t have to be this way!
When you plan accordingly, you can go on a luxury vacation without racking up a bunch of debt in the process. Here is how you can do it.
Begin Planning Months in Advance
There is some value in waiting until the very last minute to book a luxury vacation. When you take this approach, you might be able to score great deals on everything from your airfare to your hotel room.
But generally speaking, you should try to begin planning a vacation months in advance. This will provide you with plenty of time to look around for the best deals on travel.
This will also give you an opportunity to start stockpiling money for your vacation. If, for example, you begin the planning process for a vacation a year in advance, you can set aside a few hundred dollars every month to put towards it and have a few thousand dollars saved up once it’s time to travel.
Doing this will be a whole lot better than trying to scrounge up a few thousand dollars right before you take your vacation. It’ll help you avoid having to put your travel expenses onto a credit card so that you can pay them back later.
Pick Out the Right Travel Destination
There are so many different places that you can go throughout the world when you take a luxury vacation. Some of the most popular luxury vacation destinations are:
- Fiji
- The Maldives
- Thailand
There are also quite a few Americans who visit Spain when they’re in the mood to take a luxury vacation. Spain is filled with some of the nicest beaches on the planet and all kinds of other things to explore.
Learn more about why Spain might be the right travel destination for you.
Choose the Right Time of Year to Travel
No matter where you decide to go on your luxury vacation, it’s important for you to select the right time to travel. You’re going to pay a fortune if you visit a luxurious destination during their peak season.
It’s a better idea to travel to your preferred destination during their offseason. The weather might not necessarily be as good as it is during the peak season. But that will save you a ton of money in the end.
Do your homework and find out the best times to travel to the destination you want to visit. If you’re willing to delay a vacation by a month or two, it could save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars while still allowing you to have a terrific time.
Look for Special Promotional Rates on Travel
When people booked luxury vacations 20 years ago, it wasn’t easy for them to find promotional rates. They had to do a lot of legwork on their end up to track down discounts on luxury travel.
But in 2019, there’s no excuse for people to book a vacation without looking around for special promotional rates. If you spend an hour or two on the internet, you can uncover deals that will cut your travel costs down by a significant percent.
Try Googling the name of the place that you want to visit and the words “promotional rates” or “discount travel” and see what pops up. Do a little bit of digging around to see what kinds of deals are available at the moment.
Think Outside the Box When Booking Lodging
The thought of housesitting while you’re on a luxury vacation might not sound all that appealing to you. But there are more and more people who are slashing the costs associated with luxury trips by thinking outside the box when it comes to booking lodging and doing things like housesitting.
Lodging is, after all, one of the most expensive parts of traveling. It often costs at least several hundred dollars to stay in a hotel room for a single night, and those costs can add up over the course of a vacation.
If you’re willing to housesit for someone in your preferred destination, that can give you the lodging you need without blowing your travel budget. It can also allow you to stretch out and get more of a feel for the local culture.
Hire a Travel Agent to Help
Booking a luxury vacation is supposed to be exciting, not stressful. But you might find yourself stressed out beyond belief when you’re trying to book a vacation on a budget.
If this happens to you, consider hiring a travel agent to help you plan out your vacation. This will cost a little extra money on the front end, but it can save you a lot of money in the long run as long as you work with a reputable travel agent.
Start Planning a Luxury Vacation Today
If you’ve just about had it with your job, you’ll be amazed by what a luxury vacation can do for your body and mind. It’ll give you an opportunity to kick back and relax for a week or two while you recharge your battery.
Use the tips found here to plan out an entire vacation for an affordable price. You can come up with a travel budget and stick to it if you’re willing to put in some time and effort on your part.
Browse around on the rest of our blog to find more great travel-related tips.