Planning a vacation this Christmas? How about visiting the Bahamas? Or probably Spain? Japan, perhaps? Sure, an international vacation requires more planning than a local one, but it’s also more fun!
While it’s fun to plan for an international holiday, it is also challenging to plan finances for the vacation. While some save specifically to spend on vacation at their favorite destinations, others just do it without financial planning.
So, how should you plan your vacation from a financial perspective?
Let’s consider some practical tips to budget your holiday outside the UAE this winter.
When planning to visit your dream vacation, you need to start saving money for the trip and plan your budget wisely. Let’s see some quick tips to help you plan your vacation effectively.
In international travel, budgeting can quickly go sideways, so you must be sure how you’ll spend your new currency. In this case, a checklist of your expense categories and the average amount spent can make things easier.
If you are wondering how to create one, worry not. We’ve already done it for you!
These are general costs you will incur no matter where you go. Thus, when you have an estimation of all expenses you will make on your trip, you will be able to plan it well to make it budget-friendly.
If you have decided to go for a vacation three months in advance, it is wise to book your tickets in advance. Mainly airfares increase when you book on short notice. Hence, the sooner you book your tickets in advance, the better deal you will get on air tickets.
Normally, during a peak season, prices for everything from accommodation to food skyrocket like anything. When you go to a place in the off-season, you will see a drastic price difference in terms of hotel stay and shopping items.
However, it’s not always easy to avoid peak season because you usually vacation during festival holidays. But, you can take a vacation during your annual leave when no festival holidays are at your destination and in your country.
If you like cooking food and are traveling with a family, you can choose to stay in an apartment. This will save you a lot of money on food, and you will have the flexibility to eat whatever you want.
Whereas, if you are a solo traveler, you can try staying in a hostel which will be cheaper than staying in a hotel. A solo traveler may also get a great deal on Airbnb to stay with the locals.
Many credit cards offer travel benefits through ticket discounts, airport lounge access, etc. Sometimes, you can also become eligible to travel in first-class or business-class facilities.
This way, you not only save money on a ticket but also enjoy lavish air travel to your favorite destination.
Public transportation in many countries is relatively cheap compared to private cab costs. Countries like Switzerland also allow you to buy a travel pass, which you can use to travel on a train, bus, or even a boat.
Such passes also provide discount offers to famous places as well. Thus, public transportation can save costs instead of roaming in costly private taxis.
When you buy a local sim card for visitors, you save a considerable amount of money on international roaming charges. You will need a local sim card for many reasons, such as finding restaurants, checking destination routes on Google Maps, and for local calls.
Wherever you go for your vacation, you’ll probably have three major payment options: Cash, Cards, and Digital Wallets. Let’s see how they are helpful.
‘Cash is a king.’ It is the most convenient way to make payments when you have gone on holiday. Since you just need to carry enough international currency that you will need while you are traveling.
However, one of the most significant disadvantages of carrying cash while traveling is its theft risk.
Similarly, when you are out of cash, you will have to buy international currency from the local currency exchange providers, and their exchange rates may be pretty expensive.
Many banks provide international travel cards these days. Cards are more convenient than cash since you don’t risk theft and require less space in your pocket.
However, you may carry a risk of transaction decline when you make payments. In this case, you will end up paying heavy exchange and service fees since you will have to pay from your local currency account in your home country.
Digital wallets are electronic wallets that store your money in an app on your smartphone. They allow you to make payments, send/receive money internationally, pay school fees, make international recharge payments, and more.
Digital wallet app like Payit enables you to recharge your phones internationally and transfer funds to any country with a few taps on your smartphone.
There is no concrete way to reduce your travel expense, and it depends on how you want your holidays. Budgeting a dream vacation can become much more manageable when planning and researching correctly.
Download the Payit digital wallet app and enjoy the premium services like international mobile top-ups and money transfers.