Vacation Budgeting Can Be More Important Than Ever Now

I don't think I can go away on vacation this summer, and I'm kind of bummed out about that. There may still be time to make a vacation happen before the end of the year though, and with a little vacation planning and budgeting I decided that I might actually be able to get away from home for a few days before 2010. Credit Counseling actually has an area on their website that offers great tips to help you with your vacation budgeting. I'm a pretty seasoned traveler, and here's a tip that I only just now learned from them:

"One way to find cheaper airlines is to go to the website of the airport you plan to depart from and look at their list of airlines to see if there are other discount airlines that may offer a better deal."

That never occurred to me!

They also offer other helpful suggestions on air travel, as well as suggestions regarding lodging, rental cars, credit card usage overseas, and lots more. They suggest for you to consider doing things like skipping a summer vacation and going away in the Fall instead, when prices drop to Off-Peak prices. They even let you download a .pdf file of a Vacation Planner Chart so that you can budget everything from air travel to the cost of sightseeing excursions all on one page. So, if you're like me and you think you might not be able to afford a vacation this year, who knows, with proper vacation planning and budgeting, we just might get away after all!