Today would normally be tax day, but you’ve got until April 18th! Don’t forget to file!
If you’ve got your mind on your money and your money on your mind – here’s an awesome guest post about how to save those duckets for a trip!
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Guest Post by: Kelley Last, Contiki traveler
You’ve decided that you want to see the world. You’re able, ready and willing, perfect! You’ve chosen a Contiki tour (or two), got the time off of work or school, and have your bags basically packed….now, all you need to do is to pay for your trip. But this is the easy part.
First of all, right off the bat, you know you’re getting the most bang for your buck with Contiki. No need to compare trip prices because you won’t find tours this good any cheaper. When we went to Italy a couple of years back, we made a side by side comparison chart for hotels, food, tours and excursions and Contiki’s bottom line came in way less than if we did it on our own. Contiki is a great value too. You don’t just want the cheapest bare bones tour you can find. You want a beefy, fun, see-as-much-as-you-can, meet awesome people, Party Bus tour. And this is it!
Ok, ok. You’ve picked Contiki. You know it’s a good deal. But it still costs money. Let’s get to some cost-saving tips:
1.) Perpetually save for Trips
We constantly have a budget set aside for traveling. Sometimes, we don’t even know where our next trip will be, but we know when we find out, we’ll have the money set aside for it. Every month, we put aside a set amount of money for when we get the itch to explore. If you’re constantly saving, you can constantly travel. By the time we’re ready for the next trip, the money is already there. Carve out as much as you can monthly. Most trips are around $1500, which is only $125 a month. You can do this, it will be worth it in the end. Promise!
2.) Find low price Airfare
Flying internationally can be expensive, and should definitely be considered into your overall budget. But if you time it right, and do a little research, you might score a great deal and save hundreds of dollars. We’ve found flights to Europe before that are even cheaper than flying across America. Use websites such as momondo.com or kayak.com to search for the lowest price. You can also set up email alerts that will let you know when the price drops.
3.) Take Advantage of Sales and Deals
Contiki is great about providing excellent deals. They have all kinds of discounts to offer: early payment, alumni, deposit matches, group and military discounts and plenty of other opportunities to score excursion vouchers and other fun stuff. You should definitely subscribe to their emails, they are always brewing up something good. They also have contests throughout the year. Timing is everything!
4.) Spread the Word
When people ask what’s new in your life, spread the word that you love to travel. When Christmas or your birthday rolls around, tell your family instead of gifts, they can add to your travel fund. $10 or $25 here or there will add up and can be used for the trip, flights and all the fun optional excursions. You can also set up a trip registry where people can contribute to your travel fund online. The gift of travel never goes out of style. Just be sure to send some postcards back to say thanks!
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Kelley is a self-proclaimed world traveler and has taken three Contiki tours (and counting)! She is originally from Boston, but now calls Los Angeles her home. When she’s not traveling, she’s running marathons, watching soccer games, eating cupcakes or planning her next trip. You can follow her adventures (both big and small) on her blog: www.kelocity.com or on twitter: @kelocity.
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