Tips on Saving for a Trip
Last Updated: Jul. 18, 2010
Based on the Contiki Forums Topic Personal Loan or Hard Saving..?
Save on Tour Costs and Flights
- Shop around for the best deals for airfares etc You would be amazed at how much prices can vary. Get quotes and do your sums and book early for the most inexpensive tickets, also departing/arriving between Tues-Thursday will cut the ticket cost.
- Try and not go in peak season (from June till the end of August & December/school holidays)
- Check for deals from both Contiki and travel agents.
Tips on Cutting Down Costs In Order to Save
- Cut back on going out…movies,pizza,drinks anything you can think of – a night at home with a DVD and friends is a lot cheaper (and sometimes more fun) than a night out at a club.
- Make a weekly or monthly budget (depending on when you get paid). Work out how much you think your trip will cost including spending money and then work out how much you need to save per week, and stick to it.
- Bring your lunch to work and don’t eat out.
- Cut down on little luxuries (for example: Starbucks – only one or 2 small cups a week, saves loads of money).
- Buy Generic
- Everytime you see something you would like to buy. Stop and ask yourself is it a want or a need. If its a want you can do without it. If its clothing which is your weakness ask yourself if this item can match with 5 different things you have in your wardrobe if it doesnt it is not a smart purchase.
- Saving is hard work! Reward yourself when you reach big milestones (ie your first $2000 etc) otherwise you will get bored very quickly.
Getting Money Together
- Pay extra on those credit cards you can always use them for the trip as well
- If your vacation time happens to fall around a paid day off take advantage of it.
- If you have a birthday, christmas, graduation or other event coming up ask for cash for your trip instead of presents – it’s a big help.
- Get a high % payback savings account to gain interest or an investment bank account where u can out money in but only take it out if u go into the bank. Put anything extra in your bank account after you get your paycheck into your savings.
- Try not to take out a loan – suck it up and save save save! – If you want to get a loan ask your parents and swear to them that you will pay them back monthly payments its easier to pay your parents back with no interest than to pay a bank. Parents are usually more lenient if you are late. Make sure you can, will and do pay them back though!
- Anything you haven’t used in over a year, sell it on ebay.
Add a Comment Comments (80)
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i do a few things, first is budget.i organise all my bills into how much they would be per week (so phone is month – i pay 80 a month so 20 a week gets paid) i do this with every bill. i get my total amount i get paid per week and minus every bill from my pay and then give myself 100 to spend on anything i please. what eever is left = HOLIDAY MONEY!!
i havent heard of many people who do this one, but food bill is the biggest. i love fresh food and what not and i dont think food is something we should skim out on.
my solution to cheeper food bill is.
make a list of meals for the week, i do 6 home made meals per week and 1 take out night. with the meals, i try to use at least 2-3 ingredients in more than one meal, so say i had taccos one night (salads) i will use the salads in the following nights meal. also with tin food eg beatroot, pineapple, i buy home brand as it is exactly the same thing and less than half the price.
this IS extreamly sucessful if you stick to it. it has taken my bill from about 100 p/w to about 45-60 p/w. MORE HOLIDAY MONEY
Bec14
posted 4 days ago
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I cut small photos out of the Contiki brochures, of the destinations I really want to travel to. I taped one of those photos to each of my credit cards and put one in my wallet where I keep my cash, so each time I go to buy something, I have to look at one of the photos and think, “Do I really want this dress/CD/movie/etc., or do I want to go to (for example) Paris?” Works almost every time. :)
Explorer1172343
posted 5 days ago
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I am saving by putting a hundred dollers ech pay into a money box that can not be opened and adding any extra money i get into the money box i have saved neally $3500 so far. I am lucky i get cheap airfares so i can fly ove to the uk cheaper.
sal
posted 20 days ago
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I’ve been saving for a few months now and have over $3000 for my trip late in 2011. I don’t really go out all that much other than to university and I’ve stopped obsessively buying DVDs and it’s amazing how much I’ve managed to put into my savings account.
GoldenHelikaon
posted on Jun. 13, 2010
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This is exactly what I am looking for. I think I will make my budget now
Explorer1186759
posted on Jun. 06, 2010
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I’m not going for at least 2 years, and am paying way more tax than I need to. This means i will get a huge refund in the middle of every year, that will almost completely cover the cost of the trip. And because it is debited from my account each week, I’m not tempted to spend it.
Explorer1185361
posted on May. 31, 2010
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I’m not going for at least 2 years, and am paying way more tax than I need to. This means i will get a huge refund in the middle of every year, that will almost completely cover the cost of the trip. And because it is debited from my account each week, I’m not tempted to spend it.
Explorer1185361
posted on May. 31, 2010
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I put all the spare change I have in a jar.. Its amazing how quickly it all adds up :)
Paige
posted on Apr. 13, 2010
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I’ve opened up a high interest account with a bank other than my usual. Every pay day, i get on internet banking and transfer $300 bucks to the saving account. i’m broke as, but since i’ve thrown out the password for the contiki account and cbf calling them, i’m not tempted to touch it :)
Natalie
posted on Apr. 07, 2010
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LOL ok, I was going to say not that much, but then I checked the tour that your going on and Now I’m going to say a lot. You are pretty much visiting all the expensive places you can visit in this Country. When ever I travel, I always figure 100$ a day to spend, but since spending is expensive, i would try to bump it up more. At shopping malls here like Bloomingdales, Some “really cute shirts” could shock your eyes when checking to price to see that they start off at 200$... :/ If you go to downtown Los Angeles, though, you can spend little money and get a lot of things, it just depends where you go…
BIG INDO CHINA DEPART: July 13th
posted on Apr. 05, 2010
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if you are going with your partner (which i am doing) we use my pay as our bill and spending money and we put his pay in to a high interest savings account, we are able to save 500 a week!
dom and grace
posted on Mar. 20, 2010
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i moved home to save…!....all of a sudden i have a laptop,slr camera,cat,and a trip to vietnam!..hell yeah!
rock&rollecila
posted on Mar. 13, 2010
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Awesome article. Turning 21 this year so I’ve already started saving up just undecided on where to go. Hmmm… Remember saving for the trip is one thing and saving for the flight is another.
Mr_Netzler
posted on Mar. 09, 2010
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The best thing I did when I was saving up for my last trip was open an interest earning account seperate from my spending and normal saving account and got work to deposit around 60% of my pay to my everyday expenses account and the other 40% or so into the interest earning account – the account that would pay for my trip- within 6 months I had saved more than my original goal – which was the whole trips cost within 9 months! I made it an account I couldnt access so I saved heaps more and faster!
meg
posted on Mar. 01, 2010
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All great points, i will definately follow most of these
scotty7
posted on Feb. 13, 2010
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A money tin that you cant open unless you use a tin opener is my idea. And also designating what type of money you put in. I have two, one for gold coins and notes and one for silver coins.
Explorer1164899
posted on Jan. 15, 2010
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I’m currently saving for a Europe tour in dec and USA solo, and i find having a money log means i have to account for every purchase i make… it also makes you workout how much you actually spend. Also, get your friends to help you along… if they know you’re saving for something important they will make sure when you have cheap is the most important feature of any social occasion! I have already got enough for my tour and almost enough airflights!
Explorer1164888
posted on Jan. 13, 2010
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Really good and informative post!! I am gonna follow these tips while going on a tour.Thanks for giving these tips.
Explorer1161869
posted on Dec. 24, 2009
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Another great tip is not put a set amount away each week…. Think about how much u really need to spend a week (inc petrol smokes food etc) I have $200 a week and the rest of my pay goes to pay the necessary bills and the rest goes into a high interest bank acc and DONT touch it… That way u dont dip into ur savings for extras
Miss_Lexi
posted on Nov. 23, 2009
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I have put pictures of places I want to go on my phone wallpaper and also my computer wallpaper! I also have lots of pics all up around my room. Im planning European Vista leaving 20/12/10 so Im saving up for it! I have a piggy bank which works well to!
Hellokimmie
posted on Nov. 11, 2009
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