I can almost hear you now; a loaded, piercing groan as your eyes passed over the dreaded word of financial reality, budget. It’s a bit boring, a necessary evil as you wind up to your time away from your work, your family, you worries, your friends and maybe even your partner – isn’t it supposed to be relaxing? Though I completely agree, lazing about and rolling from place to place doesn’t happen by osmosis, some serious planning and budgeting goes into even the most impromptu holidays. Whether you’re spending hour’s online leading up to the big day of the long anticipated getaway or cramming ideas into your head at the last minute, scrolling through travel sites and copy/pasting the best bits into your word processing app, knowledge is power and there is nothing more useful overseas than a well formed budget!
Determine a Spending Total and an Emergency Fund
Congratulations, you’ve managed to squirrel away several thousand (or hundred) dollars in preparation for your adventure into the unknown. While it may be tempting to pool the total and spend it easily, it may be prudent to hold back and allocate a certain amount to emergencies or unexpected situations; you never know what will happen. If you don’t trust yourself not to splash out and waste your excess funds, let your Mum or partner (somebody you trust) hang onto it until you need it.
Spend Smart. Go Pre-Paid
Travelling to multiple countries and using various currencies? A pre-paid currency card might be just the thing you need to take control of how much you spend in each place – this will eliminate the temptation around whipping out your credit card and accumulating debt while spending it up.
Figure Out Your Itinerary
Knowing where you’re going will allow you to plan ahead and calculate how much you need to spend in certain places. For example, if you have enough to visit two monuments or full-fee attractions in one location, and several in another, assess your priorities and figure out a plan that suits your budget. Switching your monetary status to incorporate an activity you aren’t excited about, but feel compelled to visit because of fame or status, probably won’t be a satisfying experience. Instead, fill your days with little known tributes, famous pagodas and street vendors, leaving the indulgences of your neighbourhood behind.
Don’t Be Afraid to Do Something Different
Little known places normally don’t come saddled with the same exorbitant price tags as so-called highlights on a tourist tour. Similarly, a smaller hotel with a couple less stars might not be as luxurious, but will allow you to do more outside the four walls of your rented space – if you’ve done your research and followed the various testimonials now available online for all to see, nothing should stop you from slumming it a little and opting for a well-kitted out back packers.
What about you? You’ve seen inside my budget strategy and now it’s time to share yours. Do you have a few trade secrets or tips to share with your intrepid brothers and sisters? Let me know in the comments!
Image by DigiDreamGrafix.com via Flickr Creative Commons
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