Planning a Vacation on Spring/summer Break

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Subject:        PLANNING A VACATION ON SPRING/SUMMER BREAK

This report is to inform students on how to thoroughly plan a spring or summer vacation. Most students work hard at their respective studies. All that hard work and stress can take its toll on not only the students mind but also their bodies.  That being said, it is imperative that students use their spring and/or summer break(s) to get away from their studies and unwind. While there are many resources that students can use to plan a vacation, it is often difficult to sift through the overabundance of information. This report will help students set a budget, pick a travel site(s), and find activities.

Setting a Vacation Budget

The first thing any student needs to do before even looking at a destination is to first set a vacation budget. How much money do you plan on spending?   Keep in mind that a trip to Europe may be tempting but it will drain your bank account.  

Save Your Money

While it may be tempting to use a tax return or a bonus to help pay for a vacation, a student should never use money that could be used to for an emergency fund or to help pay off some of their student debt. Mary Richardson, a writer for Ask.com, suggests to consider these alternatives:

• Start early: Don’t wait to the last minute to start a budget. If you start a budget the prior year and stick to it, you should have no problem affording a vacation.

• Set up a savings account: One of the best ways to save money is to take either a dollar amount or a percent of your paycheck and deposit it in a separate savings account.

• Save emergency cash: Start a large pickle jar and put all your spare change in it at the end of the day. Also consider saving $1 bills marked with a specific reserve seal, as seen in figure 1 on page 2. While it may not seem like much, it adds up quick.

(Richardson, Mary)

Figure 1

[pic 1]

Source: “United States One Dollar Bill”

Plan Your Vacation Expenses

Once a savings has been set, it is now time to determine what to spend all that hard earned money on. The best way is to sit down and determine what expenses you will incur on your vacation. There are many things to consider when determining your vacation expenses including but not limited to the following:

• Travel expenses: Are you flying or driving? If flying, consider the airfare, baggage fees, and transportation from the airport. If driving, consider gas and possibly lodging along the way.

• Lodging expenses: Is there friends or family that live close to your destination? Ask yourself if you really need to stay at a five-star resort. Then consider finding an inexpensive hotel or motel.

• Activities expenses: Are you content with low cost activities? If so, consider camping, going to a beach, or visiting a museum. There are many low cost options at nearly every vacation destination.

• Extra expenses: Are you going to eat out every day? Are you going to bring back souvenirs? These are only two of a multitude of expenses that need to be taken into consideration.

(Richardson, Mary)

Picking a travel website

Once a budget has been set, the next step students must take is to find a travel website that suits their needs. Unfortunately there are a multitude of travel sites and it is hard to sift through them all in order to find the lowest price for airfare, lodging, and/or transportation. According to Stacy Rapacon, a writer for Kiplinger.com, The best websites fall into three categories; one-stop shop, airfare, and hotels.