Most people agree that a vacation is supposed to be relaxing, but planning for one can be just the opposite. Still, poor planning can cost money and time, causing headaches and frustration when you’re supposed to be getting away from it all.<\/p>\n
Some people like to book a ticket and see where life takes them. Others prefer cruises or tours where the planning is taken care of for them. I prefer to plan my trips, researching and budgeting as much as I can while I’m at home to make the vacation as smooth as possible. If that sounds like the route for you, today I’m going to share my method, step-by-step, for budgeting and planning a vacation, including spreadsheets you download and customize.<\/p>\n
This method is effective in planning trip logistics and budgets, laying out how to do the following:<\/p>\n
This method saved me at least $375 on my last trip after a cabana in Mexico lost my reservation. Because I used this step-by-step system, I had documentation of my reservation and deposit, and the owner agreed to \u201cmake their friends leave\u201d and accommodate me. (Things work a bit differently at Mexican beach cabanas.)<\/p>\n
Stuff like that isn’t fun when you’re on vacation, so let’s avoid those hassles. Pick a destination, and start planning.<\/p>\n
Choose a travel guidebook \u2014 or three<\/em><\/strong> How to know if it’s guidebook love<\/em><\/strong> If you plan to visit only one specific region or city, or if you just plan to spend the bulk of your time in one, consider a regional or city guide with more specialized information.<\/p>\n Guidebooks worth a look<\/em><\/strong> Also check out Budget Travel<\/a><\/em> for articles on your destination(s). I’ve found some great hotels written up in Budget Travel<\/em> that were out-of-the-way and not as popular as some of the ones listed in the big guidebooks tend to become.<\/p>\n Basic planning<\/em><\/strong> If the difference is negative, you need to earn some more vacation days or make some cuts to your itinerary. Don’t try to pack in too much. If you spend all of your time jetting from point A to point B, you won’t see as much. What is most important? Be sure to check your guide books to see how much time is recommended for each place.<\/p>\n Fill in the details<\/em><\/strong> Use the guidebooks to estimate expenses for each item in the Activity section, and enter those into the Expense column. If I’m staying at one hotel for three nights, I typically list the expense just once on the first day I’m staying there, but you can list it on each day if you like.<\/p>\n You’ll need to search online for airfare and train estimates. For airfare, check out the big sites, like Kayak<\/a>, but don’t forget to look at budget carriers, too. Fellow GRS staff writer Adam Baker<\/a> wrote a great guide, 5 Little-Known Websites That Will Save You Time and Money When Booking Airfare Online<\/a>. Adam writes, \u201cIn most cases, the cheapest fare will be found using a combination of sites depending on your specific travel plans.\u201d Try lesser-known websites when searching for the lowest airfare.<\/p>\n For rail travel in Europe, Rick Steves provides a comprehensive guide to Eurail passes<\/a>, including how they work, how to plan your trip, and cost comparisons. Include any mode of transportation you’ll use, whether it’s rental cars, buses, taxis, ferries, or elephants.<\/p>\n In the Notes column, include important details, such as hotels that only accept cash upon arrival, offer continental breakfast, or other important details.<\/p>\n Now use your books to estimate meal expenses (plus tips) under the Food section. I like to find budget hotels with complimentary breakfasts, which can reduce expenses a bit if the hotel comes at a good price. If the primary reason you’re going to Italy is to dine like royalty, however, by all means, add that in there. You can toast to me with your glass of Brunello.<\/p>\n If you like souvenirs, add a budget for that expense. Personally, my favorite souvenirs are photographs, which weigh no more than my digital camera and cost nothing. Add any other expenses in this section. For example, if you are renting a car, add in an estimate for gas.<\/p>\n State of the budget<\/em><\/strong> No reservations: Start booking your trip<\/em><\/strong> Fill in times associated with each activity where appropriate, especially for departures and appointments. You don’t need to schedule every minute of every day, only the activities with a time frame associated with them.<\/strong> For example, if a museum you want to visit closes at 1 p.m., that’s something to write on the itinerary. If you want to see a show that starts at 7 p.m., that’s another important detail to note.<\/p>\n Create your personalized travel guide<\/em><\/strong> Take this stack of papers to a print shop and make a spiral-bound copy for each person traveling with you plus an extra copy to leave with a friend or family member.<\/p>\n It’s a bit of work upfront, but it saves you a lot of hassle on your vacation if you have an itinerary and important information at hand, and you won’t be shocked by a massive credit card bill when you come home. Plus, if you give a copy of your personalized travel guide to your mom, she might not nag you quite as much for going white-water rafting in Nepal.<\/p>\n J.D.’s note:<\/strong> Kris and I have recently become avid watchers of The Amazing Race. Between watching that show and reading April’s article, I’m dying to get out and see the world. To celebrate the completion of my book, we’ll soon be taking a trip to Belize, but I want to do even more!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Most people agree that a vacation is supposed to be relaxing, but planning for one can be just the opposite. Still, poor planning can cost money and time, causing headaches and frustration when you’re supposed to be getting away from it all.<\/p>\n Some people like to book a ticket and see where life takes them. Others prefer cruises or tours where the planning is taken care of for them. I prefer to plan my trips, researching and budgeting as much as I can while I’m at home to make the vacation as smooth as possible. If that sounds like the route for you, today I’m going to share my method, step-by-step, for budgeting and planning a vacation, including spreadsheets you download and customize.<\/p>\n This method is effective in planning trip logistics and budgets, laying out how to do the following:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[496,489],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8311"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8311\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMost travelers find that there isn’t just one guide that covers all of their needs. Some books cover the logistics \u2014 where to stay and how to get around the city. Others might focus on history, culture, and the arts. Then there are some that are even more specific, like biking through the Netherlands or kayaking in New Zealand. Get one book that adequately covers the basics and at least one that covers your personal interests.<\/p>\n
\nHere’s what to consider when deciding which guidebooks to buy:<\/p>\n\n
\nIf you aren’t sure where to start, here are a few guidebook series worth checking out:<\/p>\n\n
\nOnce you have your travel resources, you’re ready to start planning and budgeting. Download and open my Vacation Budget and Itinerary Planner (1.2mb XLSX) and click on the Basic Plan tab. (If you have an older version of Excel, here’s a 1.0mb XLS file.)<\/p>\n\n
\nNow that you have a basic outline, use the Expense & Itinerary Planner page to plan your itinerary. First, fill in the dates. Next, list the following, step by step, in the Activity column:<\/p>\n\n
\nYou should have an estimated grand total for your trip. Is it in your budget? If you haven’t started saving for the trip, how many months until departure? Divide your trip cost by the number of months until you leave to find out how much you’ll need to save each month. If you can’t save that amount, reassess your trip plan or the departure date.<\/p>\n
\nYou have a budget and an itinerary, and you’re ready to start making reservations. As you make reservations, enter whatever you’re paying now in the Pre-paid column, and the amount due on arrival (DOA) in the DOA column.<\/p>\n
\nGather the following items, in this order:<\/p>\n\n