Summer Travel
Budget How to
for Vacation Where to put your money and how to stretch it further By Victoria Pressley Many military families live on tight budgets. Combine that with being far from family (usually) and I’d wager that most of us don’t get to travel for fun as much as we’d like. Here are a few ideas to help you find the funds, create a vacation budget and stretch those savings so you can do more for less.
Where to Look for Money Barbara Brown, Army Community Service Financial Readiness Program Manager/Army Emergency Relief Officer for Camp Humphries in Korea, suggests you: “start a vacation fund by having a percentage of your paycheck automatically deposited into a saving account. Also, if you receive a tax refund, try saving it.” To identify a few spare bucks in your daily budget, “pay for purchases with cash, spread your holiday shopping throughout the year by purchasing items on sales and paying cash,” she says. “Also, prioritize bills and review debt to adjust your monthly budget as needed. Additionally, I encourage those who do not have a budget to start by keeping a spending diary for about a month. Write down every purchase, so you are aware where the money is going. Next, identify fixed and variable expenses in order to establish a stable monthly budget.” A spending diary will bring to light those unnecessary little expenses you
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can cut or reduce. Do you really need to eat at the food court every day, for example, or buy an expensive coffee drink (or two) each day? Little things can really add up over time.
How to Create a Vacation Budget The first thing most people do when planning a vacation is decide where they want to go, when they want to go and what they want to do while there. Then they find out how much it will cost based on market rates, says Tim Leffel, author of Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune: The Contrarian Traveler’s Guide to Getting More for Less. Instead, he suggests you do some homework and be flexible — something as simple as changing the time you travel to an off-peak period can slash your costs by as much as half. To figure out how much money you’ll need to save, research your destination choices and compare prices for different seasons. The four main areas I research are transportation, accommodation, meals and entertainment. Having a good idea of how much you need not only helps you create a savings goal, but also helps you stick to that budget while you’re away, so you don’t return home to excessive credit card debt or an empty bank account.
Tips to Stretch that Travel Budget
How to save on airfare • Bump me: Some airports, like Chicago’s O’Hare, are notorious for overbooking flights. Slide over your military ID and offer to be bumped to a later flight. We’ve done this a few times. Sure, you arrive at your destination a few hours later than planned, but in return you usually score a voucher for future plane tickets and often get a free upgrade on your next flight. • Newsletters: Newsletters Sign-up for newsletters from your favorite airlines as well as fare alert sites like Smart Traveler and Travelocity. They can alert you to any sale fares from your home airport or on any routes you regularly fly. • Be Loyal: To maximize miles, try sticking with a couple of primary carriers. You’ll rack up points faster and earn better customer service perks, like more flexibility, priority boarding and possible seat upgrades. This also applies to hotel chains you regularly visit.
• Timing: Can you fly midweek when prices are cheaper? Would you be comfortable waiting for the last minute to book?
How to save on meals The Department of Labor estimates that about 25% to 28% of a travel budget goes to food and dining out. But you don’t have to fry eggs on the hotel iron to save a few bucks on breakfast. You could try: • Booking a room that comes with a complimentary breakfast. Just skip the sugary cereals and load up on filling fruits, proteins and veggies. Sometimes, they’ll even let you take a banana for later. • Booking a room with a kitchenette, or at the very least, a refrigerator. You can save your leftovers from a big meal for lunch the next day or dinner that night, which leads me to… • Eating your big meal at lunch. Lunch menus often offer the same options as the dinner menus, but for a much-lower cost.
Tips for Traveling Space-A From the Air Mobility Command’s Space-A Handbook 1. Plan your trip, be flexible, be patient. As a rule of thumb, military installations offer more travel opportunities than commercial gateways (i.e., travel chances are better to Europe from Dover AFB DE than Baltimore IAP MD). 2. If possible, travel at off-peak Space-A travel periods (i.e., peak periods are the summer months after school is dismissed and Christmas holiday season). Historically, Feb-Mar and Oct-Nov are low travel periods.
3. Be as flexible as possible in choosing a destination. If your destination is Ramstein AB, Germany, consider a flight into Spangdahlem AB, Germany, or even RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom, as an alternative. Once at RAF Mildenhall, try for another flight bound for Germany.
4. Carry extra cash with you when you travel. There is a head tax on all contracted commercial aircraft and federal inspection fee on all CONUS arrivals. In addition, if your mission diverts to another location at any time, you will possibly need cash for essentials.
5. When traveling Space-A with young children, be prepared. You may encounter delays along the way where baby supplies (diapers, formula, etc.) may not be readily available. A good supply of games and books is also recommended. Be aware that a baby’s ears, like adults, are sensitive to altitude pressure changes.
6. Space-A is just that — space that is available after all mission requirements are fulfilled. Military aircraft are subject at all times, first and foremost, to DOD mission response.
7. Be familiar with the restrictions of your destination.
• Asking for a military discount.
Retirees do not have the same options that active duty personnel do when arriving or transiting through a country. For example, did you know retirees traveling in Germany for less than 30 days are not allowed to shop in at the Base Exchange? Some sites to check for restrictions are: Department of State Travel Advisory (http://travel. state.gov), Foreign Clearance Guide (www.fcg.pentagon.mil/), and the website for your specific destination.
• Buying snacks, like fresh and dried fruit and nuts, at a grocery store.
8. You can fly on non-AMC missions as a Space-A passenger. However, we do not manage these missions. For
• Using sites like restaurant.com, groupon, LivingSocial or Yelp to score coupon deals. • Asking the locals where they eat, not where the tourists eat.
How to save on accommodations • Try a Hostel: I know you’re thinking hostels are only for European backpackers — not true! Some hostels offer private rooms — sure they’re small and basic but they are also dirt cheap. Also consider park cabins. Check out sites including hostels.com and hostelworld.com to find reviews and ratings and to book a room at a hostel anywhere in the world.
information on these missions, you will need to contact the respective military installation from which you would like to travel. Basic contact information for these locations can be found on the respective Service military websites.
• Consider a home exchange: If you’re willing to temporarily swap you’re home with another family you can score free accommodation.
• Bid on it: Travel auction sites like Priceline and SkyAuction or sites like LastMinuteTravel offload hotel rooms at a steep discount.
• Avoid the popular areas: If you can stay just a few miles out of the popular areas and out of the most popular hotels for the area you want to visit, you can save a bundle.
Happy travels! ● Mother of two and military spouse Victoria Pressley is a freelance writer who loves to travel and loves a bargain.
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