It’s a brand new year. The slate has been wiped clean. Last year’s vacation to your mother-in-law’s is done and over with. Now, it’s time to put on those thinking caps and start fantasizing.
About Travel, silly!
Where is your dream vacation? With no money or time restraints holding you back, where would you want to go first? My first choice?
Greece. The Mediterranean. I’d love to take enough time to discover the old haunts and playgrounds of our gods Athena, Zeus, and others while they graced our mortal earth.
Or maybe floating in a gondolier down one of the many canals in Venice, Italy? Gee, why can’t I have both? Well, if it’s pretend, I can. But, if it’s not pretend, and I’m really interested in pursuing my travel plans, I’d start with a goal. Financial goals and Destination Goals.
Then, I’d see how I could make one fit with the other with a plan to save money for my favorite fantasy vacation.
First, open a new savings account and don’t get a debit card for it. This is to put money in, not take out. Then, I’d set up a type of direct deposit from one account or provider to this new savings account. Your Travel Budget Savings account. Then, on a weekly or monthly basis, put a pre-determined amount of money in your account. If you don’t buy your coffee and bring your own, add in the savings to your account. By pre-determined, I figure that you want to go somewhere, it’s going to cost money, and you’re going to have to save for it. So, you figure out approximately how much money you’ll need for your trip, divided by the number of months you want to take to save up the money, and voila! You have your set amount to start saving.
So, go, go, with your pens, pencils, calculators, and the travel brochures. While you start your fantasizing, I’m going to start a new savings account for my trip to Greece. Hey, A girl can dream, can’t she?
Vicki M. Taylor - Road's Scholar 