While you may want to enjoy some of the local food, wine, and cocktails, especially in locales famous for fare you canвЂ™t get anywhere else, you can save big by limiting meals in restaurants.Д«ring at least some of your own booze and eats or stop at a local grocery store to stock up on staples and goodies. A few extra appetizers, desserts, and drinks at a casual restaurant can skyrocket your spending faster than you realize. (and Food)ДЇood and alcohol can be some of the biggest expenses on vacation, and the most challenging to keep under control. If youвЂ™ve found this challenging in the past, you may even consider putting daily cash in envelopes or using prepaid debit cards. Some people find it helpful to set a daily spending budget-give or take-allowing carry over from day to day.

For example, each kid may have a souvenir budget or you may set a budget for park entry fees or show tickets. One helpful trick is to set spending limits per day, per person, or per line item. An extra excursion here, a few souvenirs there, and suddenly youвЂ™ve blown way past your estimates. Limit Your SpendingД®ven with a budget in mind, it can be far too easy to get off track while on vacation. Setting aside $170 per month or $5.50 per day, for example, will cover an approximately $2,000 trip. This might mean skipping a year, opting for staycations or shorter trips, and planning for more extravagant holidays down the line. Ideally, you should be paying cash for your summer vacations, not racking up credit card debt. When you plan early, you can set specific goals and save up in advance. Last-minute sales can indeed work out in your favor sometimes, but when you leave it up to chance, you are taking a risk that doesnвЂ™t always pay off and may limit your options. Spur-of-the-moment travel typically isnвЂ™t the most economical choice, especially when traveling with a family or larger party for summer vacation.Д®arly planning may allow you to take advantage of lower-priced bookings, choose from the best available vacation rentals (e.g., convenient to the action, saving on local transport), and scope out deals, packages, and special rates. It will all add up-likely to more than you expect, so be sure to do the math in advance and pad the budget for unexpected expenses. Go into it with eyes wide open, researching actual projected costs for airfares or gas and mileage, lodging, food, local transport, activities fees, souvenir shopping, childcare, entertainment, and more. ItвЂ™s easy to fall into the trap of thinking a low-key vacation will cost less than it does. When setting a budget, the most important step you can take is to get a clear picture of precisely what all of your expenses may be.

How much can you afford to spend without dipping into savings or going into debt? DonвЂ™t try to keep up with the Joneses or get suckered into tagging along with friends who can comfortably spend amounts that will cause you to break the bank. While there are no hard and fast rules for vacation budgeting, youвЂ™ll want to take the big picture into account.

You can set a spending limit for your summer vacation and still have a fun-filled, unforgettable time. However, if you want to avoid frivoling away your long-term security and losing track of your financial goals, itвЂ™s important to remember not to spend recklessly. You work hard for your money, so you and your family deserve to splurge sometimes. But if thereвЂ™s ever an occasion in which budgets are likely to go out the window, itвЂ™s while on vacation. Whether sticking to the old familiar places or checking new stops off your bucket list, good times are sure to be on the agenda. ItвЂ™s a long-established tradition where memories are made, families grow closer, and the world grows a little bit smaller as everyone packs up their suitcases to head to the lake, beach, or some exotic destination. Summer vacation is a time for unplugging, relaxing, and having fun in the sun.

6 month vacation savings planner