Vacation Planning
As we enter the summer holiday season, many of us have one thought in mind, vacation. Summer travel is a huge industry because we all want to have fun in the sun. We work hard to earn our vacation time and we save money with the intent of spending it on rest, relaxation, and fun. Planning a summer vacation is a unique experience and every year has its own challenges to overcome.
When to Book
It is difficult to know when the best time to book a hotel, plane ticket, or vehicle rentals. One thought is to get it done early before demand is too high for a certain weekend. This is nice because you make a commitment, and this forces you to follow through with the rest of the planning. However, if we decide to wait to the last minute, we might get some great deals. When travel demand is low and hotels and rental places have vacancies, they might be more willing to cut a deal just so they can make some money. The obvious downside to this is there is always a potential for a sellout, and you can be stuck with no means of travel or housing, or you could have to get into a bidding war and prices will increase. Another factor that can affect the prices and availability of rentals is seasonal holidays or conventions. Both these events will create a situation where rooms and transport are in demand which raises the question. Finding a weekend with less events usually reduces the cost a bit.
Travel
What makes summer planning more difficult this year is the state of the economy and more precisely the cost of fuel. Millions of people chose to drive to their vacation location of choice and doing so has gotten much more expensive recently. Several factors have caused inflation and the average price of gasoline has hit a new record high. A $30 tank of gas can now cost $50-60. This has a direct impact on budget, more money must be set aside for transportation. This inflation in fossil fuels has also raised the price of flying and shipping. Major transportation companies profit margins are greatly influenced by the price of oil. To ensure they stay in business and make money they must either cut expenses or raise prices. Neither decision is thought of in a positive manner by consumers. Therefore, major airlines and other transportation companies reduce flights. They are trying to get the same result with less trips to save cost to keep the prices low enough for the average consumer to purchase. It is a vicious cycle with only one sure result. The cost of traveling for a vacation has increased significantly.
Alternative Vacations
With inflation causing the prices of our normal summer vacations destinations to significantly increase, we are faced with a choice. The first and simple option is to just pay more money. If we want to go somewhere bad enough, we should be willing to pay the current market value for transportation and lodging. We might have to reduce spending in other ways or find a way to reduce our weekly expenses to offset this cost. The second option is to change the way we use our vacation time or to plan a staycation. Some of us can use our vacation time to create several long weekends by using it slowly throughout the summer. This is nice because it lightens our workload for the entire summer and gives us time to go to some local venues. We could also take a stay-at-home vacation where we take some time to enjoy our homes and the nice seasonal weather. All of us have some day trips planned or some local attractions we enjoy visiting. A summer vacation at home allows us to spend time with family and to explore our own cities in a way we cannot do when working. The most important factor in any vacation is have fun and relax. This can be done successfully from the comfort of our homes.
Summer is a great time. The weather is warm, the days are longer, and we get to take a hard-earned break from work. How and where we spend our vacations is inconsequential. What matters is we take some time to enjoy life. If you find yourself getting too stressed about the raising cost just remember a vacation is what you make of it. Find something fun and relaxing to do and this can be done with any budget.