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These chilly winter days have us dreaming of warmer days and sunny destinations. We can’t be the only ones, right?

Where do you want to go and what do you want to do in 2022 and beyond?

Once you answer these questions for a solo trip or an adventure with the whole family you can use the steps below to cultivate the vacation you’ve been dreaming about.

Pick where you want to go. This seems like an obvious first step, right? Decide what destinations works best for your travel needs. Is this a solo trip? A small family trip? Are 20 people going? Are there health and safety restrictions where I want to go? These are all considerations that can affect what destination you pick. If you need a little inspiration on where to go a simple Google search of the best destinations for the current year can be very helpful. If you’re traveling with family or a group be sure to decide together which destination works best for all. 

Set a vacation budget and stick to it. A financial plan and research. These two items are vital in the planning process. Creating a vacation budget before your departure can help you save money prior and during your trip. Some items to consider including within your budget include:

• Transportation
• Lodging Expenses
• Excursions and Activities
• Dining
• Souvenir and Spending Money
• Emergency Costs

Once you have completed your vacation budget, try creating a savings goal. Within Online Banking and the Fairmont FCU Mobile Banking App, you can link a savings account to specific goals and contribute to them at any time.  Select a category, goal amount, and target date to have the money saved by and the amount you need to contribute weekly and/or monthly will automatically be calculated.

Creating a separate Savings Club Account for your trip is a great way to keep your trip funds separated from other savings accounts.

Use credit card rewards points. If you’re jetting off to your dream destination you may want to consider using those pent-up credit card reward points. If you have a Fairmont FCU credit card consider using rewards points during your trip on airfare, dining, excursions, and other destination purchases. If you don’t know what card earns the best rewards that fits your specific needs, try using a credit card rewards comparison tool. Compare different cards and determine which best fits your personal needs.

Get excited: get creative with your countdown

Looking for a way to generate excitement about your trip? Try creating a vacation countdown. Not only will this create excitement before your departure date, this can also be used as motivation to stick a savings goal and vacation budget you’ve set.

Take that vacation you’ve been waiting for and be prepared for it each step of the way.

Sources

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/how-to-save-for-a-vacation

https://milesforfamily.com/2019/02/13/vacation-countdown-ideas/