Saving for Summer Vacation

By Cathy Shouse

Summer is a favorite time of year, and a summer vacation can be the best time of all. Here are our experts’ money savvy tips and planning tricks for vacations.

“Preplanning is essential to a successful and less stressful, summer vacation,” said Mona Will, a veteran travel agent at Grueninger Travel. “I can’t tell you how many times someone calls us just days before they are ready to leave to ask us if we can find a hotel for them because they went online and either no hotels showed available or the prices were sky high. Chances are there is a convention or a festival in or near that area so hotels are full, restaurants are going to be packed, rides are going to have lines, etc.”

“Try to find places that offer a majority of what the family wants to do or see,” Will continued. “I remember traveling with our two-year-old daughter for the first time on a big trip. Before she was born my husband and I went to artsy places with boutique hotels and lots of restaurant options, and if there was a vineyard nearby, even better. We soon found out that as long as we stayed at a hotel with a snack machine, a pool and a television with the Disney channel, she was a happy camper.”

$Mona’s Money Savvy Trip Tips

• Don’t underestimate the total cost

• If resort meals aren’t prepaid, food can be 20%-30% higher than at home

• New York City will be 50% higher than Brown County, Ind.

• Research costs online, including museum and theme park admissions

• Consider a 5-day flight/hotel price versus 7-day

• Enjoy late afternoon meals and matinee movies for price savings

At Star Financial Bank, private banker Beth Martin assists with money matters for trips.

“We always tell customers, ‘Don’t carry a lot of cash,’” said Martin, whose personal favorite destination is Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. “Take a phone picture of your cards and record the account numbers in case something happens. Leave some back at the hotel, so if you’re robbed, you’re not going to be stranded.”

“Always have a back-up plan if the weather isn’t ideal,” said Will. “Depending on how far you travel, you may not have the option of packing up and driving home to where the weather is better than where you are vacationing. Also, if the price of your vacation is much higher than you had hoped, consider putting the trip on the back burner for another four to six months or even a year. That way you have a longer time to save for it and then you’ll be able to have the vacation you had imagined rather than a bare bones version.” a

Resources:

Grueninger Travel, Fort Wayne, 260.482.8251, grueningertravel.net

STAR Bank, Fort Wayne, 260.467.5548, starfinancial.com