Happy New Year! Happy New Travels!

Greetings to 2012!  I hope this year brings lots of exciting travels for everyone and adventure where ever you can find it.

I'm hoping for a number of trips this year to destinations new and old, as always please write to tell me about yours, then we will scope out deals together.  I'd shared with my facebook friends at the end of the year that it doesn't take a new calendar year to set new goals, make changes, find forgiveness, etc...but Jan 1st is as good a time as any.  That being said, whether you have travel plans outlined for this year or not, now might not be a bad time to start thinking about it.

The concept of saving money has always eluded me.  It took me years to get into the habit of rustling up the cash for tickets, hotels and spending prior to leaving on a trip rather than begging mom for her credit card and then being stuck paying her back for months on end after I got back.  The idea of putting money aside without a tangible goal aside from 'saving' never appealed to me, the world could end tomorrow and where would all those savings get me?  Better to enjoy it today in the form of a sushi lunch and some new movies.  This is one of reasons I like to look ahead and have travel destinations in mind, it gives me an idea of costs and how much to put aside.

Even with best intentions though, sometimes it's hard to come up with all the cash when you need it.  For example, if the plan is to travel in June with a price tag of $3000 and start saving now, that would mean finding $500/month (if you get paid bi-weekly or bi-monthly that's $250 per pay).  For me personally, $500 is tough, but not impossible.  However it's not as straightforward as putting away $250 every pay, because not every travel expense is evenly proportioned as such.  Usually there are benefits to buying your plane ticket 4-6 months in advance, but at this point you may not have that kind of cash ready.  By the time you do, ticket prices may have risen.  A great hotel deal might pop up in March, but you're not ready to book, and by the time you've saved up enough in May, the hotel might be sold out.  It's these little frustrations that will mess with your regimented savings plan every time.  Hopefully you're nothing like me, and have lots in the bank, and even more credit at your disposal.  Otherwise, it might not be a bad idea to start saving now, whether you've decided on your destination or not.

The methods and thought process of choosing a vaca spot are numerous, I won't even try to advise you on how to do that.  I'm the girl that's picked cities based on Cirque du Soleil's touring schedule and Andy Warhol exhibitions.  Once you do narrow it down though, the first thing to do is get an idea of how much it's going to cost you.  This is a list of things I try to find out before making my final decision:

• What are the different methods/flight routes to get there?  Which is the cheapest mode of transportation/route I'm willing to take?  How much will that cost me?
• What time(s) of year do I want to visit?  How does the price fluctuate if I go a few weeks earlier/later in the year?
• What types of accommodation can I safely stay at?  What is the price difference between them?
• How can I maximize this vacation and what will the additional costs be?  Are there any nearby cities I can visit on the same trip?  How do I get to the additional destinations/how much to stay there?
• Are there any costly events/shows I want to attend while I'm there? (This is to factor into the cost)

 At the end of this deliberation, you should not only wind up with your final decision, but also a bunch of numbers that you can now total to see the estimated cost of your trip (this is often the part where you get a little weak at the knees :P).  Don't forget to add in meal costs and general spending.  Though prices fluctuate wildly from country to country, for Europe/US I would suggest factoring in $40-$50 a day for meals ($10 breakfast, $15 lunch, $20 dinner... you will obviously be under or over for individual meals but I find it usually evens out as long as you don't dine in fine restaurants for every meal).  Under general spending would be public transit costs and admission fees into tourist attractions, museums etc.  If you're at at all-inclusive resort you obviously don't need to worry about this, with the number of galleries and museums I go to, I factor in $50/day (however I spend less than the average person on food so I cut back there).  It's up to you whether you want to include a shopping/bar budget now or later.  Take your total and round it up (it's always better to have a bit more than not enough), that's your savings goal.

Despite it's shortcomings, the equal portion per pay savings plan is still the easiest one to stick with and there's nothing wrong with doing it that way.  If you can manage though, get as much saved up early as possible, it'll make life easier on your credit card.

Dream big, plan ahead, and have fun!  Happy New Year everyone :)