For those of you that know me – I love to travel.  I try and travel internationally once a year and love both ski and beach vacations. Being a personal finance expert, I clearly don’t want to spend top dollars and am always looking for a good deal but don’t have much time either. Below are a few tips on how to save money on your next vacation, whether you are taking the time off to have some “me” time or using it as an opportunity to grow closer to nieces and nephews.

1. Pick up the phone
They suggest calling travel agencies, but I recently booked a condo online for Monday to Monday. I called the management company and pointed out that they could still rent out the condo for the weekend and get me in. I got $75 off per night for my stay!

2. Choose cheap countries
My closest travel buddy claims her trip to Panama and Nicaragua was her best beach vacation. I never would have thought of those countries, but why not? This site lists 10 “Cheap Places to Travel on the U.S. Dollar”.

3. Splurge when it matters
One of my favorite exercises is “rather”. “I would rather spend my money on ____ than ______. Same goes on vacation. I would rather spend my money on a special purchase (I.e. piece of local art) than fancy dinners.

4. Pick up the local paper
Local papers, sites and magazines such as Time Out always list a wide selection of museums and shows for all budgets. If you are traveling with nieces or nephews, look through these together and pick out activities that everyone will be interested in.

5. Facetime is your friend
When I went to Europe last year, I didn’t have a local cell phone and didn’t want to pay for one. I called my family with FaceTime using my hotel’s wifi at no cost! This is a great way to keep in touch with nieces and nephews back home and to share stories of your travels.

Photo: pat138241
Published: January 14, 2014