Have you always dreamed of taking a once in a lifetime holiday to some mysterious faraway place like Antarctica, Tokyo, or Malaysia? Or maybe you’re waiting for the Olympic Games to come to one of your favourite international destinations so you can attend and cheer on your top athletes. Whatever your reason for having a hankering for exotic travel, you have no doubt considered the financial question. Visiting the ancient pyramids, taking an African safari, or ice fishing in northern Canada can all be wonderful, enriching life experiences, but if you don’t have the cash to make it happen, you’ll never get the chance to take a selfie in front of King Tut’s tomb or share lens space with a baby elephant. How can you get your finances up to scratch for the challenge? Here are four ways to build up the necessary monetary reserves to take exotic trips.
Consult a Financial Planner
For a small amount of money that can pay off in the long run, you can book a session with a consumer financial planner who specialises in helping working people save for special events like weddings, home purchases, and once in a lifetime trips. Remember to bring a hard copy of your budget if you opt to see a planner. That way, you’ll be better equipped to amend your monthly numbers without having to share a screen and bother with online access.
Refinance Student Loans
Refinancing student loans can be the fastest and simplest approach for storing away holiday money. Most people who choose to do a rethink of their education debt come away from the process with lower interest rates, more time to pay, and lower monthly payments. The beauty of this technique is that it delivers quick results and the savings continue even past your target date for the trip.
Get a Part-Time or Micro Job
A straightforward approach is getting another job. However, be careful not to make the mistake of thinking you need a 20 hour per week gig just to cover trip expenses. In fact, if you plan far enough ahead, it’s quite easy to get a micro-job, one that takes just five or ten hours of your time each week. The other advantage of micro-jobs is that they’re easy to get. You can work at a local retail store for one or both weekend days for four hours each day, or do online freelance writing for a few hours each week night.
Sell Unnecessary Assets
One method that works well for some folks is selling things like cars, gadgets, old coins, artwork and more. Whatever you have that might be able to fetch a decent price should go up for sale. Avoid selling items that have considerable sentimental value but do consider putting baseball cards, stamps, coins, appliances, and anything else you can live without onto the auction block. Take the dual approach. That’s where you hold a garage sale to get rid of clothing and other things that people typically like to purchase in person. Then, use one or more of the online auction sites to unload the rest of your merchandise.
