---
title: 4 Saving Tips to Help You Afford Your Next Vacation
description: Advance planning is key. Budget for your real travel costs, watch for gotchas, automate your savings, and at minimum, take a staycation.
authors:
  - name: Jill Schlesinger
    url: https://money.com/author/jill-schlesinger/
    at_money_since: 2015
    articles: 24
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    former_staff: true
published: '2016-03-30T15:43:48.000Z'
modified: '2020-07-07T10:59:39.000Z'
section: Lifestyle
tags:
  - budget travel
  - Travel
  - unused vacation days
  - vacation
word_count: 195
canonical: https://money.com/save-money-vacation/
type: Article
source: structured-blocks
---

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![4 Saving Tips to Help You Afford Your Next Vacation](https://img.money.com/2016/03/jill_s_03_01_-_vacation_v4-01_02_24_21-still001.jpg?quality=85&w=1012&h=569&crop=1)

Americans are notorious for leaving their vacation days on the table -- partly because of work pressures, but also because they think they can't afford trips. Financial expert Jill Schlesinger visited Money to offer a few vacation planning tips:

**Set a realistic budget:** Do enough research to figure out costs in advance, and then plug the trip in as a separate line item in your annual budget, so that you're not scrambling to come up with cash just when you're dying to get away.

**Expect the gotchas:** From breakfasts to museum costs to special excursions, make sure you're budgeting well beyond just hotel and dinner costs.

**Save separately:** To avoid diverting your travel funds to cover day-to-day costs, set up an automatic monthly transfer that will create a separate pot of money dedicated to your vacation.

**Don't skip time off:** Even if you've got big costs elsewhere, commit at least to a staycation. To make it special, treat it as you would an out-of-town vacation: Spend time at museums or other tourist spots you might not otherwise have time for, don't check work email, and avoid blowing that time off on ordinary errands and chores.

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