Three ways to slash vacation travel costs
Intrepid travelers share the ways they have found to slash vacation travel costs through—repositioning cruises, home exchanges and petsitting.
Vacations of any length can be expensive, especially the long trips we want to take as our work and caregiving responsibilities taper off. Yet, retirees and those approaching retirement can’t risk exhausting their savings to indulge their wanderlust.
To be sure, the cost of travel is rising. In 2013, overall annual leisure travel costs averaged $3,311 per household, a $400 increase from the preceding year. Three in 10 households spent $4,000 or more, according to a recent report by Phocuswright, a travel industry research firm.
Lodging and transportation account for a sizeable proportion of the typical traveler’s budget, each making up about 25 percent of total travel costs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
So how can you afford a longer trip that lets you travel slowly and savor and connect with people and places? I interviewed several boomers — all intrepid travelers — and found these three creative ways to substantially slash travel costs.
Read my entire article, Three Ways to Slash Vacation Costs, on NextAvenue (also reprinted on Forbes.com and MarketWatch.)
As a pending empty nester, I love conjuring up ways to travel better, smarter, and cheaper. There are some solid methods listed here. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed reading it, Charles! Emptying the nest has its upsides, too!
Hi Irene, I absolutely agree that certain cruises , when you take in the factor of what’s included in it, can even be cheaper than one’s normal living expenditures. Did you hear of that 80-something woman who lives in a cruise as it costs her more to go to a nursing home. I would love to do that, spend my last years having fun!
I think you’re already having tons of fun, Jean! 🙂