Enjoy a Luxury Holiday on a Budget

Is it too soon to start thinking about how to enjoy a luxury holiday on a budget for summer next year? I personally don’t think so as they say, ‘the devil is in the detail’ or in my case, ‘the devil is in how early you start’ with researching and planning for your next vacation whether solo or with your family. As a frequent traveller, I love nothing more than finding the best details allowing my money to stretch a little further. Being a travel addict and a conscious spender, I am often stuck between trying to save money but also splashing on a good vacation as I strongly believe in enjoying experiences. This is not to say that to enjoy a holiday you have to break an arm and a leg because it’s possible to enjoy a luxury holiday on a budget.

Over the last 6+ years of solo travel, I have done the ‘budget traveller’, the ‘in-between’ and all that but of late I have found that I am willing to splash a little bit more on my vacation. Maybe it has something to do with ageing but over the years I have found, I am spending more money on my hotels and experiences than anything else. It took me 3 good years of budget airlines to realise that they were not for me and I invested a little bit more into my airfare and travelled in comfort. Don’t get me wrong, I still use budget airlines every once in a while but if I had to choose between Ryanair and BA, I will choose BA for the peace of mind.

*Disclosure: This is a collaborative post, all opinions shared are my own.

How to Enjoy a Luxury Holiday on a Budget

As a budgeter, every single month I sit down, review previous month spending and allocate my money accordingly for the new month. People hate on budgets because they feel like they are restrictive but in reality, people are restrictive not the budget, the budget allows you to see how much money you have to play with and you can spend it how you like. If you need help *booking a luxury family holiday then it’s important for you to know (1) how much a luxury holiday would cost, (2) how much you can allocate to that holiday (based on your budget) and (3) when you should start saving so you can enjoy a luxury holiday on a budget.

So, what are some of the tips you can use to enjoy a luxury holiday on a budget? Well, in my personal view, there is only 2 tips that you need to pay attention to and I go into detail on each below.

1. Research your destination

Regardless of whether you want a luxurious holiday or just a nice getaway with the family, there is nothing more important than researching your destination. I am the type of traveller that is known as an ‘off season’ traveller, I travel against the grain, I often don’t travel during peak season (summer, school holidays, festive holidays) and avoid those times like the plague. So if you intend to travel, luxury or otherwise you need to do your research and understand the best time to visit the particular destination you had in mind, not just to see if it’s one you can enjoy but also if it’s one you can afford.

Researching and planning go hand in hand, make sure that as you do your research, you consider if your holiday will be ‘off the beaten path’ or in a major city. Depending on the type of travellers you are, either could be good or bad so make sure during your planning you consider what is most suitable for you and your family and what you are willing to try or forgo.

2. Manage your money

There is nothing worse than going into debt for a holiday, to me it doesn’t make sense but it’s something that is very normal in the society we live in now. I had always wanted to visit The Maldives but it was absolutely too expensive for me to foot the bill in one go. But then, a friend introduced me to a holidaymaker that allowed you to pay for your vacation in instalments before you went on holiday. This meant that by the time your holiday came around, you would have paid for it all and all you needed was your passport, swimwear and money for drinks and tips. There are so many companies out there that offer the option to make monthly repayments towards your vacation and have it paid for at least 2 months in advance which allows you two more months to save extra money that you can either splash on that holiday or on another vacation.

“once a year go some place you’ve never been before”

dalai lama

Travel experiences are one of the best experiences in the world, if the last 2 years has taught us anything its that we can’t take anything for granted, we should do those things we have been putting off and just go for it. Luxury travel may not be for everyone but I highly recommend you try it at least once if you can because I know it is a privilege that many don’t have access to.