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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Ottawa chapter.

I am not only excited that I am going on one awesome trip this upcoming summer, but two splendid vacations. I haven’t left the country in so long that I am actually feeling homesick. I need to see fresh faces and discover new places to eat and to explore. I got so caught up on what will I do and what will I wear there that I forgot the most important things…how will I get there and where will I stay. Those questions busted my bubble of joy because I realize that I don’t have a dime. (Please don’t ask me where all my savings went… I don’t know) so, before I get on a plane to the Caribbean’s, I have to get organized which only means one thing: budgeting.

 

Do Some Research

First step, you’ll have to look for your flight tickets. Go online to find the best deals that will suit your wallet just fine or you can even do to a flight agency and they will help you with that process. Once you have a roughly approximate on how much you will have to give for your ticket than you can start a budget and a limit time where you want to book your flight. Obviously, before booking that flight, you have to know how long you will be gone for. Don’t forget the longer you wait to buy them, the more expensive they’ll be since it’s closer to the big day.

More Research

The other important step is to find a good but affordable hotel room. Again, hit the Internet to find different hotels that won’t put a big hole in your plans. Since you’ll know how long you’ll be there, you can plan daily cost for your room, meal cost and activities that you plan to do. Also, don’t forget to add a little extra so you can do shopping. What is the point of going on a vacations if you can’t buy some souvenirs for your family and friends?

 

Ask For Help

One last tip, before even starting to save your own money, you can ask for your family to help you with the expense. Any help that you can get will be a great benefit to save for your vacations. All the money you’ll get from your birthday or holidays; don’t spend it!

Start Saving

If you have two jobs than you have the perfect solution.  You can make sure that one of your paycheck (job 1) would be for your monthly expense. Your second paycheck (job 2) will go straight to your saving accounts. The amount should add-up quickly. Also, make sure that your saving account doesn’t have a debit card. If you don’t have a saving account, you better call your bank as soon as possible so you can open you.

 

Don’t Give Up

The worst thing about making a budget or saving for an upcoming goal is making sure that you don’t crack when you need money for some kind of emergency. We understand that sometimes you need the extra cash, but try sticking to saving your money for your vacations (especially the money from your vacation saving account) will be worth it.

Hopefully, these tips will get you one step closer to landing on a beautiful beach. Have a lots fun on your next trip!

 

 

Picture credit:

1, 2, 3 & 4

Gloria Charles-Pierre is Her Campus uOttawa Alumni. She was one of our writers for four years and the French editor for two years. Gloria graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Arts specialized in French Lierature and two certificates in LSQ (Langue des Signes Québécoise). Now, she is in Teachers College and loving it. Gloria spends her time doing kick-boxing and working on her personnal writing project while growing in her faith. She hopes to travel more, and to continue her studies with a Masters in Education and also continue working in editing.