Planning For Vacation - enjoyable and inexpensive vacations require planning - Brief Article

Ebony, May, 2001

YOU'RE burned out, ready for a break, and looking to get a little R&R. If you've got the funds, you can just head to the airport for a quick trip to Florida or to some Caribbean island.

But if you're like most folks, your vacation requires something more--planning.

With forethought and a master plan, you don't have to break the bank for a getaway. You can take it slow and easy and go on the vacation you've always dreamed about. And financial and travel experts say planning ahead is the best way to get the best rates for travel arrangements--airfare, hotel and leisure activities.

"The earlier you book, the less you're going to pay," says Val Slayton, owner of Tra-Val Services in Chicago. "On a cruise, if you book a year in advance, you can get as much as a 20 percent discount."

And that's just for cruises. Other discounts can be found on airfare, hotel or resort accommodations. You just have to know where to look.

Great rates and special packages are available if you investigate fully. Try checking out the travel section of your local newspaper, logging on to the Internet or going through your local travel agency. Sometimes deals are offered only on the Internet or only through travel agencies. It's your challenge to find the best one that works for you.

We're all good at figuring out where we want to go, but when it comes to how, we forget that it takes a good plan to reach our destination. When you're looking at locations, always keep the seasons and weather in mind. Trips to Africa are popular in February because it's winter here, but the weather on that continent is generally milder.

Mary Grate-Pyos, a personal finance specialist from the Washington, D.C.-area, says individuals and families should plan at least six months to a year in advance for the more expensive and extravagant vacations. If you're going out of the country, you may need to get passports and visas, and winding your way through that process can take several weeks.

How long would it take you to save up about $1,600? That's about how much it would cost to go to Brazil or Africa. And Jamaica and the Bahamas are always popular, less-expensive trips for African-Americans. You can probably save even more by traveling domestically to cities such as Orlando, Atlanta or New York.

"I think we should plan for vacation on a monthly basis just like we do for our mortgage and any other essential bills that we have," Grate-Pyos says. "If you have a budget, you know what to expect. If you don't plan, you're just going on a whim."

If you exceed your cash finances, you are likely to end up shifting to your credit cards. And if you don't pay off your credit cards every month, you could end up paying for your vacation all year and not being able to do anything else.

When you've decided on a destination and have made travel arrangements, it's time to find a good hotel or resort. Remember that some hotels cater to families with children, while others are for couples and singles only. Make sure you know what type of hotel you're booking.

Once you find out where you want to go and where you're staying, you should decide what you want to do and how much you want to spend, says Chicagoan Slayton. And in getting those answers, keep in mind that if the children are going, you want to make sure they have activities to keep them busy, too.

Most destinations, especially the ones that are popular, have tourism boards to help you plan and make your stay more enjoyable. Call in advance to see if there are any new attractions or festivals coming to the area and book your trip around the activities that you like.

It's a good idea to involve the whole family in vacation planning, according to experts. That way each person, especially the children, feel as if he or she has contributed to the process. Planning for vacation takes on a whole new meaning if the entire family has bought into the plan. And having a sound vacation plan can also lead to an added benefit--investing.

Grate-Pyos says families and individuals can use a vacation as an incentive for investing and saving on a monthly basis. "Then what happens is you find out that you can save money, and you keep saving money," she says. "You can use it [vacation] as an incentive to set money aside."

It's always a good idea to double-check your travel arrangements about two weeks before you're set to leave. Perhaps the airline has discount rates or low companion fares and you can take your best friend or grandparents along at the last minute. Also remember to confirm your hotel and rental car reservations about three weeks in advance of your trip to make sure the rate that was quoted initially hasn't changed and that your room or suite is still available.

Remember, the goal for any trip is to have a good time. If you don't have a sound financial plan, money is always on your mind during the vacation and it's difficult to enjoy yourself.

"Planning in advance is stress-free," Grate-Pyos says. "A vacation becomes an emergency when you don't plan."