Introduction
We’ve been in lockdown quite often, and budgets for everything have shrunk – including vacations. This doesn’t mean that you need to resign yourself to staycations until things turn around; here are five ideas that can help you explore the possibility of a vacation on a budget, by simply thinking a little laterally.
- Visit places in/around your own city- You know exactly what we mean when we say that residents of a particular city never explore it a lot – it usually happens that people who don’t live in your city will be more fascinated by it, and visit all the notable landmarks in it. Even if you have visited all the obviously touristy spots, there will be hidden gems, and you can start your hunt for them in 2021. You can widen your search and include areas around your city as well – if you like nature, this will be an especially rewarding exercise.
- Take the cheapest flight out- Whenever regular airline service resumes, you should go onto a flight booking website or app, choose the nearest airport to you, and sort all the flights by the cheapest option. Pick the cheapest flight out, and go visit whatever place it is going to. Of course, you’ll have to do a little research about the destination before shelling out the moolah for the flight, in the unlikely event that there is absolutely nothing that captures your imagination about the destination city. Of course, you then must pick the second-cheapest flight out from your nearest airport. If the flights are a little too expensive for your budgetary requirements, a personal loan might just be the answer to going ahead with your vacation anyway.
- Road trip- If you have a car and have from one to three people willing to go on a budget vacation with you, you need to go on a road trip. This works out to be much cheaper than any other mode of transport, and it gives you the luxury of freedom of movement on your entire trip. You will encounter interesting people and see interesting places along the way, which is what the best travel stories are made of. Just make sure everyone gets a turn at the wheel – and gets to operate the audio system!
- Camp (or use an alternative to a hotel) – Accommodation is one of the largest components of any vacation budget, so camping and bringing it to zero can have a startling effect on your vacation budget. However, this might not always be possible, so you can also consider alternatives to camping like hostels, AirBnB, Couchsurfing, or just plain ol’ staying with friends. If you’d still prefer to stay in a hotel, maybe you can up your budget by a little bit with the help of a personal loan, and pay it back later in easy EMIs.
- Plan ahead, or book last minute- Booking your vacation well in advance will offer you really good discounts, as will booking it at the last minute. The latter might offer you fewer options, but certainly has more excitement involved! Either way has pros and cons; if there is anything 2020 and 2021 have taught us, it is never to assume our long-range plans will come to fruition. On the other hand, it might not be possible for most people to take off on a vacation at the drop of a hat.
Bonus tip: Eat in- While working on your budget vacation, remember that food also makes up a substantial budget of a vacation because eating out is expensive. Giving yourself the ability to cook while on vacation, even just once a day, will help you reduce costs toward food, and lower your vacation budget.
Personal loans for travel can be a great option to finance a vacation on a budget. Personal loans can be had at amounts from Rs 75,000 all the way up to Rs 25 lakh, and personal loan interest rates usually begin at around 11 per cent. Loan tenures from 12 to 72 months (1 to 6 years) can be opted for. There are a number of tools on the Internet that can help you judge what loan amount and tenure will be perfect for you, like personal loan EMI calculators.
Personal loans do not require any security, collateral or guarantor, which means that your budget-friendly vacation can be just a few clicks away from becoming a reality!
Conclusion
Whatever method or combination of methods you choose to use, remember that vacations are a necessary break from everyday life and help us recharge our batteries, so using the tips above to go on a vacation, no matter how small, will help you get back to everyday life with a newfound zest.
