With a little bit of preparation, it’s really not hard to take a holiday in Australia without spending the rest of the year paying it off your credit card when you return. That’s because Australia is choc-a-bloc full of fun things to see and do that don’t cost a thing. On top of that, the Aussie dollar is strong at the moment and awesome airfares can definitely be found.
Below are a few suggestions to make your next holiday as affordable as you would like it to be.
Travelling Overseas
- Book in advance: Early bird specials are usually better than last minute specials (especially when booking for the school holiday period).
- Avoid school holidays: If your kids are young, travel outside of the school holiday period (travel is educational too!)
- Pay for your trip up front: Save up and pre-pay for your holiday rather than put it on the credit card to deal with when you get home.
- Save money with an all-inclusive deal: Consider an all-inclusive package holiday such as a cruise or meals included trip to Fiji etc. This way most of the holiday costs are covered before you even leave.
- Keep an eye out for specials: They’re out there, so don’t just jump at the first deal you see.
- Last, but most importantly: You’re taking the time to go on a holiday, so enjoy it! If you’re going to be a 1,000 times happier staying at the place across the road that costs $50 more a night, then stay there.
Travelling in Australia
- Beach & camping road trip. Need we say more? The options are endless! My most favourite trip as a child was the two week road trip my mum took us on to Uluru.
We stayed in Broken Hill, bunked under-ground in Coober Pedy, Camped at Uluru, then moved on to Kings Canyon and Alice Springs. Almost all of the activities we did were free and, if they weren’t free, were pretty cheap.
On trips like these, buying food is often the biggest cost that adds up. So be prepared and take food with you. It’s much cheaper to buy potato chips in bulk from the supermarket than it is to buy a few packets at a service station on the way. And it’s much cheaper to share a tin of baked beans than it is to buy a few meat pies – just remember it’s all about the experience!
If you’re not up for a big road trip then consider camping by the beach. Holidays don’t come much more relaxed or chilled out than this. Just don’t forget to take a pack of cards or a board game for the inevitable thunder storm.
Whether you want to travel locally or internationally make sure to save up before you go and pre-paying as much of the trip as possible. Try to avoid using your credit card at all.
Also, do your research. Ask friends and search online for the best places to stay as well as the best free activities around. The following sites provide a lot of useful information for Australians when considering a holiday with your children.
Have a great break!
This post has been contributed by Spank Your Bank. View their Blog at www.spankyourbank.com.au/blog