6 terrific ways to pay for your vacation

6 Ways to Pay for your Vacation
by Jen Campbell of Escape Destinations Travel

1.       Put a Trip on Layaway- Utilize our Special Travel Layaway Program, which allow travelers to reserve a trip and pay off the cost of their purchase as their departure dates approach, are a popular new way to book trips. Our Travel-booking site offers this special Vacation Layaway Program!  With Escape Destinations Travel, we charge ZERO fees for you, enabling you to easily save for your next vacation!  If you book your vacation through a travel agent, then EVERY vacation becomes a layaway! We’re also usually the first to know about all the greatest upcoming sales or even problems in the industry.   We generally require a $200-300 deposit (per person) and allow our travelers to pay off trips over an extended period time (thus not breaking the bank!). You must pay for your vacation at least 45 days prior to your departure date for most trips, but Escape Destinations Travel doesn't charge interest or monthly fees—hooray!!

2.       Request a Trip for Your Wedding-  Most of you reading this probably aren't likely in the throes of a passionate engagement. But the trip-as-wedding-gift trend is nonetheless worth mentioning, as honeymoon-registry sites have been multiplying like rabbits in recent years. Trade the toaster for a trip to Paris, Hawaii, Tahiti, or some other storybook post-nuptial spot by signing planning a trip through your travel agent.  We can set up a page, where it allows your wedding guests to pay for part of a registered couple's honeymoon, whether by gifting straight-up cash or covering specific excursions or hotel stays.  How creative is that?

3.       Request a Trip for Any Special Occasion-  Birthdays, promotions, graduations, and anniversaries can be leveraged to attain seed money for your next “big travel adventure”. Just set up a travel account with Escape Destinations Travel and we’ll help you organize your cash for travel plans. To get started, put together a trip-budget goal, share with your travel agent in order to come up with a plan and then share it with all your friends and family! Those who want to throw a little love your way can purchase a gift card/monetary amount to help pay off your dream trip. 

4.       Get a Grant-  In place of putting together a made-up travel grant for your parents or grandparents, you could, of course, apply for a real one. Students, researchers, volunteers, and even teachers can obtain travel grants through various public and private agencies. Your trip has to have some kind of educational or developmental purpose to be grant-worthy. It takes quite a bit of leg work on your part.  But, if you think you might meet the requirements, it can't hurt to look into the many programs that offer considerable travel funds for qualified globetrotters.   Find a good list of programs on Matador Network. StudyAbroad.com also has a very useful list of travel grants and scholarships for which students can apply.

5.       Get a Group Together-  Having trouble paying for your next travel jaunt? Consider inviting a few friends along. The more people you can get to pool money into a single getaway, the better. Groups of travelers hitting the road together can see huge savings on packages, accommodations, and more, whether by taking advantage of low-priced vacation rentals or snapping up discounted group package rates.  Those traveling with 10 people can get a free land-only package for the 11th group member from a few local travel vendors.  Ask your travel agent for details.

6.       Crowd Fund-  Why would anyone want to pay for your vacation? Sometimes donors promise money simply because they want to help a person achieve a particular goal. Travelers can leverage your own personal skills in order to gain traction on crowd-funding sites: For $100, offer to custom-design a website or blog. For $300, offer to tutor someone in music theory over Skype. If you have a skill that could be offered over Elance, Etsy, or Craigslist, you have a potential crowd-funding reward.




How do you pay for your amazing travels? Share with us on our Face Book Page!

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