When it comes to luxury travel, you don’t have to be rich or famous. You also don’t have to be in the upper-middle class. In fact, luxury travel on budget is possible for the average person. All it takes is some proper preparation, creativity, and saving. In fact, there are some working-class people who are very innovative at saving up and preparing accordingly for their luxury travel on budget. And having said this, the following includes more details on how you can have a luxury vacation on a budget:
Consider Traveling to Lesser-known Destinations with Similar Atmospheres
A lot of times, people are searching to obtain the experience of being in water bungalows, sunset gazing with their mate, and being pampered. However, you don’t have to break the bank to have the most wonderful experience to accomplish this atmosphere. There are ways to plan luxury travel on budget to obtain that experience, like a dash of magical realism.
One way to accomplish this is by considering various options available in South and Central America. These options will give you a feeling of Maldives and luxury for less. Panama, for instance, has some nice resorts with fewer crowds, over-the-water bungalows, solar energy, and untouched beaches. Also, Mexico may have bungalows and all-inclusive resorts for more affordable costs.
These countries are only two choices. So, with just a little more research, you may be amazed by all the luxury travel of a budget you can obtain that is underrated. Enrolling in programs that provide the best travel locations for less and educational resources is also a wonderful idea. You will find a lot more about luxury travel on budget with these programs, industry websites specifically for travel agents, and industry magazines, especially those for travel agents.
Travel During a Less-Demand Season
A good alternative for luxury travel on budget is by visiting different areas when the weather may not be perfect. For example, you may find more affordable offers on a cruise in October. Even though you may run the risk of dealing with a hurricane, these cruises will have backup plans, like taking alternative routes.
Another wonderful example of having luxury travel on budget during the off-season is visiting a cold-weather location during the winter. This could be luxurious and cozy instead of visiting this location during the busy summer months. You could also do vice versa. Take note, however, that off-seasons and peak seasons vary around the world. So, for more information about the peak travel season for a location, you should follow travel bloggers, visit the website of the US Department of State, or visit travel board websites. Visiting the U.S. news’ travel section is another resource for more information.
Booking During Promotions
Nevertheless, if you have your heart set on that cruise, and it is in prime season, you can still have the luxury travel on budget by booking during promotional periods. You may catch a deal during a peak promotional season of a cruise line, which is usually during the early part of the year. During this time, cruise lines tend to slash prices because fewer people take vacations during that time.
A leading cruise review site recently stated that the Wave Season, which is from January through March, is the prime season for discounts. According to the Miami Herald, cruise lines book approximately 40% of their cabins during this time. For cruise vacations, this is like Cyber Monday or Black Friday. Cruise customers are able to obtain free upgrades and value ads, such as fare discounts, a discount on a foot massage and other luxury treatments, such as bare skin waxing, and complimentary drink packages. So, if your preference is luxury travel on budget and you want to remain on land, you should choose that desired hotel or destination when their promotions run. You may also get discounts on the banquet hall.
For a longer trip with several destinations, and if you don’t mind the plan-as-you-go approach, there could be last-minute booking deals available for accommodation. Some people, for instance, found deals when they booked a hotel on the day of their reservation.
Joining a Loyalty Program
When it comes to luxury travel on budget, travel hacking is usually brought up. Travel hacking includes using points that are received from branded credit cards or loyalty programs for travel upgrades, hotel stays, access to airport lounges, and free airfare. These points can also be used for other things, like gift cards, dining on a budget, but travel hackers frequently reserve their points for huge ticket travel costs, such as lodging and airfare.
Numerous websites are committed to the science and art of traveling with the use of points. So, if you are savvy enough about this, you can save thousands of dollars when planning that luxury travel on a budget. Several articles on these websites also focus on how to get luxury travel on budget.
Don’t overlook the power of your debit card when it comes to the trip or spending on travel preparation. Discover Cashback Debit is one good example that enables you to get 1% cash back on up to $3,000 per month in debit card purchases.
Joining a loyalty program is another great way to obtain great benefits. You can earn points for lounging at some brands of hotels. You can earn points that you redeem later for free nights. You can frequently obtain upgrades the moment you join, and you can often obtain exclusive accessibility of flash sales via email.
When using points, there is, however, a caveat. You may have to be flexible with travel dates when it comes to figuring out how to have luxury travel on a budget by utilizing points. Specific dates are available for travel rewards for airlines and hotels. Be mindful of if you plan on using points for traveling, so you can work out your budget accordingly.
Joining a Network of House-sitting
House-sitting could also be great for luxury travel on a budget. In fact, accommodation is free when you do this. House-sitting is practically available worldwide as well. And therefore, some people take advantage of house-sitting to be able to do luxury travel on a budget throughout their state, the nation, and abroad. Furthermore, many of these homes were multimillion-dollar homes in luxurious areas throughout the country, and it’s only around $90 to $120 annually to join. Comparing this amount of money is a very small fraction to what you pay at hotels annually.
Getting Assistance From a Professional
If you still need help for luxury travel on a budget, getting a travel agent is the way to go. A travel agent has connections with specific destination suppliers that often have or know great deals you can take advantage of.
Consumers reported that they saved on average $452 for each trip and four traveling planning hours, according to the Travel Market Report. You also should join a travel agent’s email newsletter to learn about exclusive sales accessible through the agent’s connections.
Renting a Home
If you may not feel so comfortable house-sitting or you just don’t want to do that for whatever reason, renting a home may be the way to go for luxury travel on a budget. This is especially true if traveling with your family. Renting a home is often a lot more affordable than renting two or more hotels, which you may have to do when you’re traveling with your family. This is also true even at discount hotels. You’ll get the benefits of the extra amenities, a lot more privacy, and the full amenities that you deserve. And if you or one of your loved ones have to get IV treatment and is on vacation too, you can ensure the best minimally invasive atmosphere when renting a vacation home.
Cooking Instead of Eating Out
When you rent a home, you can cook freely as if you were at your own home. And even though some hotels allow cooking and microwaving, it is limited in these hotels. There may be a little burner but no oven to bake. And thus, you may still have to eat out sometimes for the best dining experience. However, when you rent a home, you will have a wide range of cooking and baking abilities, which may free up some money for more activities for you and your loved ones, such as art valuation.
Planning Activities to do at the Home
As mentioned before, you will have extra amenities when you rent a home. And with these amenities, you can do more activities there. You can all do scavenger hunts, play golf, play a frisbee, fire up the barbeque pit, play pool, and more without breaking your budget and compromising a true vacation.
Finding a Few Items That are Splurge-Worthy
It’s alright to do a little splurging sometimes. However, you should be mindful of doing only a little splurging, so choose the activities/items that are worthwhile for you and your loved ones. You should plan accordingly and discuss the items you all want to fit into the trip. It is imperative to keep in mind that you are on a luxury vacation on a budget, but you also want the vacation to be very pleasantly memorable for you and the most important people in your life.
Ask the Host
Many times, your host will know the inside scoop about local discounts and more. So, don’t hesitate to ask him/her. And even if they don’t know much about local discounts and the like because they are new, they may still refer you to someone in their organization who has a wealth of valuable knowledge about these things.
When it comes to luxury travel, you don’t have to be rich or famous. Normally, people tend to think that luxury travel is only for the rich and famous. As they flip through travel magazines or look through the Internet, it’s easy to think this way when all you see is the rich and famous traveling in luxury.
This couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, you don’t even have to be in the upper-middle class. Luxury travel on a budget is possible for the average person. All it takes is some proper preparation, creativity, and saving. In fact, there are some working-class people who are very innovative at saving up and preparing accordingly for their luxury travel on a budget.
And having said this, being innovative, creative, and saving goes a long way. You can:
- Consider Traveling to Lesser-known Destinations with Similar Atmospheres
- Travel During a Less-Demand Season
- Booking During Promotions
- Joining a Loyalty Program
- Joining a Network of House-sitting
- Getting Assistance From a Professional
- Renting a Home
- Cooking Instead of Eating Out
- Planning Activities to do at the Home
- Finding a Few Items That are Splurge-Worthy
- Ask the Host
The options mentioned above will significantly help you and your loved one’s luxury travel trip where you can save several hundreds to several thousands of dollars. And not only that, you and your loved ones will also have very fond memories for years to come without you having to break the bank. The examples mentioned above, such as enrolling in programs that provide the best travel locations for less and educational resources, and joining a loyalty program greatly go a long way, but the innovative mind can go further.
Also, considering the various options available in South and Central America goes a long way. These options will give you a feeling of Maldives and luxury for less. Panama, for instance, has some nice resorts with fewer crowds, over-the-water bungalows even with custom closets, and untouched beaches. Also, Mexico may have bungalows and all-inclusive resorts for more affordable costs. However, there are also places shown online worldwide that are not considered.
The sky is the limit for luxury travel on a budget. So, have a happy luxury journey for less!
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