TRAVEL BLOG 24/03/2020

In this time of enforced isolation, and what feels like incarceration, it is the perfect opportunity to plan a dream holiday. If you have been forced to decamp your office to your home, setting yourself a goal for when the restrictions end will give you the reward you deserve for all your hard work and sacrifice. With less travelling expenses, fewer nights out with your mates and no opportunity to impulse buy, you could easily be able to afford your dream holiday by the time you regain your freedom.

Easy saving tips

Limitations on shopping are a brilliant incentive to change your diet and cut out on all those non-essentials you spend out during a traditional working week. By not drinking bottled water for six months you will save yourself £182. Not grabbing a takeaway on your way home because you are too tired to cook will at least £260 to your holiday fund. Not buying a ready-made sandwich at lunchtime could save you £330. By cooking at home instead of venturing to your local for a once a month date night could add £360 if not more to your fund. Bulk buying staple food items save you another £130 as can changing where you buy or the frequency of your deliveries. And now the pubs are all closed the average £18 a week you would spend downing four pints of amber nectar on a night out with friends, could top up your six month total by £432. All in all, changing your eating and drinking habits could add up to £1684 per adult in just 24 weeks.

Dream destinations

Whether you have a favourite destination in the UK or dream of jetting off to somewhere further afield, now is the time to start ticking off those destinations you have always wanted to visit. 

Everyone has a bucket list. Whether it is a tour of Irelands best golf courses or Scotlands best distilleries, the options are limitless. If you want to stay in the UK, there is a book to help you plan your trips. Maybe walking the length of Hadrians Wall, sailing around the coast, doing a north to south trek, or a road trip to find Nessy with the kids is on your UK list of adventures.

Not as close to home but within a quick, easy flight or rail journey if you are eco-minded, the legendary cities of Paris, Rome and Berlin will await you. If cultural heritage is your love, then the ancient ruins of Ostia Antica or Trajan’s forum stand timelessly to be discovered 

The towering scenic Alpine landmarks and flower-filled pastures of the Swiss, Austrian and French Alps will be perfect in the autumn months. And is stunning coastline vista’s are what you crave then the beautiful landscape of Italy’s Cinque Terre is a worthy bucket list destination.

If you are exceptionally focussed on saving for a trip of a lifetime to a ‘must-see’ destination. You could find yourself trekking in the lush, misty forests to discover the lost ancient city of Machu Picchu at the end of 2020. Or observing some of the world rarest and most fascinating species in the Galapagos Islands. Or snorkelling in the iconic Great Barrier Reef, which should be teeming with new life after six months of no visitors.

Earn your holiday extras

In readiness for your dream trip, why not spend our extra hours at home sorting out your wardrobe. Most people dread doing this and will leave this lengthy chore until the doors of their wardrobe refuse to shut. Have you heard of the Marie Kondo method?

You need to have time to commit to her method, so take at least a day. Focus on your holiday and take out the items you don’t wear any more because they don’t fit, they no longer like them, or they are the wrong style. Put them in piles initially and then go through them to see if they can be sold, given to charity, upcycled into something else or can be used as cleaning cloths. 

If you have items, you can sell that’s a bonus as these can add to your dream holiday savings pot and could go towards new clothes or extra spending money for your holiday. eBay is a fantastic option for selling clothes you no longer need or want, and you can sell just about anything. And there are two selling options. ‘Buy It Now’ for items you don’t want to negotiate on or the auction method where your clothes, scarves, shoes or handbags may go for peanuts or if popular may sell for more than you paid for them originally. If it’s niche or vintage, there will be more demand, and you might want to use Depop, Vinted, Preloved or even Facebook Marketplace.

If you are motivated there are many more items to save for your dream holiday. Working from home means no transport costs, and it will give you time to search around for better energy, broadband and banking deals. When you start to see the monetary rewards, this enforced period of change brings to your bank balance, set up an automatic transfer into a dedicated savings account. And don’t touch your pot of gold until you have reached you are ready to book your dream holiday. You will be amazed by what you can afford!

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