Wine With Wanda

Four Tips for Funding Your Dream Vacation

Embark on a financial plan to make your travel dreams to Paris, or any corner of the globe, a reality!

Travel magazines and Hollywood films that show women eating and loving in faraway places can make us long for our own adventures abroad. But let's face it - it takes money to travel the world and many of us don't have the means to jet set on a whim. However, don't let your finances derail your dream of exploring the world. Travel is one of the most important gifts that we can give ourselves. With a little strategic planning, by this time next year you could be sipping a café au lait in Paris or shaking to samba in Rio.

1. Put Your Piggy Bank to Work
Open a savings account that serves exclusively as the piggy bank for your vacation. Add $25 a week to your vacation account and within a year you'll have $1300 towards your trip.

2. Put That Trip on "Layaway"
Shelling out a few thousand dollars all at once can be pretty daunting but what if you could pay for your dream trip with a small deposit and monthly payments? Gate1 is one of the largest tour operators to offer this option and STG Tours is a boutique agency that also provides this service. A friend of mine recently used the layaway option for her dream trip to Greece and Turkey - the smile on her face when she made the final payment towards her adventure was a sight to behold!

3. Rack Up Miles Without Leaving the Ground
Do you have a favorite airline? Most major carriers offer credit cards that allow you to accumulate miles with your purchases. I used to be confused by people who whipped out their credit cards for even the smallest transaction but now I realize that they were racking up miles. Most cards even give you some bonus miles with your new account. And contact your bank about the credit cards that you already have - you might be missing out on rewards programs that include miles that can be redeemed with various airlines.

4. No Hotel, No Problem
Hotel expenses can add up quickly but renting a home can save you big money. Websites like Airbnb make it easy to find everything from tiny studio apartments to spacious homes. There really is something for every budget. Not only will your rental charge be significantly cheaper than a hotel stay but you'll feel more immersed in the local culture. I did this on my trip to Paris last year and loved it. Travel with a friend and save even more by splitting the expenses. To really save money, you can register with HomeExchange and swap your home with someone else.

Do you have some vacation savings strategies that you would like to share? Let me know!

 

Frida & Diego Together Again On Mexico's 500-peso Bill

Artistic legends and star-crossed lovers Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera will be  immortalized on cold-hard cash. Starting on Monday, the Bank of Mexico will circulate a new 500-peso note bearing their images. According to the Los Angeles Times, "the faces of Rivera and Kahlo appear on opposite sides of the new bill, along with reproductions of works by them." Reunited and it feels so good!

In case you are wondering, 500 pesos is a little less than $50.

Tips from Catey Hill on How To "Travel Like a Queen on a Pauper's Budget"

Catey Hill, the author of Shoo, Jimmy Choo: The Modern Girl's Guide to Spending Less and Saving More, is a stylish expert on living fabulously without going broke! Her lively and informative book is a must-read for any fiscally-challenged diva looking for solid financial advice. I heard Catey speak tonight and she shared great information about travel websites that help adventure loving ladies "travel like a queen on a pauper's budget." Check out Catey's picks!

TabletHotels.com offers significant discounts, up to 40% off, on luxury hotels around the world. The site also showcases the favorite hotels of celebrity travelers like Sir Ben Kingsley, Richard Meier, and Selita Ebanks. Jetsetter.com, from the creators of the fashion website Gilt Group, e-mails big travel deals to their members.  

Save even more money by skipping the hotel and doing a house swap with HomeExchangeVacation.com or rent an apartment or vacation home with HomeAway.com. Airbnb.com, known as the"Ebay for space," is an online marketplace for traditional and non-traditional accommodations that offers everything from private rooms to treehouses!  

Shoo, Jimmy Choo: Save Money for Your Next Vacation

Let's face it, even budget travel requires money! Whether you are saving for a weekend escape or your dream vacation, join The Black Dress Traveler for a special evening with Catey Hill, author of Shoo, Jimmy Choo: The Modern Girl's Guide to Spending Less and Saving More.

This fun evening will take place on Tuesday, March 2 at the Williams Club (24 East 39th Street bet. Park and Madison Avenues) at 6:30 pm. The cost is $15 per person and includes hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine and soda. To reserve your space, please send an e-mail to [email protected] and let them know The Black Dress Traveler sent you. Once you have made your reservation, you can pay cash at the door.

Catey will show you how to evaluate why you spend, tweak your spending habits (without completely depriving yourself), get out of debt, create a savings and retirement plan that even lets you splurge sometimes (because, really, who can live without at least the occasional mani-pedi or brand-new dress?) and how to make your travel dreams work with your fiscal reality.

Catey Hill is the money editor for the New York Daily News online. Previously, Hill was the marketing manager at Plum TV and the author of The Plum Wealth Report, a specialized blog focusing on the purchasing behaviors of affluent consumers. She first realized her need to kick her shoe habit and get her finances in order when working as the financial marketing manager for Forbes magazine.

Three Easy to Keep Travel Resolutions

Is traveling more one of your New Year's resolutions? Here are 3 easy suggestions for making your travel dreams a reality in 2010.

1. Say goodbye to Starbucks and bonjour to Paris. Let's face it, traveling without money is nearly impossible. Unfortunately, today's economic climate has forced many of us to drastically downsize our travel budgets. However, by reducing your spending in other areas you can add some serious cash to your travel coffers. 

For example, visits to my lovely neighborhood cafe cost me about $20 a week. I've decided to limit my croissant and coffee sojourns to one trip a week and put $15 a week into my travel kitty. Doing this faithfully, I will save $720 towards my next trip. This time next year, I could be sipping a cafe au lait in Paris.


2. Explore your own backyard: Fantasizing about your dream vacation can be both a great motivator and a bit of a downer. If that trip is too far off in the distant future, frustration can easily set in. Set aside one day every 4-6 weeks to nurture your inner explorer by taking an inexpensive day trip to a place close to home. Visit that vineyard, historical house or museum that you've never been to.

3. Wanderlust Begins in the Brain: When I was a little girl, I traveled in my mind before I ever left my neighborhood. Books, movies, music, and food are great ways to indulge your wanderlust with minimal effort. Are you dreaming of Barcelona? Pour yourself a nice glass of cava and curl up with Carmen LaForet's classic book Nada or watch Woody Allen's Vicki Cristina Barcelona. For a few hours you'll feel transported and absolutely rejuvenated.