Where to begin...

You've decided you want to take a trip...

Well, where do you start?

It can be daunting to take on planning a holiday. You can end up stressing so much about it that it kind of defeats the purpose of even taking a holiday, and lets be honest, the average person gets nervous about experiencing new things, we're very much creatures of habit and if we step outside of our normal routine most of us tend to get a bit worked up and suffer a bit of culture shock. So you need to take steps to alleviate some of the pressure.

The way I tackle most tasks I find overwhelming is by taking on one thing at a time. It's easy to break a big task up into smaller chunks in order to reach your desired outcome- this tactic can be used for other things as well, you know... For planning a trip though, I like to start with the basics.

Where do you want to go?

Everyone's different, overseas travel doesn't appeal to everyone, nor is it a possibility for everyone. Whether you're planning an overnight stay at your local tourist park or you want to travel to the other side of the world, you need to make a list of where you want to go and then prioritise. The following points can help you decide on where to go also.

How much can you reasonably spend?

This is a big factor in any trip. I know lots of people that have taken holidays on credit, or applied for personal loans just to have that getaway they always dreamed of. If you find it too difficult to save the money but feel as though you deserve or need this trip then that's what you need to do. You just need to remember that when you get back from your awesome trip the debt will still be there waiting for you, and ultimately mean that you need to struggle and sacrifice later anyway.

My recommendation is that you work out how much you can reasonably save each week, do some research, look at your bank statement to see what your income and expenses are. Most people don't really have a clue what they're spending their money on, then wonder why they can't seem to get ahead or save any money.

Everyone has different priorities and expenses, some people spend huge amounts of their income on rent or mortgage payments, some people have loans, credit debt, some people have those bank-account drainers called 'children'. It's a good idea to see where your money is going, you'll be surprised once you get a hold on what your expenses are, that you can see that cutting out the little things can make all the difference.

The next step is to get yourself a savings account. Once you see that you can allocate a little bit of money away each week/fortnight/month, the trick is to put it somewhere where it's 'out of sight, out of mind'. For example, using online banking is a great way to hide your money. Financial institutions like ING Direct, offer online banking that's easy and although they may not offer the best interest rates, you can set up an automatic savings plan to have money transferred out of your primary bank account and you don't even have to think about it (until the end of the financial year when you need to pay tax on your interest earnings).

I suggest hopping online and checking out some comparative websites to see what will suit your individual needs.

Sometimes this can mean that you need to postpone your trip until you can afford it, but if you have the plans underway, it makes saving a lot easier because you have something to look forward to. Working towards a holiday feels so much more rewarding then just working to pay bills.

Once you have established how much you can save, then you need to decide when you can travel based on how much money you will need for your trip, which leads me to my next question:

How long can you go for and when?

If you're like me and work full-time, taking time off is limited to when you can have holidays, if you work part-time, casual, contract or otherwise you need to factor in if you will be paid for your time off, if you are eligible for leave etc. You need to check with your employer to see how much leave you can reasonably take, and this is all based on your personal situation.

There's not just work to factor but other commitments, family being a big one. If you have children in school you will be limited to either taking a holiday in the school break, or removing your child/ren during school time in which they will need to catch up on their learning. Alternately if you are heading away without the kiddies, you have the other issue of finding someone to look after them, this to will impact how long you can go for.

Once you have decided on these aspects, the fun can really begin... Planning your actual holiday!