Spontaneous Family Travel on a Budget

With a large family, we don’t get away on vacations as often as we used to. Larger, more detailed travel arrangements take some planning for itineraries, accommodations, family activities (that offer something for everyone) and  most of all, financial budgeting. With all of that, one would think that spontaneous family travel is practically impossible – but it’s not. Setting up your financial overview ahead may seem daunting but with a bit of organizing and help from your bank, saving for the fun things in life, including family vacations becomes a very real possibility.

In a survey conducted for PC Financial, 79% of Canadians say ‘good banking’ is a bank that saves them money BUT only 35% of Canadians say their bank delivers. I’d have to agree. My former bank had monthly fees, costly cheques and other fees that seemed to pop out of nowhere. Now with my PC Financial bank account I don’t have to worry about my vacation savings disappearing.

Stack Your Savings

Whether you are planning a family vacation or a staycation, preparing your financial budget ahead is always smart. A spontaneous weekend trip or a day at the hometown fair is possible with a little stash of smartly saved and gained money. As a mom, regardless if I have a trip in sight or not, it’s a relief knowing that I can do something short notice with my family, should opportunity present itself. Knowing money won’t hold me back and the look of excitement and surprise on my kids faces to follow is incomparable.

When I opened a no-fee, no-catch bank account I knew I was working smarter, not harder for my family. Like anyone looking for ways to get away with their family, reconnect and spend quality time with your kids in a world where the fast lane is the norm, saving money is important.

With $250 in money I had set aside for a family travel fund, I opened an Interest Plus savings account and also earned $150 worth of  PC points to use later. Points I can stack away with coupons and other points I’ve earned all year long for things like a cooler full of road trip food or mosquito spray and sunblock on a spontaneous camping trip. You can start saving smart for you family like me; from now until July 31^st, 2014, if you open a PC Financial bank or an Interest Plus savings accounts, you can earn 2.5% on new/non-registered deposits.

Now that’s what I call smart family travel planning, making your money do the work so you can spend time on more important things, like whisking your family off on a spur of the moment weekend getaway.

My Tips for Achieving Spontaneous Family Travel

• Prepare Ahead – Set up a monthly family budget long before travel becomes a thought. Budget for monthly bills, groceries, family activities, other costs that may arise and set aside an agreed upon amount of money to put into a travel fund savings account each month – and forget about it.
• Save on Fees – Open an account without unnecessary daily banking fees or hidden costs.
• Shop Smart – Gain points with loyalty rewards programs, to use later for things like free groceries (this could be handy for snacks on your next road trip too).

Q: What would you like your next family vacation or staycation to be next?

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of President’s Choice Financial®. The opinions on this blog are my own.