How to Finance a Vacation

Everyone loves to go on vacation, but not everyone can afford to take off for a week and relax in the lap of luxury. There are a few clever and unique ways you can use to finance your next vacation, and if you plan it right you should be able to save a lot of money in the process.

Timeshares are properties that are owned by several people at the same time. They are located in vacation resort areas, and they can require a sizeable investment. Every so often, a timeshare company will open up their properties to prospective new clients and offer free weekend vacations at their resort complex. The only requirement is that you sit through a sales presentation that the company gives to try and interest you in purchasing a timeshare. The only thing you need to be aware of is how often the sales presentations take place. Since it is required to attend a sales presentation when on a free timeshare vacation, you want to avoid an arrangement that has too many sales meetings and not enough time for relaxing. It is reasonable to expect one presentation a day lasting anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. The sales people are convincing, so consider yourself warned.

Many banks and credit unions have accounts called vacation clubs. This works the same way as a Christmas club in that you save money for a pre-determined period of time, and the money collects interest while in the account. It is really just a way to take extra money and put it aside for your vacation, but it is an extremely convenient way to make sure that you are able to get away from it all and take that vacation that you desperately need. There is usually no minimum amount that you have to save, and you can withdraw the money prior to the pre-determined date for a small fee.