Financial Tips for the Season and New Year. Tip #1 If you cannot afford it, stay home.

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Financial Tips for the Season and New Year. Tip #1 If you cannot afford it, stay home.

Introduction

As we prepare for the Christmas season and the New Year, I will do a series on some financial tips. These tips are really for persons who are struggling financially. The first tip is enjoy what you at home rather than getting a loan or using your credit card to travel abroad. You will find yourself under a lot of pressure from society making you think you have to travel away to have a vacation. Some will argue that you need to travel to enlarge your horizon. However, your horizon does not have to be enlarge by simply travelling. You can enlarge your horizon by reading and researching and you can access everything on the internet.

The Turks and Caicos Islands has attracted more than a million people in 2018 and many of us that reside or born here have never been to some of the islands. Be a tourist in your own island. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with travelling abroad but if you cannot afford it, then don’t get in debt to travel abroad. Stay home.

Cost

The average cost of a vacation with a family of four or more normally exceeds $10,000. Some people save for their vacation, some people get a loan for their vacation and others used credit cards for vacation.  One has to factor in the airline tickets, accommodation cost, car rental, taxi and meals.

While the cost of accommodation locally is also high, vacation at home will not exceed $10,000. In fact, many people are now renting their places short term and so you should be able to find some reasonable accommodations. Furthermore, you do not have to spend an entire week like what you normally do when you travel overseas.

You can further reduce your cost on vehicle rentals if you are staying for an extended period by shipping your car on the boat you can take your vehicle with you on the boat. You can also take food with you to cook.

Shopping

Most times when you go on a vacation overseas, you tend to shop. In fact, if the truth be told you really spend a lot of time shopping rather than vacationing. The good thing about being local, is that we do not have many stores for you to shop and so you will not be tempted. However, travelling overseas will tempt you to buy from stores that you do not need.

Explore local activities

While we do not have much land based activities we certainly have a lot of water activities. Go to the beach with your family. Our beach is considered the number one beach in the world. Explore the life underwater and appreciate the reason why so many come to these shores. One of my high school classmates told me that while he can swim he never really explore the underwater marine life and once he was introduced to it he was.

Another friend of mine told me how he spent the weekend with his family at a major resort on island and now that he has discovered the local rate, he will not be going to Miami for vacation when he can do it here.

Explore the caves in middle Caicos and by the way, my most favourite spot in the Turks and Caicos is Mudjin Harbour.

A lot of us are so busy with our careers and we don’t take time out to do extracurricular activities. Yes I am talking about myself too. Go fishing, go swimming and go cycling. Do some fun things and make your time memorable like how it was growing up.

Conclusion

Do not be under a lot of pressure to travel overseas for a vacation especially if you cannot afford one. However, you should take some time out and have some fun. Turn off your phone, visit the other islands and appreciate what you have locally so you can promote your own country to others. You will also save more if you vacation locally.

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