Going on vacation? Here’s how not to overspend — Forever 39 Podcast

Subscribe to Forever 39 on the NJ 101.5 app to get alerts of new episodes.

With July only weeks away, many New Jerseyans are gearing up for their annual summer vacations. And while vacations are budgeted expenses for many families, overspending is often a reality.

The annual Allianz Travel Insurance Vacation Confidence Index survey found that Americans planned to spend more than $100 billion on summer vacations in 2017, a 12.5 percent increase over 2016.

So how much of that $100 billion figure translates into a summer vacation? On average, the survey found that Americans each planned to spend $1,978 on their 2017 summer vacations, with Gen-X spending the most amount of money, followed by millennials and baby boomers. That's a whole lot of sightseeing fun!

And while $1,978 would be plenty for some vacationers, others might be tempted to break the bank. It's pretty easy to justify charging a $200 beach massage while you're in Aruba, but that bill is going to need to be paid once you return from your trip.

On this week's episode of Forever 39, we give some sensible tips to keep your vacation budget in check while still enjoying yourself. For this topic, we turned to two separate sources for tips. An article in USAToday lists fours things that vacationers on a budget should do before they depart for their trip, including deciding where to go after you've looked at how much you can afford to spend. Now there's a concept we need to implement!

We also cite an article by Skyscanner that lists 20 things vacationers can do to keep costs down. From the cheapest days to fly to saving on foreign currency exchange, you'll be a money-saving traveler in no time.

If you have any tips for traveling on a budget, email us at forever39@nj1015.com.

Also from this week's Forever 39 podcast — Majority of Americans dread swimsuit season. PLUS: New adventures at the Jersey Shore. Share your thoughts on all of them below, on Twitter, on Facebook or at forever39@nj1015.com.

— Annette and Megan, Forever 39

Join us for next week's podcast when we discuss a new study that finds many of us have one friend we secretly hate, what fashions to avoid at a wedding, and how to stop overspending at the grocery store.

More from New Jersey 101.5: