Although cheap travel options such as cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms and cheap vacation packages certainly help make travel more affordable, sometimes a would be traveler needs to be more creative in order to afford that special vacation.
The following are some unusual ways to pay for a future trip recommended by Smarter Travel:
Travel layaway programs whereby travelers reserve a trip and then pay off the cost of their purchase over time prior to their departure dates approach is growing in popularity. Typically the entire cost of a trip has to be paid 45 days prior to the departure date.
Consider signing up at a honeymoon registry site where guests can pay for part of a registered couples honeymoon, whether by gifting cash or covering specific excursions or hotel stays. A trip to Paris or Tahiti sure beats being given that third toaster you never wanted in the first place.
Request a trip for a special occasion such as a birthday, promotion, graduation or anniversary.
Ask your grandparents if they would be willing to pay for a shared trip. This gives grandchildren the opportunity to select where they want to go, do research on their desired destination, and explain why they want to go there.
Apply for a grant. Students, researchers, volunteers, and teachers often obtain travel grants through a variety of public and private agencies. Typically such trips must have some kind of educational or developmental purpose to be considered grant worthy.
Organize a group of people to travel together. Group travelers often can realize big savings on packages and accommodations. For example, Aer Lingus frequently offers discounted Ireland packages for groups of four or more people traveling together at prices much lower that the cheapest rate for couples.
Crowd funding is yet another option where a person asks the masses to pay for his or her trip. Crowd funding sites such as Indiegogo and GoFundMe are places worth checking out. Sometimes donors give money simply because they want to help a person achieve a personal goal.
Some fundraisers invite donations by guaranteeing special prizes and benefits. For example some would be travelers offer to custom design a website or blog for $100 or $300 to tutor someone in music theory over Skype. If you have a skill that could be offered via Elance, Etsy, or Craigslist, you may have a potential crowd funding reward.
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