World Cup is Upon Us! Start Planning Now!

Well...at least for those of us who are eagerly awaiting its beginning next summer. For now, we are busying ourselves with watching qualifiers and getting ready to enter our names into the lotteries for tickets. Josh and I are already trying to decide how we're going to map out our vacations for the next 18 months in preparation. Currently, the plan is to go to a match somewhere in the host country of South Africa and then head up to Botswana for an African Safari.

The problem is that this trip is going to be costly. More expensive than China even, mostly due to the cost of the safari. Ths is impacting all of our other trips. Where we go, when we take them, whether or not we should totally leave out a trip somewhere or maybe just Josh go somewhere. Now, I know that our financial status allows us to do things that other people may think is frivolous. But at the same time, these are things that people who are planning trips to other places (or really any major purchase) need to think about. No matter how much money you are planning to spend, you're going to spend money and you have to spend it wisely. One man's safari is another man's trip to Disney.

Planning ahead is vital and it can really help keep the costs down. Think about your finances now, and try to think about the financial possibilities 18 months from now. Is there a chance someone will be out of a job? Can you skimp on other things to make a trip a year from now possible? Is there something closer to home that offers a similar experience at a lower cost? How important is giving your family a vacation in the grand scheme of things? These are all things we consider when planning our travel and because we try to plan these things far in advance, it allows us to take advantage of deals on airlines, hotels, etc. The other advantage is we can budget our money, always keeping our goal in mind. So often I ask myself "Do I really need a new pair of shoes, or can this money be saved towards something more important like an airline ticket?" Hopefully that passed over pair of shoes will help pay for a ride on an elephant!