Budget travel for the thrifty boomer

Budget travel doesn't have to be all about having a holiday on the cheap. It is about being prudent and planning to get the best holiday for the best price.

Travelling can be expensive and don't we know that. There are a number of ways baby boomers can stretch their dollars further.

Planning, is an important part of keeping a trip within budget.

So follow some of these budget travel tips:

* Consider travelling out of school holiday times.

* Look for packages that include flight,accommodation, tours and meals.

* Compare prices on the net.

* Try to book apartment style accommodation where you will have a kitchen. Then on arrival go to the local supermarket and stock up on essentials. My husband and I don't eat a big breakfast so we usually buy bread, margarine and use our own Vegemite or buy jam. There is usually coffee and tea included in the room. We also may make sandwiches for lunch. This means we can go out for our night meal. Sometimes we do like to have a big breakfast of bacon and eggs etc but by saving on most meals we can afford to do that now and then as a special treat.

* Visit travel expos as they have some great early bird specials on offer.

* Consider a cruise holiday as you get everything in the one price, flights, room, meals and entertainment.

* Travel insurance is mandatory as far as I am concerned.

"If you cant afford insurance you cant afford to travel". There are a lot of places to get reasonable insurance. If you have health cover they do discounts for members, banks such as Westpac have travel insurance, COTA have special prices for members, travel agents are usually associated with an insurance company and some like Flight Centre will try to match any you find elsewhere.

If you do the research and give yourself a budget there is no reason why you can't afford many memorable trips in comfort.

I have a separate travel account that I religiously put an amount in each month and it normally pays for our airfares overseas. We have just got back from Japan and saving are now for Italy 2011.

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