Summer Travel Budgeting Center

Ah summer, glorious summer. With flowers in bloom, and lawns ever greening, we have officially crossed over the Memorial Day threshold and entered the season of escape.

This summer, eighty-five percent of Americans will hit the road (or take to the air and rails), spending on average $1,654 for their getaway.

And whether you’re jetting off to a European villa or packing the kids into the Vista Cruiser for a trek out to Old Faithful, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind, lest you overspend your budget and end up with a year’s worth of debt for your freewheeling ways.

1. Plan Wisely:
To help you reduce the financial stress of planning your summer getaway, we’ve put together a “travel calculator,” our free, web-based travel calculator designed to help you plan your vacation budget and stick to it once you’ve left home. The calculator will help you determine the cost of gas (updated daily based on national averages) for your trip as well as account for all the small things that really do add up, and, if you’re not prepared, sneak up and cause you headaches for the rest of the year.

2. Take the stress out of your next vacation:
Jason Alderman, director of Practical Money Skills for Life, shares insights and links to websites where you can research and save money.

3. Road trip your way to savings:
Meet the challenges of four weeks on the road with this fun game aimed at teaching the younger ones (and the not-so-young) to choose and spend wisely.

4. Don’t turn a glorious summer into a winter of discontent:
Thinking of spending beyond your means for this year’s vacation? Found out what that will really cost with our Cost of Credit calculator.

5. Don’t just plan for summer, plan for a lifetime
A vacation budget is just one part of a thorough long-term financial plan. Start here to find out just where your money goes every month and begin gaining some control over your money. If you want a more comprehensive tool, download our free Budget Planner (PC or MAC)

6. Stop identity theft before it happens:
Keep your identity safe and your money where it should be — in your account. Check out our section on identity theft and security to learn how to be aware of situations that identity thieves love.

7. Check your credit report when you get home:
Even if you think you’ve kept all your information and valuables safe, we recommend checking your credit report for suspicious activity when you return home. You can get yours free (once per year) at annualcreditreport.com. If you’ve already checked your report once this year, you can purchase a second access for around $9.95. And, if you live in Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont, these states have state laws that give residents of those states more frequent access to their credit reports. Check with the Federal Trade Commission about your state. And if you want to know more about credit reports and credit scores, visit What’s My Score.