Everyone enjoys a nice vacation. If you are working a stressful job that makes you feel entitled, you may want to get away for a week or two. It’s not always easy to save up for vacations and it’s definitely takes work to find cheap vacation ideas these days (with the cost of gas and airfare going up), so the two choices that people are often left with are 1. Not go on vacation or 2. Finance their vacation.
Whether you realize it or not, financing your vacation is a very bad idea. It not only puts you further behind, but contributes to the mentality that financing luxury items are okay. This is not a way to control unnecessary spending or avoid debt. Be sure to revisit my reasons for avoiding debt if you need something to motivate you.
Why Financing Vacations is a Bad Idea
Let’s say you decide to finance your vacation on your credit card because you just can’t handle staying in town one more day. You absolutely “have” to get away. This may not seem like a bad idea because you tell yourself you can sacrifice later once you get rejuvenated. You can make up for it.
The only downside is that this makes it harder to “make up for it.” Playing catch up is always harder than it seems. Not only do you still have to pay for your regular bills, but you have to pay the debt that you owe (and interest). This is part of the reason you should avoid debt at all costs.
Another important question that you should ask yourself before financing any vacation is whether you will be able to fully enjoy yourself if it is financed. Think about it. You’re sitting on the beach, the waiter comes by and asks if you would like a drink. You ask yourself if you can afford it and at that instant, when normally you should have no other worries in the world, you are reminded that this entire trip is not paid for. Not only can you not afford the drink, but you can’t afford to do anything nice. Taking a vacation like this is not going to rejuvenate you. It will only make things worse – worse for your checkbook and for your emotions. Before you consider taking a vacation on credit, ask yourself if there is anything you can do to budget for a vacation.