You can plan your next trip and figure out how to pay for it at any time of the year. Here are some ways to save or make extra money for this year's vacation:
Set up a "piggy bank" for your vacation and put money in it regularly. If you make coffee at home instead of buying it on your way to work, you can save the money you would have spent. When the kids break a rule around the house, take $1 from their allowances and save it for a vacation.
Set up an automatic deposit of a certain amount of your paycheck into a savings account for a vacation. More and more employers are offering direct deposits that can be split between multiple accounts.
Plan your vacation ahead of time. Most experts recommend that families book flights and hotels early, before seats and rooms fill up and prices go up. Also, check out the Web sites of popular places to visit to see if they have any summer deals.
• Look for other ways to make money. You could, for example, work as a direct sales representative. Direct selling is when goods and services are sold in a person's home or place of business (think Avon or Pampered Chef). This is a way to sell a wide range of goods and services, from makeup and clothes to pet supplies and kitchen tools.
Amy Robinson at the Direct Selling Association (DSA) says that direct selling companies sell goods and services worth $30 billion each year.
Robinson said, "Direct selling is a growing business and a flexible way to make extra money for a family vacation."
