Today we have a guest post by Katherine White. She is a contributor for 365 Business Tips and a digital marketing expert for e-commerce brands such as Breazy.
If you’ve decided to travel for the Holidays, it’s important to avoid some of the commonly made mistakes made during this season. With it being such as hectic time, people will often become careless about protecting their personal information and be impulsive with purchases. This leads to long-term regret and possibly damage to your financial health.
(Note, this site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. When you click on an affiliate link and buy something, The Small Investor will get a small commission for the referral. You are charged nothing extra for the purchase. This helps keep The Small Investor going and free. I don’t recommend any products I do not fully support. If you would like to help but don’t see anything you need, feel free to visit Amazon through this link and buy whatever you wish. The Small Investor will get a small commission when you do, again at no cost to you.)
By avoiding these mistakes, your holiday travel will run stress-free:
Public Wi-Fi for Financial Transactions
You can find public Wi-Fi at airports, public transports and coffee shops
. It’s best to avoid making any financial transactions online while you’re connected to public Wi-Fi. Protect your financial data because sensitive information can easily get leaked. Over half of adults within the U.S. have their personal information exposed to hackers each year.Not to mention there are numerous videos online on how to compromise public Wi-Fi. If you can’t avoid making online payments, purchase a data plan or Virtual Private Network (VPN), as it is safer than public Wi-Fi because it encrypts everything you do. You can also purchase an unlimited data plan for your phone
if don’t want any risks with public Wi-Fi at all. It’s also important to turn off the automatic Wi-Fi connectivity feature on your device so it will prevent your phone from seeking out close hotspots.Not Creating a Budget
On top of holiday gift spending, holiday travel can get quite expensive. In general, creating budgets is key to having a healthy relationship with your finances and reduces the chances of accumulating large debt, leading you to go bankrupt. Even though creating a budget isn’t the best part of planning a vacation, it will benefit you in the long run.
You’ll be sure you’re not overspending your money and feel confident in the amount that you do decide to spend. Start with utilizing a spreadsheet in order to plan out your budget. Your budget should include all things travel related such as food, souvenirs, transportation, shopping and emergencies. Creating a budget will ensure that you come home from the holidays without feeling guilty for how you spend your cash and put you into a wealth mindset.
Waiting Last Minute to Book a Flight
Some may say waiting to book a last-minute flight helps you find a better deal. The chances of this being the case are very slim. Most often flights become increasingly expensive the longer you wait, attempt to completely avoid this burden. Always book your flight ahead of time. The more in advance that you book a flight the cheaper it’ll be for you in the long run. Using sites like google flights and Skyscanner provide you with the cheapest flights to plan ahead.
It is more difficult to find special deals and cheaper rooms. If you’re running on a tight schedule booking ahead of time may offer you more security. The holidays are not a flexible time of year and if you’re looking to have a comfortable trip make prior accommodations to avoid a convenience fee. Scrambling around last minute could be a result of waiting for a good bargain on last minute flights. Entirely not making your flight could be the ultimate price to pay for waiting around for the perfect deal.
Lower the stress on yourself this holiday
season. Attempt to make early plans, secure your information and organize your finances. The festive seasons bring along consumer vulnerabilities, don’t fall victim to spending money when you don’t have to. Taking certain precautions will ease your transition into the new year. Make your travel plans work for you while staying away from unnecessary expenses.Author:
Katherine White writes articles for businesses that want to explore different marketing strategies. Currently, she is a contributor for 365 Business Tips and a digital marketing expert for e-commerce brands such as Breazy. Her educational background in Public Relations helps her tackle topics regarding strategy, branding and messaging.
Have a burning investing question you’d like answered? Please send to [email protected] or leave in a comment.
Follow on Twitter to get news about new articles. @SmallIvy_SI
Disclaimer: This blog is not meant to give financial planning or tax advice. It gives general information on investment strategy, picking stocks, and generally managing money to build wealth. It is not a solicitation to buy or sell stocks or any security. Financial planning advice should be sought from a certified financial planner, which the author is not. Tax advice should be sought from a CPA. All investments involve risk and the reader as urged to consider risks carefully and seek the advice of experts if needed before investing.