I went to the Atlantis in the Bahamas a few weeks ago and perhaps the #1 question I got asked on social media was something along the lines of, “So, you’re a budget blogger… How is this a budget-friendly trip?” The short answer was that it wasn’t. At all. Atlantis is very, very expensive no matter how you slice it.
One thing I should clarify overall is that I’m not in dire straights. Even though I talk about ways that I save money on here, that does not mean that I’m in any kind of bad financial situation. One huge misconception about budgeting is that it’s only for poor people. That can’t be further from the truth. Some of the most financially successful people I know pinch pennies and coupon clip. It’s that kind of attitude that got them to where they are financially in the first place and they want to stay there!
All that being said, at the end of the day, sometimes spending money on something is oh-so worth it as long as you can genuinely afford it. Would I be able to go to the Atlantis every week? Heck no! Was it worth it? Absolutely.
Plan ahead!
I know I’ve talked about my mini accounts on here many times and often one of them is used for saving for trips. Set a time that you’d like to travel, figure out how much it will cost including flights, hotels, spending money and transportation . It’s usually a pretty good idea to high ball here. Then, divide it by the time you have between now and then. So, if this trip is six months away, divide the cost of the trip by six and know that you’ll need to save that money per month in order to afford it.
Utilize points
Loyalty pays off. If you’re the type of person who only stays in hotels once in a blue moon, this doesn’t apply to you. But, if you travel for work, have family out of town that you visit often or just take little weekend holidays here and there, sign up for a hotel loyalty program and stick to it. Booking hotel rooms through sites like Expedia or Kayak really only save you a few dollars and you can’t utilize hotel points from them. My personal favorite is Marriott Bonvoy. Ever since the merger with Starwood a few years ago, the reward program is amazing and there are a bunch of different hotel levels (Fairfield Inn all the way up to the Ritz), if you will. Hilton also has great programs as does Wyndham and Hyatt.
The same goes for airlines. Jim is a Delta snob but I like how quickly points accrue on Southwest, especially if you have the credit card. I travel a lot for work, as does Jim, and we’re able to use points for just about every time we want to fly somewhere for vacation. It’s a nice little perk to all of my work travel.
Bring snacks
Many resorts (Atlantis included) way over charge for snacks. I went to Costco before our trip and got trail mix bags and granola bars. Viola! We had breakfast in the room from that every day. They do (miraculously) provide coffee in the room and it was nice to not have to pay for three whole meals. Even if you’re at a financial place where the over priced food won’t get to you, it is still nice to not *have* to fork over $10+ every time you need a little pick-me-up.
Buy booze at the duty free
While alcohol isn’t as expensive as I thought it would be at Atlantis, it’s still comparable to D.C. drink prices (think $8 for a beer and ~$13 for a cocktail). I bought a bottle of Captain Morgan (#classy) at duty-free and we discretely spiked our pops at the pool. I definitely recommend doing this!
Take full advantage of the resort.
While it may be tempting to do little excursions to town, there are a ton of great things right at the Atlantis or any luxury resort! Jim and I spent the one day just exploring the resort and found a ton of aquariums we hadn’t yet seen! We happened to see the sting rays during lunchtime and same with the nurse sharks. It was so cool! Also at the Atlantis is the fantastic water park with a mile-long lazy river that I loved. A few important tips, though: wear sunscreen (duh) and invest in water shoes before you go. Our feet were SCORCHED from walking on the hot pavement. (note- both the sunburn and the scorched feet were quickly remedied by THIS).
Do you have any tips for affording a luxury vacation? So many people are able to swing it that there has to be some more good tips out there!!!