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Fund Your Next Trip with a Vacation Savings Account

Fund Your Next Trip with a Vacation Savings Account

Jenius Bank Team8/24/2023 • Updated 8/5/2024
A couple sitting on chairs by the ocean.
A travel fund could make your dream trip a reality. Whether you dream of touring Europe, soaking up the sun on a beach, or just traveling nearby to disconnect from the daily grind, there’s one thing you’re sure to discover: vacation costs add up. Saving for your next trip could help take the stress out of planning your next vacation. But it isn’t always easy when you have bills to pay. And if you lump your savings together into a single account, splitting the funds to cover your trip might not happen.That’s where a vacation savings account could come in handy.

Key Takeaways

  • Vacation savings accounts let you separate your vacation fund from your regular savings.
  • Money in a savings account could earn interest, which may help you grow your travel fund faster.
  • Compare your options and look for accounts that offer competitive rates and don’t charge you monthly fees.

What Is a Vacation Savings Account?

A vacation savings account is a travel fund that you create to help you save for future trips. It’s separate from your regular savings account but could be linked to your checking account for easy transfers. Keeping travel funds separate from other savings may make it easier to monitor how much you’ve saved toward your next adventure. This may help you stay motivated and encourage you to keep saving until you reach your goal.

Benefits of Saving Ahead for A Trip

Saving for your next trip may take some time and patience, but doing so could help you make the most of your time away. A few benefits may include:
  • Building Excitement. When you save for your trip ahead of time, it helps you to anticipate the fun. You may in fact be motivated to save MORE as you plan and look at the possible activities you could enjoy.
  • Setting Guardrails. With a vacation savings account, you have money aside with your trip in mind. This may help you plan your spending in advance and avoid overspending altogether.
  • Reducing Stress. Vacations should be relaxing, but they probably won’t be if you’re constantly worried about costs and dealing with feelings of financial anxiety. If the money is already in the bank, you’re more likely to have peace of mind during your trip
  • Avoiding Vacation Debt. Since you’ve set money aside to cover your vacation expenses, you won’t have to put purchases on a credit card or go into debt to cover your next adventure.
Now let’s get into how you could make the most of your travel fund.

Tips for Getting the Most from Your Vacation Savings Account

When setting up a vacation savings account, there are a few things you could do to speed up your savings and make this account work for you.
  • Set a Goal: Setting a savings goal for your vacation fund could help you stay motivated and encourage you to contribute on a regular basis. Figure out how much you’d need for your trip, factoring in costs for transportation, food, lodging, and activities plus some extra money to cover unexpected costs like picking up a souvenir.
  • Make Regular Contributions: Making consistent contributions to the account increases your chances of building a fund that could help you experience the trip you’ve been dreaming of. Consider adding these contributions to your budget so the balance grows consistently.
  • Automate Savings: Set up automatic transfers from your checking account or your paycheck to your savings account. You could structure these deposits however you like, whether that’s once a month, once a week, or once after each payday.
  • Track Your Growth. As you contribute to your vacation savings account, keep an eye on how close you are to your goal. Get in the habit of tracking your growth and progress as you go. This way, you are able to see results and may feel motivated to keep saving more.

How to Choose the Right Vacation Savings Account

It’s important to choose an account that makes maximizing your savings easy. Let’s talk about a few features to look at when comparing your options.
  • Be Mindful of Fees: Some savings accounts charge monthly maintenance, withdrawal, inactivity fees (and more) just for having an account. Look for banks (like Jenius Bank) that don’t charge fees.
  • Shop High-Yield Accounts: Shopping around for better savings rates (expressed as an Annual Percentage Yield or APY) may help you reach your savings goal faster. In July 2024, the average rate on traditional savings accounts was 0.60% APY.1 High-yield savings accounts, on the other hand, were offering rates of 5.00% APY or higher.2 When comparing rates, be sure to choose one that you consider competitive that may help your fund grow faster.
  • Beware of Minimum Requirements: Some savings accounts may have a minimum deposit or minimum balance requirement in place. If your account dips below the minimum balance requirement, your bank may charge you a fee.
When choosing a home for your vacation fund, look for one with leading rates and the fewest fees and restrictions possible.

Final Thoughts

Vacations are meant to melt away stress and using a vacation savings account may help you indulge in experiences you’ve been dreaming of for ages, without worrying about the price tag. Opening a high-yield savings account may help maximize your savings effort and help you enjoy the trip without taking on additional debt, making that vacation glow last just a little longer. Interested in a fee-free savings account to maximize your vacation savings? Open a Jenius Savings account today!
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