Home | Contact Us | Site Map | Disclaimer

Making better vacation decisions

This information bulletin may be a little bit different than most… often, we are providing information about saving money we hope is useful to assist in a more secure financial future for you and your family. This time, we're talking about spending your money wisely on something we all look forward to -vacation. Now that I've piqued your curiosity, you're probably wondering how vacation destination choice can be quantified (because if it were qualitative, you'd likely be hearing about it from someone else).

Travel personality

In the same way there are tests for personality types, there are tests that help determine what type of traveler you are. Click here for the link to take the test. The two primary categories are Venturers and Authentics. Venturers tend to like more adventure in their travel (independent and often to unusual places) while Authentics prefer a more stable experience -- places where others have been, often on a guided tour. Of course, there are varying degrees to which you might be a Venturer or an Authentic, and an index to a detailed description of each of the six categories is provided here.

This information is useful because you can then review the website of the agency that developed the test in order to get an idea of what destinations may be appealing to you. For example, after taking the test, I scored as a Mid-Venturer (probably what you would want or expect your portfolio manager to be - curious without taking excessive risk). Using this, I could review the information provided on destinations as a basis for determining where my next trip might be. (Disclaimer: I found the vacation type personality description far more pertinent to potential trip choices than I did the destination rankings.)

Why we chose money and vacation as a topic for an Information Bulletin

Vacation money comes out of our discretionary income, and both individuals and families tend to spend a fair amount on this relative to their overall budget. If you are going to spend that kind of money, you should do whatever you can to ensure you have a positive experience. Sometimes a destination you have heard about from others may sound exciting, but turn out to be a let-down. What would be perfect for one type of traveler could be either dull or too much for another.

At the end of the day, you have a limited budget for time and money. Knowing your personality type as a traveler could help you make better decisions about using both, or can help you avoid a fit that's just not right.

Home | Contact Us | Site Map | Disclaimer

“