Luxury travel: how can you afford it?

These tips will help you to afford a luxury holiday to some of the world’s most glamorous destinations.

Anse Lazio beach at Praslin island, Seychelles showing the white sand, clear blue sea and lush green palm trees

In association with Tickmill

If you’re like me, you’ve spent much of the last 18 months scrolling through Instagram and sighing at photos from gorgeous destinations. And now that travel restrictions are starting to be lifted, I’m ready to start planning some overseas travel again.

Of course, that also means planning to pay for overseas travel.

Some of the places on my travel wishlist are on the expensive side, but there’s nothing like staying in a luxurious location to give you a break from your everyday life.

Here are some tips for how to afford your luxury holiday, together with a few ideas to inspire your travel. 

How to afford luxury travel

Visiting a glamorous destination for a dream holiday is certainly not the time for budget travel, so it’s important to make sure that you can afford it.

These luxury locations are some of the most popular destinations in the world.

Some of them carry the glamour of the fashion world or the movies, others are iconic destinations with a historic air. But one thing you can rely on, their popularity also drives up prices. Your accommodation, food and excursions are likely to cost more when you visit a luxurious destination.

But you don’t want to look back on your holiday of a lifetime and wish that you’d eaten at that world class restaurant or visited that historic attraction.

So here are a few tips to help you afford your luxury trip of a lifetime:

Midlife man and woman planning a holiday or trip with a paper map and laptop

Set your Budget

Your first step is to work out how much your dream trip will cost. Don’t scrimp on things and don’t leave anything out. Your budget should cover everything from travel and accommodation costs to those cocktails at sunset and yes, a souvenir or two!

Once you’ve drawn up a budget, next it’s time to work out how to pull together the money to pay for your holiday.

Start saving

It’s easy to say but now you need to set yourself the goal of making this dream trip happen. 

Look at your monthly budget and work out how much you can afford to put aside into your savings account. Or alternatively look at when you want to travel and work out how much you need to save each month to hit your target.

You’ll get your holiday of a lifetime, and also the sweet sense of satisfaction at having achieved a financial aim at the same time.

Make more money

If you can’t afford to save much from your monthly income, or you want to travel sooner than your current budget allows, you’ll need to increase your income.

Maybe you could get a part time job or set up a side hustle to boost your earning. Do you have a skill that you can charge people for, or can you make something to sell online? If you have an eye for investments, you could use a UK forex broker to begin trading and boost your finances this way. 

Whatever it is, the extra cash will allow you to pay for your trip sooner without having to scrimp in your everyday life.

Look out for savings

Yes, a luxury holiday should be everything you’ve dreamed of, but there may be ways to cut the cost a little.

For instance, do you need a full fortnight away or could you manage with just 12 days? That will save you two nights in a hotel along with all of the associated food and drink costs.

If there’s a Michelin starred restaurant that you long to dine at, can you balance that cost with a few cheaper meals?

Sign up for travel newsletters and look out for vouchers for anything from airport car parking to tickets for attractions. All of these little savings will soon add up and help to bring the cost of your trip down. And that will make your luxury holiday much more achievable.

The Eiffel tower in Paris on bright summer day, the River Seine and boats can be seen in front of it

So where are the world’s most glamorous locations?

No doubt you’ve got your own bucket list of luxury destinations that you’ve love to visit, but here is a little inspiration for your travel dreams:

  • Paris: The City of Love is also home to one of the fashion world’s Big 4 fashion weeks. And of course it also has art galleries, the Eiffel Tower and some of the world’s best dining experiences.
  • Rome: Picture yourself sipping an espresso or throwing a coin into the Trevi fountain. Rome has history in spades and the people there are oh-so glamorous. 
  • New York City: Fifth Avenue, Broadway, Times Square. Whether you love Sex in the City or Mad Men, the ‘city that never sleeps’ does 24/7 glamour and glitz like nowhere else. Click here for ideas for your visit to NYC
  • Singapore: The city state of Singapore has become a must-visit recently, with a glamorous history mixed with some of the most stunning modern architecture in the world. Click here to find out more about visiting Singapore.
  • Seychelles: If your idea of a dream trip of a lifetime is more beach than city, then the Seychelles is sure to appeal. White sands, crystal clear waters and nothing more pressing to do than choose your next cocktail. Click here to learn more about the Seychelles.
  • South of France: Or maybe you’d like to charter a yacht and sail along France’s southern coastline, visiting chic locations like St Tropez and Biarritz. Click here to discover more about a chart yacht holiday.

Wherever you’re dreaming of visiting, right now is the best time to start planning. Where will you go?