Love travelling, but don't have enough money? Here is how you can fund it

Indians love to travel. If you have any doubt about that, a total of $94 billion was spent on 3 billion domestic and foreign trips by Indians in 2018, making the travel and tourism industry the seventh highest contributor to national GDP. According to a report called 'How Does India Travel' by Bain & Company and Google India, the industry is expected to grow by 13 per cent to $136 billion in 2021. This includes spending on shopping, recreation and food, which are set to grow at 13 percent ($65 billion) over the next three years.

Now, this massive movement of travelers shows how difficult it is to plan a trip in India, especially during the peak season. It is necessary therefore, that while planning your trip, you need to take into account a lot of things. This is the reason why most people delay their travel plans and often, end up shelving them. But, a bit of knowledge and smart thinking can help you pull off your dream trip with ease. 

Understand planning

What is planning? Satyam Kumar, Executive Director, Loantap Financial Technologies told Zee Business TV that people have started overusing planning. "Even when people are going out for a weekend, they say let's plan the trip. But, this planning is limited to mode of travel, place of stay or food," he said,

Satyam added that nobody talks about the financial planning of a trip. Ironically, it is the most important part. What happens is that people end up spending without a plan which leads to extra expenses. 

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How to fund your trip

1. Plan early - The best way to pull off a financially healthy trip is by planning early. Satyam explained that this allows travellers to park their money in an investment instrument and grow it. "The best way to go on a trip is by planning it in advance and investing in SIPs. It allows you to have enough money by the time you actually leave for the trip. Also, during the trip, you don't have to worry about the expenses," he said. 

2. Save - The good old method, followed by most travellers. Start saving a part of your income a few months before the trip and use it when the time comes. 

3. Use incentives - Satyam said the third option is the bonuses you get from office. "You can identify when you are about to get a bonus or an incentive. You can plan your trip around that time," he said.

What if you still don't have enough money?

In case you are not able to arrange money on your own, you can turn to other methods like, bank loans or NBFCs, said Satyam. "Apart from these, you can take a loan from bank or use credit cards to fund your trip. People who have not planned their trip in advance, can opt for these options," he said.

However, Satyam warned that people need to keep in mind that they will end up paying extra in the form of interest which is an unwanted expense and can be avoided.