How to Save When Booking Summer Vacation

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Posted On: April 5, 2022 by Peoples Bank of Kankakee County in: Budget Family Saving Seasonal

Summer may be a few months away but planning early will ensure a relaxing and affordable experience. Start your planning process now and use these tips to make your summer vacation seamless and inexpensive.

Book Airline Tickets Well in Advance

Advanced planning is key for a successful, budget friendly vacation. Decide where and when you would like to travel. Consider looking for attractive deals BEFORE deciding on your destination. The earlier you book your flight, the better the discount and flight times. Check flights regularly to catch the best price on airfare – specifically research during the day midweek rather than in the evening and on weekends. Consider being flexible with departure and return dates, even looking at connecting or red eye flights.

Set a Budget and Detailed Itinerary

Vacation expenses can add up quickly when you leave your days unplanned. Once you decide upon your vacation destination, begin exploring options to see what best will fill up your days and not your budget. Save money by prebooking excursions or attractions. Schedule free downtime for things like reading by the pool or taking a walk. Research free or cheap entertainment ideas in the area. Look for lodging with an in-room kitchen or refrigerator for a few grocery items. Also, many hotels include the first meal of the day in their rates. Food is most definitely a large part of the vacation experience, so be sure to give yourself some wiggle room to fully indulge at times.

Road Trip to Savings

It may be more cost effective to drive rather than fly. Turn your sprint into a jog with a well thought out road trip. When mapping out your travel route, factor in the number of miles, as well as the number and duration of stops. Doing this can give you an approximate time frame, as well as the cost of meals and lodging along the way.

Besides saving you a lot of money, road trips allow you to enjoy your vacation sooner amongst the hidden gems along the way. They allow you to live freely in the moment and be open to the unique opportunities you may find as you go. Driving yourself allows you the option to pack your own travel snacks and avoid overpriced airport food.

Maybe you’d even like to consider renting a camper or RV for your next vacation. Let’s face it – RV’s feel like a home away from home – but even better, because it is on wheels! RV travel gives you more flexibility and allows you to carry everything you need with you. And it’s ideal for social distancing!

Fly or Drive Calculator

Not sure if you should drive or fly for your next trip? Utilize this helpful online calculator to compare the cost and time of each option: https://www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/. Be confident you are using the most time and cost-effective means of traveling.

Summer Vacation to Staycation

As nice as it is to travel quickly by plane or enjoy a long winding road trip, sometimes you can have the most fun close to home. If your primary reasoning for a vacation is to get some well-deserved rest and relaxation, consider lessening your anxiety and rejuvenate at home. Minimize the pressure for preparation and say hello to peace and quiet! Consider the stress an “away” vacation may bring to see if it’s best to skip the trip this time.

Here are some staycation day and night options to consider booking:

Spa – facial, massage, manicure, or pedicure
Farmers Market
Museum
Local Resort
Winery or Brewery
Golfing
Movie Theatre
Try a new restaurant
Comedy Club
Concert
Sports and Games Club

Save yourself money and stress with these helpful tips for your next vacation. Ultimately deciding the details and what is worth the cost well in advance will ensure happiness for you emotionally and financially!

An overdraft occurs when you do not have enough money in your account to cover a transaction, but we pay it anyway. We can cover your overdrafts in two different ways:

We have standard overdraft practices that are available after your account has been open for 30 days and as long as you maintain your account in good standing.
We also offer an overdraft protection plan, Overdraft Protection Sweep, a link to a savings account. It may be less expensive than our standard overdraft practices. To learn more, ask us about this plan.

This notice explains our standard overdraft practices.

What are the standard overdraft practices that come with my account?

After your account has been open for 30 days and as long as you maintain your account in good standing, we do authorize and pay overdrafts for the following types of transactions:

Checks and other transactions made using your checking account number
Automatic bill payments

We do not authorize and pay overdrafts for the following types of transactions unless you ask us to (see below):

ATM transactions
Everyday debit card transactions

We pay overdrafts at our discretion, which means we do not guarantee that we will always authorize and pay any type of transaction.

If we do not authorize and pay an overdraft, your transaction will be declined.

What fees will I be charged if Peoples Bank of Kankakee County pays my overdraft?

Under our standard overdraft practices:

We will charge you a fee of up to $30 each time we pay an overdraft.
The maximum daily overdraft fee per presentment or item paid using the Overdraft Reserve Program is $150.00 per day.
No per item handling fee will be charged on de minimis overdrafts. De minimis overdraft for this policy means transactions that overdraw your account by $30 or less.
There is an overdraft fee of $5 per day that will be charged beginning the 4th consecutive business day your account is overdrawn.

Nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees - if an item drafted by you (such as a check) or a transaction you set up (such as a preauthorized transfer) is presented for payment in an amount that is more than the amount of money in your account and we decide not to pay the item or transaction, you agree that we can charge you an NSF fee for returning the payment. Be aware that such an item or payment may be presented multiple times by the merchant or other payee until it is paid, and that we do not monitor or control the number of times a transaction is presented for payment. You agree that we may charge you an NSF fee each time a payment is presented if the amount of money in your account is not sufficient to cover the payment, regardless of the number of times the payment is presented.

PAYMENT ORDER OF ITEMS - The law permits us to pay items drawn on your account in any order (for purposes of this section "items" means checks, orders and electronic transactions). To assist you in handling your account with us, we are providing you with the following information regarding how we process those items. When processing checks and orders drawn on your account our policy is to pay lower numbered checks and orders in numerical sequence, but electronic transactions are paid first in the order received. The order in which items are paid is important if there is not enough money in your account to pay all of the items that are presented. There is no policy that is favorable in every instance. If the smallest items are paid first, you may have fewer NSF or overdraft fees, but the largest, and perhaps more important items (such as rent or mortgage payments) might not be paid. However, if the largest items are paid first, your most important items might be paid but it may increase the overdraft or NSF fees if funds are not available to pay all of the items. We think our policy attains a reasonable balance between minimizing additional costs to you and paying your more important items. We encourage you to make careful records and practice good account management. This will help you to avoid creating items without sufficient funds and incurring the resulting fees.

What if I want Peoples Bank of Kankakee County to authorize and pay overdrafts on my ATM and everyday debit card transactions?

If you also want us to authorize and pay overdrafts on ATM and everyday debit card transactions after your account has been open for 30 days, you may opt in.

You have an ongoing right to change this consent at any time. If your overdraft privilege has been revoked for any reason, the opt-in or opt-out selection may not apply. Please contact your nearest office for more information.

Alternate ways to Opt In/Out or make changes:

By Phone. Our Customer Care Representatives can be reached at 815-936-7600.
By Mail. Peoples Bank of Kankakee County, 333 E. Court Street, Kankakee, IL 60901
In Person. Please visit your local office and ask a representative to help you decide which plan is best for you.