Summer is calling, and for many families, that means sand between the toes, photos at scenic overlooks, and maybe—if you’re lucky—a few days where no one asks what’s for dinner. But behind the excitement of travel often lurks something less fun: the quiet anxiety of what it’s all going to cost.

At Suttle Crossland, we love helping people plan for the good stuff in life. That includes vacation. Because the goal isn’t just to get away—it’s to come home feeling renewed, not regretful. So how do you make sure your summer memories don’t come with financial baggage? Let’s get into it.

Start With Intention, Not Expedia

Most vacation regrets don’t come from where people went—they come from how they got there. Before you start browsing flights or scrolling through beach rentals, it helps to pause and ask: What’s the real reason we’re going on this trip?

Are you craving rest? Connection with your family? A break from routine? When you know what you’re really after, it’s easier to set priorities—and easier to say no to the things that don’t matter. A $600-a-night hotel might look impressive online, but if your main goal is to unwind and spend time together, that cozy rental an hour outside the city might suit you better—and cost a lot less.

Planning around purpose instead of impulse helps rein in spending before it starts.

Budget Backwards—and Don’t Forget the Cushion

Here’s something we see all the time: People budget based on what a flight or hotel costs, but forget about the rest. Meals, gas, park passes, parking fees, snacks, tips, souvenirs, sunscreen… it all stacks up faster than you’d think.

Instead, try flipping the script. Decide first how much you’re comfortable spending for the entire trip—not just one or two big-ticket items—and work backward from there.

Say your total trip budget is $4,500 for a family of four. You might break it down something like this:

• Flights: $1,200 round-trip for four
• Lodging: $1,500 for a 6-night stay at a mid-range rental
• Meals: $600 ($100/day if you mix eating out with cooking in)
• Entertainment & Activities: $400 (tickets, tours, park passes)
• Local transportation: $300 (rental car, gas, rideshares)
• Extras & emergencies: $500 (souvenirs, tips, unexpected fees)

Could you shave that number down with travel points or by staying closer to home? Absolutely. Could you spend twice that on luxury lodging alone? Sure—but that’s not the point.

The point is to plan around what’s realistic for your lifestyle, not what looks good on Instagram. And whatever your number is, add a 10–15% cushion. Life happens. Maybe there’s a flight delay, or the “free breakfast” isn’t so free. That buffer keeps small surprises from turning into big stress.

If you’ve ever returned from a trip only to dread your next credit card statement, this step alone can make a world of difference.

Travel Rewards: Helpful or a Head Fake?

Used well, travel points and rewards programs can be a clever way to stretch your budget. Used poorly, they’re a fast track to spending more than you meant to.

We’ve seen both sides. Clients who pay off their cards every month and redeem points for well-earned flights or hotel stays? Fantastic. But others end up chasing bonuses, opening multiple accounts, or overspending just to earn a few thousand miles—often without a clear plan for how they’ll actually use them.

Rewards work best when they’re part of a system you’re already managing well. They should support your plan, not dictate it. If you’re tempted to plan an entire vacation around your points, pause and make sure you’re not letting the tail wag the dog.

Don’t Trade Today’s Relaxation for Tomorrow’s Stress

It’s easy to tell yourself you’ll “figure it out later” when a trip is already in motion. But vacation debt is one of the most common causes of financial regret we see—and it usually sticks around a lot longer than the tan.

You don’t need to cancel your plans if they stretch the budget a bit. But it’s worth asking: Can I pay this off comfortably without compromising other goals? If not, it might be time to rethink the details. Maybe it’s a shorter trip, or a closer destination, or staying with family for part of the time. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

What matters is making a choice that doesn’t create financial friction later. Because nothing dulls a great memory like a few months of interest payments.

Turn Vacation Into a Teachable Moment for the Kids

Vacations are full of chances to model healthy financial behavior for your children—without turning the trip into a lecture.

You might start by giving kids a fixed amount of spending money for the trip. Whether it’s cash or a prepaid card, letting them decide how to use it gives them autonomy and teaches trade-offs. Should they get the oversized souvenir now, or save it for a treat later in the week?

You can also let them be part of the planning. Show them what dinner costs for a family of four. Talk through why you chose one activity over another. Little things like that create big awareness—and kids are often more thoughtful than we expect when given a little responsibility.

The Best Vacation Memories Rarely Come From the Most Expensive Moments

Here’s something almost everyone realizes in hindsight: the best parts of vacation usually aren’t the fancy dinners or the expensive tours. They’re the simple moments—watching the sun rise with a cup of coffee, the accidental stop at a local bakery that turned into the highlight of the trip, the game of cards played in an unfamiliar living room after a long day outside.

Spending more doesn’t necessarily make a trip more meaningful. In fact, overplanning or overspending can sometimes crowd out the spontaneity that makes travel special in the first place.

Leave room in your days—and your budget—for the unexpected. That’s often where the magic is.

Use the Tools That Keep You on Track

Even when you’re away from your usual routine, it helps to have a few supports in place.

A simple budgeting app can help you track expenses as you go so nothing sneaks up on you. Credit card alerts can keep you honest with spending or flag any surprises. If you’re traveling with kids, apps like Greenlight let you give them independence with built-in limits. And for bigger trips, especially overseas, a good travel insurance policy can be a safety net you’ll hopefully never need—but won’t regret if you do.

And if you’re one of our clients, let us know ahead of time when you’re planning a trip. We can talk through how to fund it—maybe using a particular account, offsetting with a windfall, or timing things to minimize tax consequences. Vacation planning can absolutely be part of financial planning. In fact, it should be.

Let’s Make Sure Your Vacation Supports Your Life—Not the Other Way Around

At Suttle Crossland, we believe financial planning isn’t just about spreadsheets and retirement timelines. It’s about making space for the life you want—including time off. Vacations aren’t “extra”—they’re part of living well.

Dustin Suttle, our co-founder, is an avid traveler himself—always on the hunt for meaningful experiences over flashy ones. He’s a big believer that travel doesn’t have to be expensive to be memorable. Whether it’s hiking in the Southwest or finding the perfect street food stall halfway around the world, Dustin knows firsthand that the best trips often start with a smart plan and a flexible mindset.

So if you’re thinking about a summer getaway and want to make sure it fits your goals, we’re here for that. Let’s talk about how to build great memories without dragging financial stress back in your suitcase.

Schedule a meeting with us today. Your next vacation doesn’t have to come with financial baggage.