It's the time of year when I start daydreaming about my summer holiday. The weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and I've been working hard all year with only two short breaks since January.
I've got just enough juice left in me to make it through to Christmas, but then I'm determined to take a really decent break.
![Dreaming of boating in the Whitsundays?](/web/20161011113001im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/x/n/s/y/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grxnlm.png/1476159159547.jpg)
I've got a bit of leave owing, so I'm hoping for five or six weeks so I can fully recharge my batteries.
My kids spend most of their school holidays with a patchwork of vacation care, art and drama workshops, playdates and sleepovers with Granny and Grandpa. It's great but all very urban.
But in the summer we can have time off together and get out into the great outdoors.
I want to visit family in the country, swim in the ocean and under waterfalls, camp in the forest, and eat mangoes by the tray.
I put in my leave request last week and I'm starting to crystallise my plans.
So it's not surprising that I've started noticing travel-related news coming across my desk. Here are a few money-saving options you might not have heard about yet.
GetMyBoat
A relative has taken her family on a charter boat on the Hawkesbury River and is currently sharing photos on Facebook. It looks amazing.
So it pricked my interest when a mob called GetMyBoat sent me an email this week. Apparently it's like Airbnb, but for boats.
There are 62,000 boats in 129 countries listed on the website, everything from a tall ship in the Falkland Islands to a houseboat in Paris.
About 25,000 are week-long charters that cost between $5000 and $8000, but you can also borrow small craft including kayaks and stand-up paddleboards for short periods of time.
Australia has 2000 boats, and I found options everywhere from the Whitsundays to Apollo Bay, Victoria.
My kids are only five, so I better wait a few years for them to become better swimmers.
Meanwhile, there's always Camplify, an online marketplace for caravans and campervans.
Travel Frenzy
This year the team behind Click Frenzy has launched Travel Frenzy. This will be an online sale for 24 hours, with up to 70 per cent off holiday packages, flights, hotels and accommodation, cruises, tours, experiences, insurance and rental cars.
The organisers are expecting a million visitors to clickfrenzy.com.au for the travel sale. Participating brands announced so far include Hilton, Webjet, TigerAir, Hotels.com, Accor, Mantra, Europcar, AAT Kings, Intrepid, Fast Cover, and Covermore.
If you're interested, mark 7pm on Tuesday, October 18, in your calendar.
Remember, too many options can sometimes result in decision paralysis, so maybe narrow the parameters by thinking about your desired holiday beforehand and booking the leave for particular dates in advance.
Airbnb-Qantas partnership
Qantas' 11.4 million frequent flyer members will be able to earn one point for every dollar they spend on an Airbnb room or property.
The deal has not surprisingly made the hotel industry furious, while Qantas is patting itself on the back for being a digital disrupter.
Still, the deal does make sense. This deal makes me more likely both to use Airbnb and to focus on my Qantas frequent flyer program rather than my Virgin Velocity points.
I rarely stay in the big hotel chains and they've never been compatible with my frequent flyer programs when I have.
Car Hire Excess
This is a possible way to save money when you're renting a car.
It's pretty common that car hire companies will offer an attractive headline rate but then sting you for extras, such as child seats, sat nav systems, additional driver charges, cleaning costs and refuelling charges.
One of the tricks is to convince you to buy an excess reduction fee, also known as a collision damage waiver, at the depot when you arrive to pick up the car.
This is a fee of $25-35 a day to reduce or eliminate the excess on the insurance in the event of a claim.
The excess can range anywhere from $3000-$5000 for a standard vehicle and up to $8000 for campervans and motorhomes.
According to Car Hire Excess the fee is a rip-off. (They would say that, wouldn't they?) They're suggesting you prepurchase it at carhireexcess.com.au.
It's a new standalone insurance policy that will eliminate your excess fee for just $11 a day. The company claims the insurance is compatible with all licensed car hire companies.
Plan ahead
Take a break if you possibly can, throughout the year if not in January.
The Fair Work Commission recently inserted clauses into most workplace awards to allow employees to cash out leave rather than taking a holiday.
It would be a shame if this caught on, and contributed to a culture of overwork.
A 2014 study, the Australian Work and Life Index from the University of South Australia, found that Australian workers were stressed, overworked and reluctant to take holidays.
There's plenty of evidence that taking an extended break delivers strong benefits for health and wellbeing of both individuals and families.
But don't leave it to the last minute and then dump it all on a credit card.
Research by Finder.com.au suggests that 211,000 travellers will take more than 12 months to pay off their holiday credit card debt this holiday season.
That means they could still be paying interest on it by this time next year.
So unless you've budgeted for it, it's best to keep your expectations in check.
A friend was discussing travel plans with her family the other day when the five-year-old piped up and suggested they all visit the International Space Station.
Good luck with that one.
Caitlin Fitzsimmons is the editor of Money. Find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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