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Spring Break Travel Trends That Might Save You Money at the Last Minute

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Spring break is a quintessential time for travel in the U.S. Set to take place at some point between March 11th and April 29th, 2019, in most areas, families and college students often head out for some much-needed rest and relaxation. However, this year, some of the least expensive destinations are not the traditional options one usually explores. And, by keeping an open mind, you can save a ton on your travel plans with these spring break trip ideas.

Spring Break Trip Ideas and Travel Trends for 2019

While most spring breakers head to beach destinations, giving them a chance to soak up some sun and shake off the winter blues, a twist on the traditional trends is in full swing in 2019. According to Booking.com, more than half of all travelers are seeking out locations that are new to them and their travel companions.

And, while plenty of people still intend to hit the beach, there are a lot of city destinations on the popular list this year too.

Which destinations are cheapest depend on the week you intend to travel. Here is the breakdown.

March 11th – March 17th

  • Seattle, Washington: Visiting Seattle will cost 13 percent less than usual

March 18th – March 24th

  • Boston, Massachusetts: Booking a trip to Bost is 54 percent cheaper than usual
  • Biloxi, Mississippi: Travel to Biloxi for 39 percent less
  • Chicago, Illinois: Visitors to Chicago will spend around 30 percent less
  • Denver, Colorado: Trip cost estimates show hitting Denver is 21 percent cheaper than usual
  • Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Travel for 24 percent less to Myrtle Beach
  • New York, New York: You could spend 36 percent less by heading to New York this week

March 25th – March 31st

  • Pigeon Forge, Tennessee: A trip to Pigeon Forge should be around 31 percent cheaper
  • San Francisco, California: Travel to San Francisco is also about 23 percent less

April 1st – April 7th

  • Anaheim, California: Heading to Anaheim will cost 14 percent less than usual
  • Austin, Texas: Not a typical spring break destination, but it is about 25 percent cheaper this week
  • Gatlinburg, Tennessee: Save around 11 percent by heading to Gatlinburg now
  • Los Angeles, California: Spring breakers could find prices approximately 8 percent lower than usual in Los Angeles
  • Miami Beach, Florida: A quintessential option, Miami Beach is around 20 percent cheaper

April 8th – April 14th

  • Honolulu, Hawaii: Between April 8th and April 14th, Honolulu will be about 8 percent cheaper
  • Houston, Texas: Head to Houston and you’ll find prices about 24 percent lower than usual

April 15th – April 21st

  • Atlanta, Georgia: A trip to Atlanta is 33 percent cheaper this week
  • Las Vegas, Nevada: Head to Vegas this spring break and save 25 percent cheaper
  • Nashville, Tennessee: Prices in Nashville will be approximately 23 percent lower now
  • New Orleans, Louisiana: Mardi Gras is long over, so traveling to New Orleans now can save you 19 percent
  • San Diego, California: Plan a trip for 10 percent cheaper than typical San Diego prices
  • Washington D.C.: Check out the nation’s capital this spring break and save 16 percent

April 22nd – April 29th

  • Clearwater Beach, Florida: Another spring break classic, Clearwater is 22 percent cheaper this week
  • Daytona Beach, Florida: Daytona Beach, a popular option, is 14 percent less expensive if you go between April 22nd and April 29th
  • Lauderdale, Florida: Prefer Ft. Lauderdale? Then you could save 39 percent by going now
  • Kissimmee, Florida: The home of Disney World, your travel costs could be 19 percent cheaper this week
  • Miami, Florida: Experience Miami for 36 percent less
  • Orlando, Florida: Head to Orlando and find prices about 10 percent lower than usual
  • Phoenix, Arizona: Phoenix is a surprising 41 percent cheaper now
  • Portland, Oregon: Check out the Pacific Northwest for 28 percent less by choosing Portland

Use Discount Sites to Save Even More

You can also save even more on your trip by using discount sites like Groupon, using Priceline to make travel arrangements, and checking out Airbnb for unique accommodations. Plus, Booking.com gives you access to more than just hotel rooms. You could also discover interesting options like apartments, treehouses, and yurts.

It is also important to note that these discounts may not last forever. As you get closer to your spring break week, there may be fewer openings on planes and at hotels, apartments, and other forms of accommodations. If you know when you want to go and where you want to stay, you might want to act fast and secure your travel arrangements at the best rate possible.

Are you planning on traveling this spring break? Have any tips for saving money? Tell us where you are headed and how you travel for less in the comments below.

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21 Reasons Dave Ramsey Sucks at Giving Credit Score Advice

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There are huge disadvantages of having no credit score. I actually know this better than most. After living over ten years in Japan, I came back to the US naively assuming that the credit history I had built over there would transfer back to the US. That wasn’t the case and I found myself having to deal with numerous situations without a credit score. From my personal experience of having to deal with all the negatives that come with having no credit score, as well as knowing a number of others who experienced a similar situation to me when they returned, I can say with conviction that Dave Ramsey gives horrible credit score advice.

For those unfamiliar, Dave Ramsey refers to a credit score as the “I-Love-Debt Score” and makes the statement that “the only way to have a good credit score is to go into debt, stay in debt, and continually pay your accounts perfectly — without adding too much debt or paying too much off. In other words, stay in debt for as long as you can.” This is patently false as I currently have no debt whatsoever and yet have a good credit score. Others do too.

He then advises that since you are working to become debt free, once you reach that goal you “…don’t need a credit score, anyway, since you don’t plan on using credit!” While this might sound nice, I can attest that even when you are debt free, a good credit score comes in extremely handy. I would even argue that having one is essential if you want to truly be financially savvy since it can save you a lot of money. If you care about getting the most out of your money, a credit score, whether we like it or not, is important to have.

While you may have heard some of the below arguments before regarding why a credit score can be important, my guess is that some of my arguments you may never have considered before. Below are 21 reasons that it’s important to keep a good credit score even if you’re debt free (and why Dave Ramsey sucks at giving credit score advice).

Wasted Time

This one is huge and one that I rarely see mentioned. I can’t over emphasize this point enough, and I would argue for this reason alone, you want to keep a good credit score. Not having one will mean that you will have to spend a lot more time when it comes to numerous financial situations, including any of the ones mentioned below. If you believe that your time is worth something as I do, wasted time can be a huge cost. Even when you are able to get what you want, you usually have to spend a lot more time explaining why you don’t have a credit score even though you don’t have any debt. I had to spend countless extra hours, many being extremely frustrating, sorting out my financial situation which should have been straight forward and simple all because I had no credit history.

Difficulties Even When Successful

Another problem with having no credit score is that even when you successfully get what you want, it’s much more difficult to get it than if you had a good credit score. Not having a credit score often means going through several layers of management until you can reach someone who will approve what you need. The fact is that for most entry-level employees, if anything isn’t exactly correct, they can’t approve it. That means that people who don’t have credit scores have to work much harder to get things than others that have a good credit score can get without any hassles.

Poor Customer Service

This is another aspect of not having a credit score that is often not mentioned, but the reality is that if you have no credit score, you don’t get treated nearly as well in many situations as you do when you have a good credit. When institutions look up my credit these days, they always seem to come back with a smile and an attitude that they are willing to do anything they can to help me. When I had no credit score, they always came back with concerned looks and a demeanor telling me that it was going to be difficult to help me even if they did the best that they could. The fact is, having a good score means that you will get better treatment from anyone who looks it up.

Lack of Financial Flexibility

Having a good credit score gives you a lot of financial flexibility that isn’t available for those with no credit score. When you have a good credit score, there are many financial institutions that want to work with you. That’s not the case when you have no credit score. Having a quality credit score means that you can get a much better deal when it come to virtually any financial transaction than you could get with no credit score at all. When the unexpected happens and you need to get funds for something that you had never anticipated, you simply have more flexibility in getting them than you do without a score to your name. This include the flexibility of financially helping out others if you choose to do so.

Increase Large Transaction Risks

One of the things that I immediately realized when I was still trying to get a credit card (which I was having trouble doing because I didn’t have a credit score) was the additional risk that came when making large purchases. I have always put the purchase of my airline tickets on credit cards because years ago I had a ticket on an airline that suddenly went bankrupt. Since I had made the purchase with a credit card, the credit card company refunded the amount back to me since I never received the service I had paid for. Had I not paid with a credit card in that instance, I would have simply lost the money. I had to make a number of large purchases upon arriving back in the US and although I was able to make them in other ways, I felt a bit uneasy knowing that if things went wrong, I really had no protection simply due to the lack of a credit rating.

Emergency Cash

Having lived through the Great Hanshin Earthquake (along with a number of smaller natural disasters), I know the importance of having access to emergency funds. When these disasters happen, it’s often impossible to get access to money that you have in your bank account (in the case of the Hanshin Earthquake, it was over 2 weeks before I had access to those funds). It helps to have cash in the days immediately after the disaster when many of the electronic transaction systems are down, but it also helps to have a credit card. During that time, my credit card was a lifesaver in securing a hotel room and other needs when I needed to spend thousands of dollars to get out of the city and find other lodging, but still didn’t have access to my bank accounts. Living in an area of the US where I knew a similar disaster could take place, I found that I needed to keep a lot more cash on hand in case of an emergency. I ended up losing interest on the cash I took out of the bank account plus there was the risk that it might get stolen, or in an emergency I wouldn’t be able to get to where I kept it in my house. Even with a large amount of cash on hand, I still felt my financial preparation was far from adequate had a true emergency happened. That is not the case now that I have good credit and credit cards.

Debit Cards Have Drawbacks

It’s often argued that there really is no need to have credit cards if you have a debit card, but in my experience, there are some definite drawbacks to this argument. I had a friend who had his debit card stolen and his account compromised. While he eventually got all the money that was taken out of his account back, his account ended up being frozen for a few weeks while an investigation took place. During this time, he had no access to any of his banking funds. As mentioned above, in an emergency you might need to access more funds than are in your debit card account with no way to transfer additional funds to it. It also doesn’t cover you with large transactions like an airline ticket refund if an airline goes bankrupt.

Difficulty Getting Security Clearance

One of my friends who came back after living overseas for a number of years landed a great job, but the job required security clearance. The lack of a credit score turned out to be a major stumbling block for him to get his clearance. He eventually did, but it took a lot of time and effort since his lack of one sent up a red flag, and even ended up meaning much more scrutiny in other areas of his life as well to get the clearance. Again, if you consider time and aggravation as a cost, then there is a definite one when you don’t have a score to your name.

Difficulty Getting an Apartment

I remember talking with one apartment manager when returning to the US that told me as soon as I mentioned that I didn’t have a credit score that I wouldn’t get approved for an apartment in his complex. He explained that there was high demand for the apartments so it simply wasn’t worth the risk to management even though I had a good explanation as to why I didn’t have one. While I did eventually find an apartment, the lack of a score caused some type of issue at each complex I looked at, making the entire process much more difficult than it ever should have been, and definitely much more so than if mine had been good.

The Possibility of Divorce

Nobody ever thinks they are going to get divorced when they first get married, but the truth of the matter is a high percentage of couples do. If you go into a divorce without a credit score, this can cause a number of issue both during and after. When people believe that they will never have to take out another loan when they become debt free, they are probably at a point where they never think they will get divorced either. The problem with divorce is that it can be an extremely expensive process and can quickly wipe out any savings and emergency funds that you might have had. Once divorced, financial circumstances can greatly change to where loans you thought you would once never need, might be needed to bridge gaps until you can create a new budget for your new reality. Hiring lawyers, finding a new job, getting a new place to live all become more difficult without a score in an already stressful time.

Difficulty Getting Loan Approval

If there is ever a situation when you need a loan, not having a credit score will make it many times more difficult to secure it than if you have a good credit. The thing is, even if you anticipate never needing to get another loan again, circumstances change and life could place a wrench into your best laid plans. Even if you are debt free at a moment and don’t anticipate ever needing a loan, that can quickly change if you unexpectedly lose a job and are unable to find a new one as quickly as you hoped. Life throws curve balls from time to time and if you are thrown one without a good credit to your name, recovering from it can be a lot more difficult than if you had it.

A More Expensive Mortgage

If you need to take out a mortgage, you will end up paying much more if you don’t have a credit score. The problem is that no credit score is equivalent to a bad credit score to most lending institutions. If they have no records that you can pay off your debts, they assume the worst and assume that you can’t. This means no score is the same as having a terrible score in the eyes of lending institutions. While you still may be able to secure a loan (and you may not), you will end up having to pay a larger interest rate to do it which can mean paying tens of thousands of dollars more over the lifetime of the loan.

Difficulty Securing Utility Services

When I needed to get utilities in my name after returning from Japan, I couldn’t just call and have them turned on like I expected. Several required me to pay a deposit in order to put the service in my name since I had no credit history of paying these bills in the past. It makes for an extra step in the process, it takes more time to get the service and you lose the interest that you could have earned from the money that you must give as a deposit.

Trouble Getting a Cell Phone Contract

Upon my return to the US, I was actually denied the first cell phone contract I tried to get due to no credit history. I was eventually able to secure one, but I ended up having to pay a deposit to do so much like I had to when it came to the utilities. While the deposit wasn’t a huge amount, I did lose the interest that I could have been earning on it. Far more frustrating was the extra time and headaches (and the costs associated with them) caused by not having a score that would have never come into play if I had a good one.

Possible Negative Effect on Job Opportunities

One thing that many people fail to realize is that as many as 70% of companies will check the credit history of a candidate for a job before they hire. With so many qualified people in the job market these days, it’s often the little things that end up determining who gets hired. A lack of a credit score compared with someone with the same qualifications that has a stellar one could be the difference in who gets the job. Similar small details can make the difference on promotions within certain corporations, especially for sensitive positions. If you lose a job or are passed over a promotion, that can mean thousands of dollars in lost income.

Pay More for a Car

There have been a number of surveys over the years that show that some car dealers have a tiered system on how much they mark-up a car depending on the credit score of the individual buying the car. Those who are deemed the least credit worthy, which would include those with no credit score, can be charged as much as 3.5% more for a car than those with top scores. This has nothing to do with the interest rate on a car loan, but the actual amount that is charged for the car. That means that even if you don’t need a car loan, you can potentially end up paying more for a car when you don’t have a score.

Another way that lack of a score can cost you more, as pointed out by Anni in the comments, is that you can often get dealer discounts by financing a car worth thousands of dollars, then pay off the car loan soon after. I know that this situation arises because I did it once for one of my car purchases. I had the cash to purchase the car in full, but there was a deal to save $2000 through the credit section of the car maker if I agreed to finance the car, so it made good financial sense to do so. I took the $2000 discount and the loan, but as soon as the $2000 credit came through, I paid off the entire loan. The key here is that to take advantage of these car maker financing discounts, you have to qualify for them, and if you don’t have a credit score, you’re not likely to do so.

A More Expensive Car Loan

If you do need to take out a car loan, you will end up paying thousands of dollars more in interest charges with no score than you would with a good one. Interest rates for those with good credit are usually in the low single digits, while those without will pay double-digit interest rates on the exact same loan. While you may not think you will ever need to take out a loan again, something that you never expected like a divorce or a lost job could result in you needing to get one.

More Expensive Insurance

The insurance industry is in the business of assessing risk. They look at a wide variety of things to determine the risks of the individuals and families that use their services. One of the things that they look at is your credit score. Having one that is poor makes you a higher risk than an individual who has one that is high. The problem is that having no score doesn’t allow them to determine whether you are a higher or lower risk, so they will always make the assumption that you are a higher risk when the risk is unknown. What that all means is that if you have no score, you will end up paying more for life insurance, car insurance and homeowners insurance than you would if you hade a good score.

Difficulty Getting a Credit Card

One of the things that Dave Ramsey says is that you don’t want credit cards, but this is only true if you can’t control yourself. The truth is that credit cards are only a disadvantage if you don’t pay them off fully each month. Once you are out of debt and have built an emergency fund so that there is no need to put expenses on your credit card that you can’t pay off in full each month, credit cards are actually a financially savvy tool to use. They give you insurance in many transactions you may not have otherwise, they may provide additional insurance for you with certain purchases such as airline tickets and car rentals, and they can even pay you cash back for purchases you would otherwise make. The problem is that if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need a credit card, but you don’t have a score, it can be extremely difficult to get one. Even when you do, you can expect to have a very low credit limit that will take years to grow to where it can be useful for larger purchases. I know because the only credit card I could qualify for when I returned was with a bank that I had been with for over 20 years, and they still would only give me one with a $500 limit to start.

Difficulty Getting School Loans

If you ever decide to go back to school, having no score can make it difficult to secure loans. Again, many assume that they will never need to go to school again, but further education might be the only way to secure a job if you happened to lose the one you have. If you can’t qualify for student loans from your school or federally funded loans to pay for your education, you will have to turn to private loans which have interest rates much higher and can end up costing you thousands of dollar more for the same education.

Difficulty Getting Business Loans

If at any time you decide that you would like to start a business, not having a score can hurt you financially in trying to secure a loan for the business. When banks give business loans to individuals, they want to see that they have a track record of paying out the other loans that they have taken out. With no score to your name, that record doesn’t exist and you become a greater risk to give a business loan to. With no score, you might not be able to qualify for one at all without putting up a large amount of collateral, and even if you do, you are likely to pay a higher interest rate on the loan than if you had good credit. You will definitely have a much more difficult time securing the loan which can mean many more hours (if not days) trying to get the money you need.

Dave Ramsey gives lousy credit score advice because he fails to take into account that life can get messy in ways that we never anticipate. In addition, he doesn’t take into account the costs associated with the extra time and aggravations that can come with not having a score. If it were true that you needed to always remain in debt in order to have a good credit score as he states, I might give him some slack, but the fact is that this statement is patently false, I know because I’m currently debt free with a good score. While I’m certainly not saying that all the advice that he gives is bad, the advice he gives regarding credit scores sucks.

Finally, if you don’t like my analysis and want to see what Dave Ramsey has to say, think about getting a copy of his book The Total Money Makeover. The book is an combination of educational handbook, inspirational coaching guide and self study manual. It has sold something like 5 million copies – so its a good example of his best work.

U.S. National Park Holidays 2019

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If you’re planning a trip to the closest national park, you may want to check the hours and national park service holiday schedule first. To the surprise of many, there are days the National Park Service is closed or even has altered hours. Below you’ll find all of the information you need to make a successful planned visit to an NPS park.

U.S. National Park Holidays 2019

National parks are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (weather permitting). However, the National Park Service (NPS) is not open every day of the year as many people would believe. In fact, there are quite a few days during the year that the NPS closes its services. The 2019 National Park Service holiday schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, January 1: The NPS is closed on New Year’s Day.
Monday, January 21: The NPS is open on MLK Day
Thursday, February 14: The NPS is open on Valentine’s Day
Monday, February 18: The NPS is open on Presidents’ Day
Friday, March 17: The NPS is open on St. Patrick’s Day
Sunday, April 19: The NPS is open on Good Friday
Saturday, April 20: The NPS is open on Easter Saturday
Sunday, April 21: The NPS is closed on Easter Sunday
Monday, April 22: The NPS is open on Easter Monday
Sunday, May 12: The NPS is open on Mother’s Day
Monday, May 27: The NPS is closed on Memorial Day
Sunday, June 16: The NPS is open on Father’s Day
Thursday, July 4: The NPS is closed on Independence Day
Monday, September 2: The NPS is closed on Labor Day
Tuesday, October 8: The NPS is open on Columbus Day
Thursday, October 31: The NPS is open on Halloween
Monday, November 11: The NPS is on Veteran’s Day
Thursday, November 28: The NPS is closed on Thanksgiving Day
Friday, November 29: The NPS is open on Black Friday
Tuesday, December 24: The NPS is closed on Christmas Eve
Wednesday, December 25: The NPS is closed on Christmas Day
Tuesday, December 31: The NPS is closed on New Year’s Eve
Wednesday, January 1: The NPS is closed on New Year’s Day 2018

National Park Service Operating Hours

It’s also important to be aware of the National Park’s operating hours. Of course, you don’t need to contact the National Park Service to plan a visit to one of its locations, but they can provide you with some valuable information.

If you want to check the NPS before heading out, you can go to the website or call (559) 565-3341 for recorded information 24 hours a day. If you’d like to speak to an NPS worker you’ll have to call between 8:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Inclement weather can shut the parks down, especially if there are issues with the road. Weather conditions can vary from park to park depending on what the elevation may be.

National Park Service Seasonal Information

Spring: Springtime in the national parks lasts from about mid-April until June. Some parks may still have snow from the winter months though so to be prepared you should equip your car with snow chains or tires.

Summer: July and August are the busiest months for the National Park Service. If you’re looking to get a campsite through the NPS during these months, you should book them well ahead of time. Obtaining a campsite during these peak months can be extremely difficult.

Fall: By September the temperature begins to cool off in most national parks. The weather can change rather quickly, with storms rolling in unexpectedly. Nighttime can get very cold as well. Many NPS facilities begin to reduce their hours during the fall.

Winter: Keep in mind that if you plan to visit a national park in the winter that tire chains or snow tires may be required to drive on the park’s roads. For the most part, however, you’ll have the park to yourself during the winter.

If you’re planning a trip to a national park, you’ll want to keep the National Park Service holiday schedule, operating hours and seasonal information in mind when making your plans. If you’ve any further questions, visit the NPS website or give them a call. Happy exploring!

If you found this article helpful, let us know! We’d love your feedback.

Photo: Joshua Tree National Park

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Save Money at Disney With These Veterans Discounts

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Vacations can be expensive, and many military members and veterans can’t afford to spend a ton to take their family to a fun destination. Luckily, there are a variety of programs that can make a trip to an exciting city, fun amusement park, or other location more affordable. Here are a few of the great discounts, including Disney, that are available to active-duty military, retirees, or veterans.

Disney Discounts for Military and Veterans

Disney isn’t just a family-friendly destination; they are military-friendly as well. As long as you have a valid military-issued ID, including those given to retirees, you can visit Disney parks for less.

While the value of the discount can change from one year to the next, the Disney military promotional tickets are usually a good deal. For example, 5-day Disney World park hopper ticket purchases through December 15, 2019, are $257 plus tax each for eligible military or retiree families. The same tickets without a discount come in at over $460 on the Disney website.

Those who qualify can get their tickets at the ticket office on base or post. Additionally, they are available at Shades of Green resort which is only accessible to military members and retirees.

Moreover, while military families can take advantage of the Shades of Green resort, discounts are also available for other properties. Typically, you can save 30 to 40 percent off the normal room rates at certain Disney World and Disneyland hotels.

For those who prefer cruises, discounted rates for Disney Cruise Line are usually announced 30 to 60 days before the ship is set to leave the dock.

Other Amusement Parks

Disney isn’t the only amusement park that offers discounts to military members, veterans, retirees, and their families. In fact, there’s actually a pretty big selection.

For example, Dollywood gives active duty, retirees, reservists, disabled veterans, their spouses, and dependents 30 percent off. Through the Howling Heroes program, military families can save on a trip to a Great Wolf Lodge resort.

Kings Dominion allows active and retired military personnel to save on one-day tickets and season passes. Up to six family members can visit Kings Island for less when accompanied by a military member or veteran too.

LEGOLAND in Florida and California both have discount programs, and so does SeaWorld. Often, discounted tickets to Six Flags parks are available through base or post ticket offices, and Universal Studios even extends their military discounts to other DoD personnel.

Often, as long as one family member has a military-issued ID, that’s enough to enjoy the savings at these properties.

Events and Concerts

Founded in 2008, VetTix focuses on providing discounts to veterans, regardless of how long they served. The collect donated tickets from music performance bookers, entertainment companies, and sports teams, then distribute them through a lottery system.

The tickets themselves are actually free to veterans and their accompanying family members. All you have to pay is a small delivery fee of $14 or less.

There is a caveat to using VetTix. Since they use a lottery-style system, there is no guarantee that you’ll get the tickets. This can make planning a trip well in advance a challenge. However, for local events where travel arrangements would be simple, it’s hard to beat potentially free tickets.

Ultimately, all of these discounts can be incredibly valuable. If you are eligible, why not take advantage of them? Then, you can have an amazing vacation for less.

Do you know of any more great discounts for veterans and their families? Tell us about them in the comments below.

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This Man Escaped His Student Loan Debt By Moving to the Jungle

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Student loan debt

Just months ago student loan debt reached a high, ugly milestone of $1.52 trillion. Unsurprisingly, many people find their student debt to be overwhelming, leading to depression and suicidal thoughts in some individuals. In fact, people who are undergoing serious financial stress are eight times more likely to have suicidal thoughts – and some engage in extreme behavior to avoid paying.

Growing Student Loan Debt

Student loan debt has seen a 145% increase in the past decade with no signs of slowing down any time soon. In many cases, individuals carry more student debt than they do in auto loans or credit card debt.  For some individuals, the weight of their personal student debt is too heavy for them to carry. Chad Haag was one of those people.

Chad Haag Delt With His Debt by Fleeing the Country.

Haag considered living in a cave in the United States to escape his student debt. According to Yahoo Finance, he already knew a friend doing it. However, for Haag, this wasn’t leaving his problems far enough behind. He wanted to get as far away from his debt as possible.

After majoring in philosophy in college, he held a student loan balance of about $20,000. While that is pennies compared to many other borrowers in the U.S., Haag pointed out that not being able to a land a college-level job made his $300 monthly loan payment devastating to his finances. He was only making $1,700 per month, living with his mother, and rarely going out with friends. “I couldn’t make the math work in America,” Haag said.

Running to the Jungle to Get Away From Debt


He relocated to a jungle in India to escape his student loan debt. In an interview, he said, “I’ve put America behind me.” Now, thousands of miles away from where he once lived in constant anxiety from his debt, Haag says his loans don’t even feel real to him anymore.

His student loans are on their way to being in default and they only thing Haag has to say is, “It’s kind of like, if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it really exist?” Of course, this kind of care-free attitude has not come without its trade-offs.

Where Haag is living is far from his Colorado home. He is living in a concrete house in a village in India. The house only costs about $50 per month and Haag says he sees elephants outside his home regularly. Haag also referenced the poor living conditions in some areas of India, stating, “Some toilets here are holes in the ground you squat over.”

Food quality can be a problem as well. He recently ate spoiled goat meat that landed him in the emergency room. However, dreams that would have escaped him in the U.S. because of his debt are now becoming realities for him in the jungle of India.

He has gotten married and he and his wife have plans to own a home soon. Currently, he has a five-year spousal visa and has plans to renew it when it comes time. Haag has absolutely no plans to return to the U.S. or repay his student loan debt.

student loan debt

Is This Responsible?

There is no doubt that many Americans find this type of behavior abhorrent. Student loan debt is only expected to continue to rise in the years to come with estimates projecting students will owe $2 trillion by 2022.

Half of the student loan borrowers haven’t paid a single dollar towards what they owe five years into repayment. Another 40% of those loans are expected in be in default by 2023.

However, moving away from the problem doesn’t make it go away. If anyone is moving away, like Haag, to escape their debt, they’ll find that if they ever return to the U.S. their debts will not be gone.  Given the structure of many loans, debts are in fact more likely to grow than be excused. Compound interest, late fees, and collection charges are all typically added to your balance if payment is not made.  In addition, late payments will impact your creditworthyness.

Not only will it not go away, but running away will make it worse. The best thing you can do is work out a debt repayment plan that works for you.

How to Keep Your Student Debt Manageable

Many people look at student loan debt as “healthy debt.” And while it is much “healthier” than, say, credit card debt, or even an auto loan sitting on your credit report, it still is a huge responsibility. If you or someone in your household is getting ready to head off to college or go back to school, consider thes money-saving tips.

  1. Go to school in-state. It has been common knowledge for years that going to school closer to home costs less money. If you aren’t getting a full-ride out of state, keep your eye on public schools closer to you. A private university’s tuition sits around $34,740 per year on average. An out-of-state public university isn’t much cheaper at $25,620. However, community colleges and in-state public universities are priced at $3,570 and $9,970, respectively. That’s much less in tuition.
  2. Stay at home to avoid room and board fees. Another great thing about going to school closer to home is that you can stay at home. This will save you thousands of dollars on room and board every year.
  3. Oh – and bring your lunches. It can also save you a ton of money on food. Instead of throwing money at a meal plan or eating on campus every day, you can bring your own lunch and save hundreds of dollars per month.
  4. Take a fast-track in your program. Depending on what your career goals are, you may consider asking someone at the university about a fast-track course for your degree. This will shorten the amount of time you’re in college, making tuition much cheaper.
  5. Avoid private loans. If you can help it, don’t take out any private loans. These are typically higher interested and begin to accrue interest while you’re still in school, unlike loans available through the U.S. government.
  6. Consider taking on work-study or paying your tuition in cash while you’re in school. It’s also possible to work while you’re in school to pay off the remaining tuition you owe. Many schools will work with you on monthly payments to remain in class and will apply funds made through work-study programs to these payments. You can also hold a job off-campus to raise additional funds. This way, you can leave school without owing any money on student loans.

Student Loan Debt Repayment

Remember, if you are feeling overwhelmed by your student debt you have options. Before taking off to India or another remote jungle, consider the options below.

  1. Get more time. Although it is not optimal, may be able to extend the repayment period on your loan to give you more time. Periods for repayment start at 10 years and go up to 30 years, depending on the amount and your ability to pay.
  2. Take a couple months off. You can get a couple months off from paying your student loan if you need it.  If you or your partner lose a job and you need a couple months to get back on your feet, you can ask for a couple of months off (most of the time) it is granted. Keep in mind, your loan will still be accruing interest during this time.
  3. Income-based payments. Talk to someone at the bank or company you received the loan through about income-based payments. If you believe your payment could (and should) be lower, talk to someone about adjusting it based on your income. They’ll do what they can to help you.
  4. Financial crisis assistance. If you or your family have faced a serious financial crisis, you can also ask for some time off. This is a bit longer of a period of time than the “couple months off” listed above and, similarly, your loans will still be accruing interest. However, it will keep your loans from going into default.
  5. Keep communication open. If you keep communication open between you and your loan officer, you will be able to work on repaying your student loans. In many cases, these individuals are understanding and will work with you based on your individual circumstances.

All in all, student loan debt is just another type of debt that can help or hurt your creditworthyness. However, it is nothing you should feel like you should run away from. Tackling it head-on and paying it down is the only thing that will truly make your debt nightmare go away.

Readers, what do you think about this man running away from his student loan debt? 

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Part 4: Hidden Timeshare Fees You Need to Know About

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How much is a timeshare

While salespeople often tout timeshares as solid investments, they typically aren’t. Purchasing rights to the unit can come with a big price tag. You also have to pay maintenance fees every year. However, these aren’t the only expenses timeshare owners face. There are also hidden fees that can make the overall cost skyrocket. This leaves many consumers to wish they hadn’t made their purchase and looking for a way out. So how much is a timeshare? And what will it really cost you?

How Much Is a Timeshare?

When you buy into a timeshare, you aren’t actually purchasing the property. Instead, you pay for the right to use the unit for a specific amount of time or, as the industry calls it, an interval. Although some properties sell longer intervals, usually, an interval is one week (seven days).

In 2017, the average sale price on one interval was $22,180. However, if you finance the timeshare purchase, then you also have to contend with interest. A 10-year timeshare loan is usually set at around 14 percent. This means, for an average property, you’d pay $344 per month, or $3,400 annually, until you pay off the loan.

Annual maintenance fees are another expense owners have to contend with, and that averaged $980 for 2017. Generally, this cost goes up every year, as the property reassesses the expense on an annual basis.

However, these timeshare costs are pretty well known. On top of them, many owners also have to wrestle with a variety of fees. With many of the fees, taking owners by surprise.

Special Assessment Fees

Since timeshare owners pay maintenance fees, many assume they aren’t financially responsible for changes made to the buildings. However, some properties charge special assessment fees to complete upgrades on properties. These go above and beyond the maintenance fees.

For example, if the property wants to upgrade the building wiring to allow for faster internet speeds, they can require owners to pay more that year. Shared facility remodels, like updating a community kitchen or barbecue area, could also lead to special assessment fees.

If another company buys your property, a special assessment fee usually comes with the territory. This is especially true if profitability is an issue. Often, they will cite the need for upgrades to ensure the property meets the brand’s standards. These required upgrades leave consumers to pay up, even if they don’t agree.

In some cases, you can even end up paying for improvements at another resort. If a large parent company with multiple properties owns your property, they may spread out the improvement costs from one resort across every timeshare owner in the network. You end up paying a special assessment fee for work you don’t get to benefit from or potentially even get to see.

Repairs after a natural disaster may also financially fall on the shoulders of timeshare owners. Even if the property is insured, that doesn’t mean there aren’t additional expenses. If that occurs, properties usually issue a special assessment fee to collect the rest of the money.

Revenue Gap Fees

When other owners don’t pay what they owe, most properties work to recoup these losses elsewhere. At times, this results in a special assessment fee. However, it could also end up with another label.

Functionally, these revenue gap fees leave paying owners on the hook for the delinquency or non-payment of others. To make matters worse, even if a delinquent owner ultimately pays what they owe, you aren’t going to see a refund.

All-Inclusive Resort Fees

In an effort to make the initial cost of a timeshare look affordable, some properties use an approach that you usually see with certain hotels in areas like Las Vegas. Instead of the main price reflecting the entire cost of using the unit, they add all-inclusive resort fees in after the fact, and they can be monstrous.

For example, a property may charge an additional $150 per person per day for a stay. If a couple stays at the unit for one week, they have to pay an additional $2,100 that year for the trip. And, like most resort fees, you usually can’t get out of them as the property makes them mandatory.

Now, it’s not that you don’t get something for that money. Most all-inclusive locations provide guests with meals, beverages, and similar services in exchange for the fee. However, most couples could spend far less than $300 a day when paying for their own food and drinks. In reality, some of the cash is essentially for the convenience of not having to worry about managing such tasks.

While this approach is more prevalent in timeshare programs that have multiple properties and use floating points, it’s important to be aware of them regardless.

Contract in Perpetuity

Though contract in perpetuity isn’t technically a fee, it is a financial burden that many families don’t anticipate. If you purchase a timeshare with that phrase in the paperwork, you aren’t just obligating yourself to stick with the timeshare, but your children or spouse as well.

Even if you are the sole owner, if you sign a contract in perpetuity and pass away, a family member then becomes the timeshare owner automatically. They are then on the hook for the remaining and continuing expenses, even if they don’t want access to the unit.

Usually, their only recourse is to attempt to sell the property. Once that occurs, the new owner is responsible. However, until someone buys, your family member has to keep up with the costs or the property owner can legally come after them for the funds.

Are There Always Hidden Timeshare Fees?

Unexpected fees are common in the timeshare industry. Even if your property does not have all-inclusive resort fees or require a contract in perpetuity, special assessment fees are pretty standard. Whenever the roof needs replacing, exterior needs painting or any other upgrade or repair is necessary you are going to have to pay up.

Plus, property owners using fees to fill revenue gaps is also a fairly common practice. While those costs may masquerade as another kind of expense, don’t expect the company to take delinquency-related losses in stride. Instead, there is a decent chance they will target other owners to recoup the missing revenue in some form or fashion.

However, it’s important to note that many of these expenses are only hidden because buyers don’t review all of their paperwork. Before you sign anything, read all of the fine print. The contract outlines your responsibilities. This includes wording related to additional fees.

If you see something in the contract you don’t like, then don’t sign. Otherwise, if you do, you are legally responsible for these costs, even if you didn’t see them coming.  If you have already bought your timeshare and now feel like it’s not the right decision, Call 1-888-549-4154 today. The team at Newton Group Transfers is standing by to help.

Have you encountered hidden timeshare fees? Tell us about them in the comments below.

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