Vacation & Travel Loans

What is a vacation loan?

A vacation loan is a type of personal loan, typically unsecured. You may find some lenders that market “vacation loans” specifically, but you may find a personal loan that isn’t labeled as anything in particular that can work better for you as a vacation loan.

How does a vacation loan work?

Like other personal loans, a vacation loan works by a lender providing you with the money you need to travel, including flights and accommodation, and other vacation expenses.

As these loans are usually unsecured, you will not need to put down any assets or property as collateral so there will be less risk to you. You are required to pay back the vacation loan in fixed installments each month over an agreed period, known as the loan term.

Is it possible to finance my vacation?

The best way to finance your vacation is to build up some savings and use those so that you don’t put yourself into debt for something that is not a necessity. With that being said, if you can find the right vacation loan, it is a great way to cover at least part of the cost of your vacation or allow you to take a dream vacation.

It is a good idea to work out your vacation budget before looking for a vacation loan as you will be able to ensure that you don’t borrow more than you need.

Lenders that offer vacation loans

Beg Egg

Best Egg

✔ Funding: Borrow $2,000 - $50,000
✔ Minimum Credit Score: 640
✔ APR: 5.99 - 29.99%
✔ Loan term: 3 - 5 years
✔ Funding turnaround: 1 - 3 business days

With Best Egg personal loans, borrowers with fair to good credit can get funding for 3-5 years and have the option to use the loan for a variety of purposes.

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Upgrade

Upgrade

✔ Funding: Borrow $1,000 - $50,000
✔ Minimum Credit Score: 660
✔ APR: 5.94% to 35.97%
✔ Loan term: 2 - 7 years
✔ Funding turnaround: as soon as next business day

Upgrade offers borrowers with fair credit scores to obtain loans up to $50k. Joint applications are allowed. Origination fees may apply.

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LightStream

LightStream

✔ Funding: Borrow $5,000 - $100,000
✔ Minimum Credit Score: 660
✔ APR: 2.49% - 19.99%
✔ Loan term: 2 - 7 years
✔ Funding turnaround: as soon as same business day

LightStream offers up to $100k personal loans as soon as same business day without origination fees and easy to use mobile app.

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Pros and cons of a vacation loan

As with any type of financial aid, there are both pros and cons of a vacation loan.

Pros

• Vacation loans typically have good rates – if you have a good to excellent credit score (690+) and a steady income, personal loans typically have much lower interest rates than a credit card.
• You will receive your vacation loan in a lump sum – it is usually easier to stick to a budget if you have all the money at once as you can see exactly how much of it you have spent and how much you have left.
• Vacation loans generally come with a predictable repayment plan – with fixed payments, you know how much you will be paying back each month so that there are no nasty surprises.

Cons

• A vacation loan can be seen as risky debt – if you are unable to afford your repayments, that will take a real hit on your credit score and put you further into debt that could have been avoided had you just saved up for your vacation.
• Vacation loans often come with long terms – some personal loan terms can extend up to seven years, which is a long time to be paying off a holiday that may have only lasted a couple of weeks.

What type of travel can I obtain vacation financing for?

You can use vacation financing for any type of travel including domestic and international, family getaways, and cruises, and any other dream vacation! There really are no rules!

Vacation loan financing options

There are a few different types of vacation loan financing that you could consider:

Vacation Loan

As discussed above, these are unsecured personal loans that typically have interest rates ranging typically anywhere from 5% to 36%.

You may find it more beneficial to find a lender specifically offering “Vacation Loans” as some online lenders will consider your reason for needing the loan when deciding on your approval.

The interest rate you are offered by most lenders usually depends on your credit score and your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, therefore you will get a lower rate, i.e. you will have to pay less interest if you have a good to excellent credit score and low DTI.

Credit Card

You may decide to use a credit card to pay for your holiday, but this may only be a good option for bridging a financial gap as credit cards can become very expensive to pay off.

Credit cards have particularly high-interest rates so you may want to look into alternative financing unless you can take advantage of a 0% APR Introductory Offer. This offer usually lasts for a year or two and will mean that you won’t have to pay any interest on your spending during this time. Just make sure you can pay off your credit card balance before the introductory offer ends and the high-interest rates kick in.

Line of Credit

A line of credit is a type of revolving credit that can be either unsecured or secured. This type of vacation financing is more flexible than a personal loan as you are only required to pay interest on the money you actually spend, as opposed to the whole amount borrowed.

Once you have paid back the money used, you can use that again and so on, until the line of credit is closed.

HELOC

This is a type of line of credit known as a home equity line of credit (HELOC). Although the interest is likely to be lower than a credit card or personal loan, a HELOC is secured by using your home as collateral.

This could be very risky if you are unsure whether you will be able to make your repayments as it could result in the loss of your home. Only choose this type of vacation financing if you know that you will be able to pay back the loan in full and on time.

Vacation & travel loan calculator