Managing your TRAVEL MONEY

Adam and Justine Rigby have always loved travelling with their two daughters, but when the girls became teenagers they valued their trips together even more. “Time goes so quickly when you have kids,” says Adam. “Anabelle and Olivia are great to travel with, and we want to fi ll our bucket with quality time together.” He’s a big fan of short breaks to holiday hot spots like the Gold Coast. “On a short trip, you can do everything you want to do without ending up getting stuck in a routine. It’s a power trip, like a power nap – you can fit a lot in.”

The fun-loving Wellington family had one of their best-ever holidays in Sydney last year, seeing a gig by Canadian singer Shawn Mendes. Adam and Justine flew to Sydney for a wedding, and they shouted Olivia a trip across the ditch for her 14th birthday.

“We’ve moved away from buying things to buying experiences, like great family holidays. Memories last longer than things,” Adam says.

Adam, a business development manager and fitness instructor, and Justine, also a fitness instructor, always look for good deals on airfares and use accommodation providers like Airbnb. They also pre-load their money onto a travel card.

“Travel cards are truly amazing. We wouldn’t travel without one now. We can reload it if we exceed our budget, but we decide exactly how much extra we’re going to spend – we don’t just go nuts,” says Adam.

“I also like the security of travel cards, especially since I had a credit card skimmed.”

Travel cards are also great because you can check out exchange rates before travelling and buy the foreign currency in advance, and then keep track of your spending overseas, either online or with the mobile app.

And when it comes to spending, Adam says there’s no competition – Justine is the shopper in the family. “I just can’t keep up with Justine in malls. I’m fit, but I’m not that fit,” he laughs. “In those big shopping malls in Bondi, we always reach a point where I give in and say, ‘ Love, you’re on your own. Go for your life, but I’m going to get a muffi n.”