Tips For Vacationing On A Budget

Looking for some vacation money saving ideas? There's nothing
wrong with vacationing on a budget. Hey, we all can't travel
like the rich and famous.

You save all year to get the money for a well earned vacation.
You want to stretch your vacation budget but still enjoy
yourself. Sounds like a good plan. To help you out I've
together some vacation money saving ideas that I hope you will
find useful.

If you have a particular destination in mind it pays to plan
ahead. Research the attractions and facilities. Find out what
specials or discounts they may have going. Look for other
things to do or see nearby so that you can make good use of
your time and cut down on the running from place to place.

Plan your vacation for the off season. You can usually get
better deals on lots of things like plane tickets, hotels, car
rentals, cruises and lots of other things.

If you have friends or relatives nearby your destination
consider asking them if you can stay with them. Don't be a
freeloader though. Even though you help pay for the groceries
and other expenses your host incurs, it's still a good vacation
money saving idea.

If you are flying try to plan your trip for when tickets are
traditionally cheapest. That would be Feb thru May and
September thru December (except the week before Thanksgiving
and the two week period before Christmas). Try to avoid flying
on Friday afternoons as this is often the busiest time of the
week for airlines.

Meals can be expensive at restaurants so you can save some
money by packing food for the road.

When eating out try to avoid the places that obviously cater to
tourists. Find out where the locals eat. Ask around. The smaller
family owned places usually have better food at better prices.
You may have to go a little out of your way but it is usually
worth it for some vacation money savings.

Hotels are typically more expensive the closer you get to a
major attraction. With a little planning you can find a good
balance between price and distance.

When picking hotels don't just go by the ratings. Compare the
amenities they offer. Often you will find that you really don't
need everything offered by that 4 star hotel and you can do very
nicely at the 3 star.with a better price!

Consider buying or renting an RV. You travel at your own pace.
Cooking and bathrooms are always close by. You can meet a lot
of other friendly RVers who will usually be glad to point out
the best places to go.

When traveling by car you can save fuel by renting a smaller
fuel efficient model. Packing light, reducing your speed and
maintaining proper tire air pressure will also cut the gas
costs.

Make sure that your car is ready for the trip. Good tires, oil
change, tune-up and all that good stuff. It's a heck of a lot
cheaper and more convenient to deal with these things before
you go rather than on the road somewhere.

Check out the local transportation system of buses, trains or
trolleys. These can be considerably cheaper than using taxis.

Camping is a great vacation money saving idea. There are lots
of campgrounds around. They are cheap and you may end up with
an experience that outshines anything you can get a fancy
hotel.

Plan activities that don't require a lot of money. Hiking, and
swimming are good ones. Local Museums and historical sites are
often very reasonably priced as well as being quite educational
and fun. The big theme parks have their appeal but you can
really go through the cash at those places.

Plan picnics. These can be excellent vacation money saving
opportunities as well as a chance to really relax and enjoy the
local area.

Avoid buying souvenirs. It's easy to get caught up and blow a
bundle on these overpriced goodies. Set some mental rules ahead
of time about how much you will spend on souvenirs and it will
be easier to stick to it when the time comes.

I hope that you find some of these vacation money saving ideas
helpful. Make a plan and stick to it. There's no reason why you
can't have a great vacation without emptying the bank account.


About The Author: The author, of this article, Peter Shannon,
is the owner of the website http://www.1001-vacation-ideas.com.
Here you will find a large collection of vacation and getaway
ideas for travelers searchable by theme and location.