Travel Tips

A Cheap Summer Vacation Idea: A State Park Tour

Are you trying to plan a summer vacation on a budget? If so, you may feel as if you are trying to accomplish the impossible. Your family may be used to spending a week on the beautiful beaches of Hawaii, but what if you can no longer afford that type of trip? Do you want to stay closer to home? If so, think outside of the box. You might not have given state parks a close look before, but they are the perfect vacation destination for those on a strict budget.

Right about now, you may be asking yourself a state park; really? Yes! At the least, you could easily spend an entire day at a state park. It sounds nice, but remember your family is accustomed to weeklong vacations. You can still give them a weeklong vacation. The goal is to create a state park tour. Each day you visit a new state park. Start with the parks near your home. The first two or three days, your family can return home and sleep in their own beds. As you get further from home, find an affordable hotel or motel.

Once again, you may wonder about state parks. Family vacations are supposed to be fun. Wont your children get bored with visiting state parks again and again? Yes, they might. Luckily, each park is different and has something unique to offer. Speaking of which, many have campgrounds. Consider camping a night or two.

Returning back to making state parks fun, the key is to pick unique locations. If you and your children have visited a state park before, forego that one and move on to the next. To save money, make your first two visits closest to home. As you move away, consider the activities. The more activities you have available, the more fun you are likely to have.

The key is to also do something different each day. For example, day one can be at a local state park known for their natural pools underneath a waterfall. If the weather is nice, your family could easily spend hours swimming. Then, plan a barbeque lunch or dinner or both! Before you know it, the day will be over with. For day two, visit a state park known for their great hiking trails. You and your family could spend the entire day hiking. Stop for lunch or dinner. Once again, before you know it the day will be over with.

In addition to making use of the activities state parks make available through facilities, consider brining your own activities. For day one, bring baseball equipment. You and your family can easily a fun game of softball or baseball. For day two, bring a Frisbee to throw or a soccer ball to kick around. The younger your children, the easier it will be to plan activities. For example, a bottle of bubbles could easily keep a toddler occupied for an hour.

As for the costs, most state parks do charge admission fees. You should consider this when comparing your options. If you have two state parks within a half an hour drive, opt for the one with the lowest price. Parks that charge by the carload, as opposed to the person, is usually a good deal. As for food, make use of the picnic areas and barbeque pits available. Start planning for your trip beforehand. Stock up on drinks, snacks, and meat whenever you see a sale at your local grocery stores. Then, use a cooler to transport your goods to the park.

In short, do not forego your annual summer vacation just because you are on a budget. Instead, think closer to home and outside of the box. Yes, state parks are usually reserved for day trips, but you can easily turn them into weeklong vacations by visiting a new state park each day. Luckily, all states have multiple state parks. In fact, some have hundreds. You should not have to travel too far, keeping your summer vacation costs low.

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Plan a Cheap Summer Vacation: Tips for Choosing a Private Vacation Rental

Are you in the process of planning your summer vacation? If you are on a budget, you should know that the best way to save money is to stay at an affordable hotel. Still, you dont want a second rate vacation. If you have your heart set on staying at a private vacation rental, like a home, condo, or apartment, continue reading on for some moneysaving tips.

Use online travel websites designed for vacation rentals. Most of the larger and well-known travel websites focus on resorts and hotels. If you want to stay at a private vacation rental, perform a standard internet search to find travel websites that focus solely on these rentals. You will get a large list of rentals and you are likely to find better prices. To get started, perform a standard internet search with your destination, like South Carolina, and the phrase vacation rentals.

Unlike hotels and resorts, private vacation rentals are rarely offered in the form of travel packages. For that reason, you will likely need to book your airline reservations and car rental separately. A car rental is recommended. Unlike many hotels and resorts, you are rarely provided with airport transfers. In addition, since some rentals are out of the way, a car rental will allow you to sightsee without paying a lot for public transportation. To find the best deals and prices, price compare airlines and car rental companies.

Look at rentals out of the way. For example, if you are traveling to Hawaii, beachfront rentals are popular. Yes, it is nice to wake up to a beautiful view of the ocean each morning, but it will get costly. Instead, look inland or a few minutes away from popular vacation destinations. You are likely to find cheaper rental rates.

Look for vacation rentals that reward you for extended stays. If on a budget, you may consider shortening your vacation by a day or two. This is a great way to save money, but some vacation rental owners reward you for staying longer. Many offer discounted weekly rates, as opposed to higher nightly rates. You may save as little as $20 a night, but you might save as much as $100 a night. You wont know until you look.

Opt for rentals with fully functioning kitchens. Vacation rentals and their kitchens vary greatly. Some come stocked with dishes and cooking supplies. You just need to wash after each use, but others you are required to bring your own plates and utensils. Opt for a rental that makes it the easiest for you to prepare your own meals; you will save a considerable amount of money. Speaking of which, stock up at a local grocery store. The less you eat out, the more money you save. You should find lower prices at actual grocery stores, as opposed to convenience stores, and grocery stores located further away from popular attractions. You may have to drive an extra 10 miles, but you may find average prices to be $1 or more less.

Consider making it a double date. One of the reasons why you are likely opting for a private vacation rental is for the privacy. You dont want to cross paths with strangers in a hotel room or share a pool. That is okay, but it may save you money. Instead of strangers, opt for family members or close friends. See if anyone you know is looking to take a cheap summer vacation too. You could share the cost of a vacation rental. Most are large enough that you can do so.

As a recap, it is usually cheaper to vacation at a hotel or resort than to book a stay at a private vacation rental. However, by splitting the cost with another family you know, price comparing, and looking for rentals out of the way, you can lower their cost. Just because the economy is in bad shape and just because you may have limited financial resources, it does not mean you cant have the vacation of your dreams. In fact, you can!

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