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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Are you ready to start planning your familys summer vacation? In the past, this was an exciting time. However, the economy now has many Americans in a financial bind. If you are one of those Americans, planning your family vacation may no longer be as fun. In fact, it is something you may dread. Luckily, it doesnt have to be. Although you are on a budget, there are many ways that you can plan a cheap, yet fun family vacation this summer. How?

1 Stay Close to Home

When many of us think of summer vacations, plane rides and faraway destinations often come to mind. People like to getaway. A family from New York is likely to opt for Hawaii or Florida as their summer vacation destination. A family from Florida may opt for the Caribbean or New York City. These vacations are nice. After all, you get away and get to experience something new. Nevertheless, if you are on a budget this year, you should think closer to home. Plan a new activity each day and have a series of daylong vacations. For example, visit a state park with a natural pool and hiking trails on day one, travel to a nearby museum for day two, visit a semi-local amusement park on day three, and so forth.

2 Let Your Children Help Choose Activities

Staying close to home is one of the best ways to save money on a summer vacation. If you plan a series of daylong vacations for the week, start close to home. Your family can sleep in their own beds each night. As you get farther away from home, book a hotel. Unfortunately, with this arrangement many parents feel like they are shortchanging their children, especially if they were used to the above mentioned faraway vacation destinations. Remember, you are operating with limited financial resources. Planning activities you can afford is more important. However, you can reduce boredom by letting your children help plan. For example, your teenage daughter can plan day two of your vacation, your ten-year-old son can help plan day three, and so forth.

3 Give Camping a Try

If you dont want to stay close to home, you are likely to book your airline reservations and a hotel room. Price compare to find the best deals. However, you should never pay more than $100 a night for a hotel room. This just gets too costly, especially if you are on a budget. A good and cheaper alternative is to camp. All across the country, you will find campground parks and state parks with camping accommodations. Camping rates vary greatly, but most charge no more than $25 a night!

4 Wisely Choose Your Travel Dates

If you dont want to stay close to home, wisely choose your travel dates. Since you are planning a summer vacation, you will find increased rates, but look at the little things. It is cheaper to vacation at the beginning or end of the summer. The middle is the most expensive. You will find higher hotel rates and fewer available rooms when there is a popular concert, sporting event, or convention in town.

5 Dont Wait for Last Minute Travel Deals

When it comes to finding travel deals and discounts, many mistakenly believe you should wait until the last minute. Yes, many hotels, airlines, and car rental companies offer last minute travel deals and discounts, but they are usually less common during the summer. The summer is a peak travel seasons and they rarely have problems filling planes and hotel rooms. For most, it is too risky to wait. If you are one of those individuals, plan your trip in advance, but always be on the lookout for moneysaving deals and discounts. Luckily, hotels, airlines, and car rental companies offer them all year round, not just at the last minute.

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Family vacations are important. After all, everyone needs time to relax and unwind. In addition, the quality time family members spend together on these trips is important for healthy relationships. Unfortunately, family vacations can be expensive. Some Americans consider themselves on a tight budget when they only have $2,000 to spend, but what if you literally only have $200 in your savings account? Is a family vacation out of the question? No it isnt, but you need to think outside of the box and closer to home.

If you want to plan a family vacation, but have no money, here is what you should do: Take a week or a few days off from work, as you would if you were traveling to a far away destination. In reality, you arent going anywhere. Each day, pick something new and exciting to do with your family within driving distance. Each day, do your predetermined family friendly activities and then return home. Sleep in your own beds and easily save up to $100 a night on a hotel room.

For many, part of a family vacation is trying something new. If you want, try camping in your backyard instead of having each family members sleep in their own beds. Tents can be expensive, but you can purchase cheaper, lesser quality tents for as low as $20. Also, dont forget used tents or ask friends and family members to borrow theirs for a few nights. You still stay at home, but get a new and exciting experience.

As for the activities, start with things that are free. Local parks rarely have admission fees and they are usually home many facilities, such as a swimming pools, playgrounds, picnic tables, basketball hoops, and more. Use the food you already have at home to create a picnic lunch and spend the day at the park. Since you want a slightly new experience, consider driving the extra 10 or so miles to visit a new park in a different town.

Local parks rarely have admission fees, but state parks do. Luckily, this fee is affordable. In fact, many charge by car instead of by each person. State parks tend to have more activities. In addition to a playground, you may gain access to a natural swimming pool, barbeque pits, and more. Most importantly, most state parks have long, scenic hiking trials. Your family could easily spend the day at a state park for as little as $10.

Many communities are also home to museums. They may be large or small in size. Unfortunately, these museums, especially those designed for families and small children, tend to have high admission rates. You could easily pay at least $5 a person. If you wish to visit these types of attractions, save ahead of time. Take your spare change to the bank, dont eat out for two weeks, and so forth. Also, look for special admission prices or discount coupons. Many attractions charge less the later you arrive towards closing.

Since you are basically not leaving home, but having a series of day long vacations, it can be easy to get bored. For that reason, seek the help of your children. Ask them what activities they would like to do or what attractions they would like to visit. As long as the activities are semi-affordable and you all have fun, your family vacation, should be amazing, even if you dont travel far from home.

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