Travel Tips

Planning a Cheap Summer Vacation: Lower the Cost of Lodging

If you are planning a summer vacation on a budget, you are not alone. In fact, many American families are completely foregoing summer vacations. You do not have to give up your yearly trip. Instead, just focus on ways to reduce the cost. A great place to start is with your overnight accommodations.

So, how can you lower the cost of lodging when planning a summer vacation on a budget?

Try to stay with friends and family. If you are traveling to a destination where you have friends and family in the area, ask if you can stay with them. This is ideal if your family is small, as it wont be seen as a big inconvenience. If dealing with family, most will let you stay free of charge. Still, even if you offer to pay $20 a night, it is much cheaper than a $100 a night hotel room.

Consider camping instead. This alternative is cheap and perfect if you have a large family or do not know anyone in the area. State parks and campgrounds are your best and safest camping options. If you dont already own a tent or two, buy them. You can get great deals at department stores or sporting goods store. To save money, consider buying used or ask to borrow supplies from friends and family. Nightly camping rates vary greatly across the country, but you should pay no more than $50 a night, which is still cheaper than a hotel.

Compare hotels to find the best deal. Most popular vacation destinations have hundreds of hotels to choose from within a reasonable distance. Visit an online travel website. They are nice because they let you compare the cost of multiple hotels in a matter of minutes. Look to find the best deal or the best value for your money. For example, most families are willing to pay more for a hotel with an onsite swimming pool and fitness center. If you arent necessarily aiming for the best cost, aim for the best value for your money.

Dont discount smaller hotels, motels, or even bed and breakfast inns. Sometimes, they charge lower rates, especially if there is a lot of competition nearby. Americans automatically think of well-known hotels, like Holiday Inn. These smaller establishments need to draw attention to themselves and most usually do so with affordable rates.

Avoid traveling during holidays. If you are planning a summer vacation, you are already vacationing in a peak travel season. However, you should try to avoid holidays and weekends. You can expect to pay more for a hotel the weekend of July 4th than the last week in July. Speaking of which, experiment with travel dates. If your plans arent set in stone, test out a few different dates. Are the hotel rates different? If so, opt for the cheapest.

Avoid traveling during convention times. Once again, if your travel plans arent set, look at what is happening around the area. Is there a popular concert, big sporting event, or business convention hosted that same weekend? If so, the hotels may already be filled. If not, they are likely to charger higher rates.

Bring your own snacks and drinks. Many hotels have onsite restaurants. These are nice, but you arent likely to find the lowest prices. They are designed more for convenience than anything else. At the very least, opt for affordable fast food or casual restaurants nearby. However, bring your own snacks and drinks. They are more expensive at convenience stores and in hotel lobbies. For extended trips, it may be wise to pay the extra costs for a suite upgrade that gives you access to a working kitchen. For extended trips, such as 5 days or longer, you will save a lot of money by preparing your own meals.

Staying with friends, at a hotel, or camping are your three cheapest options in terms of overnight accommodations. However, if you have your heart set on a private vacation rental, compare prices, look for discounts, or make it like a double date. Plan your family vacation with another family and spilt the cost of a private rental.

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How to Save Money on Food During Your Summer Vacation

Are you gearing up for your summer vacation? If you are like most Americans, you may be vacationing on a budget. If you already made most of your travel plans, like if you booked your airline reservations and a hotel room, it will be difficult to cut too many expenses. Luckily, you still can with food. With careful planning and thinking outside of the box, you could reduce the cost of your summer vacation by $100 or $200 just by watching what you eat!

Always make use of free or discounted food. If staying at a hotel or resort, see what food extras are provided to guests. Special discounts may be offered just for guests for dinner. You may get a free cold breakfast, and so forth. Do not pass up too many of these special offers. They are a very easy and convenient way to save money; after all, you never leave the hotel property!

Avoid restaurants located right in the middle of popular vacation destinations. Are you traveling to Virginia Beach? Restaurants located along the coastline are costly to eat at. Use the internet to a little bit of research ahead of time or ask your hotel clerk. Aim for five or ten miles away. You are likely to find smaller crowds and better prices.

Look for moneysaving coupons. Many restaurants have coupons available. There are three good ways to find these coupons. First, use the internet to research nearby restaurants. Many travel websites will give you a large list in a matter of seconds. Visit their websites. Not only can you get an idea of the food available and their prices, but see if printable coupons are listed or review the list of daily specials. Many areas have Entertainment Books. These are books filled with coupons. They cost around $25 each, but are filled with hundreds of dollars worth of discounts. Visit the book website and view a sample of the coupons. It may be a wise investment. Finally, look in the hotel lobby. Many travel brochures and fliers have coupons attached.

Mix it up between fast food establishments, casual restaurants, and fancy sit down restaurants. If you are planning a romantic getaway with your spouse, you want to have the best. However, if you are on a budget, you need to reduce your expenses. To prevent boredom and get the best of both worlds, mix it up each night and try something different.

Eat in. Unless you stay at a vacation rental or book a suite, you will be lucky to get a refrigerator, let alone a working kitchen. This may make eating in seem impossible, but it isnt. Stop at a nearby grocery store. Most have deli and carryout sections. Order a cold turkey sub, a small roasted chicken, and so forth. Bring the meal back to your hotel room. While at the grocery store, also buy snacks and drinks.

Buy drinks and snacks from grocery stores. At first glance, it will seem as if your resort community is only filled with convenience stores and gift shops. Ask your hotel clerk. He or she should know of a local grocery store. The prices will be lower. Stock up on dry food, snacks, and drinks. If you do not have a refrigerator in your room, buy a small foam cooler and keep it filled with ice. This may seem like a big inconvenience, but snacks and drinks can cost $1 or more less traditional grocery stores.

Outlined above was just a few of the many ways that you can reduce the cost of food on your upcoming summer vacation. With these tips, you can still have vacation of your dreams, only it will just cost less!

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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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