Every family wants to save money and every family loves to go on vacation, so cheap vacations are a must. The economy today basically requires cheap vacations for the average, middle class family. We are here to give you some tips to help your family take fun, but cheap vacations so you can still have money in your pocket at the end of the summer.
Drive
Road trips are great cheap vacations. Even with the high price of gas, it is usually less expensive to drive rather than fly your family anywhere. Especially as you add more members of the family to the trip, you will save more money comparatively by driving rather than flying.
It may take longer to get to your destination, but you will be able to stop at various points of interest along the way and turn your drive into part of the vacation in the process. Driving is a great method of creating cheap vacations.
Pack Food
If you want to go on cheap vacations, you need to pack as much of your own food as possible. Take along an ice chest and fill it with sandwiches and drinks. Cheap vacations also require your packing enough munchies to sustain your family’s snacking appetite. Forego the Slurpees and candy at the gas station during each pit stop, and eat your sandwiches for meals instead of going to McDonalds.
A family of four spends approximately $55 per day on fast food meals and $8 to $10 at each gas station on candy and drinks. Imagine how much money you can save on cheap vacations with your family if you pack your own food from a discount grocer and eat along the way.
Call on Family
Don’t think of it as imposing; think of it as spending quality time. If you stay with family or friends, you can save hundreds on housing costs on cheap vacations. They will be overjoyed to have you come stay while you are on vacation. Many times, you have not had the chance to see each other for a long time, so this is a great chance to get reacquainted while you are in the mood for cheap vacations. If you haven’t seen your family and friends in awhile, you might decide to simply make them a destination for cheap vacations. One rule though — don’t show up without calling first and give plenty of time for them to plan.
Use the Internet
Plan your cheap vacations ahead of time and know when and where you want to stop for the night. Get on the Internet and use discount hotel finders like Hotwire, Orbitz, Travelocity, and others to make discounted reservations and help build your cheap vacations.
Come Tour Our Property
If you are good at saying “No,” you can take advantage of the cheap vacations offered by the annoying salespeople calling you to “Come tour our property” and we will put you up in our hotel and give you vouchers and blah, blah, blah. Say yes to going on the tours and you get cheap vacations; then you have to say no to everything they want you to buy on the tours, or else your cheap vacations turn expensive.
Feel Patriotic
A great idea for cheap vacations is to hit national monuments and national parks. These are usually free or require minimal fees or donations. Your kids will love running around in the open air and although they may not appreciate it now, when they get older they will know visiting Mount Rushmore was better than Disneyland — even if you were going on cheap vacations.
By D. Blair Thompson