We started thinking about our summer plans this week–probably because camp brochures started showing up in our mailbox. At the same time I started querying magazine editors with my ideas on how to plan a frugal vacation, beyond the typical “check with AAA for discounts” tips. Here are 7 of the money-savers I think everyone would want to know about when planning a vacation on a budget:
- Fly out of second-tier cities. If you’re flying to your destination, you can usually find cheaper fares outside the big-boy cities. One family found round-trip tickets to Florida for $45 per person, just by choosing to use the airport located further away from the nearest big city. I know that if I need to fly to Maine, I always choose to fly into Manchester, New Hampshire rather than Portland, Maine. Sure, I have to drive a bit farther but I always save hundreds of dollars on my airfare.
- Use social media to your discounting advantage. Many hotels, resorts and chambers of commerce are using social media to attract customers–and rewarding Twitter- and Facebook-savvy folks with deep discounts. Just today a company told me that if I entered the code TWEET when I booked my stay, I’d save 15%!
- Think local. This isn’t just about staycations. This is about helping you to plan day trips to places that other people plan entire vacations around. Draw a circle on a map within a 100-mile radius of your home and see what kinds of tourist attractions fall within that circle. Your local convention and visitors bureau might even be able to set you up with discounts to places you drive by on a daily basis and likely never thought of making part of your vacation plans.
- Take a volunteer vacation. According to Sheryl Kayne, author of Volunteer Vacations Across America (September 2009), there are a handful of farms and good causes that will provide free room and board to you and your youngest volunteers in return for your sweat and elbow grease. For example, Kane says The Big Dipper Eco Farm in Michigan accepts families with children of all ages, including infants and toddlers, and will find age-appropriate organic gardening tasks for all the mobile members of your family.
- See if your memberships get you free or discounted admission to places where you’re traveling. If you’re a member of your local zoo or museum, find out if those institutions have reciprocal agreements with other zoos and museums. For example, National Aviary members receive discounted or free admission at a long list of zoos, with which it has reciprocal discounts or free admission. You might just find yourself with free entertainment to enjoy during your time away.
- When you do travel, stock your own minibar. Don’t be tempted to pay $5 for a candy bar in that hotel mini-fridge. Instead, visit your favorite warehouse club to stock up on goodies that your kids can treat themselves to during your trip and won’t bust your budget in the process.
- Rent a house, apartment or hotel room with a full or partial kitchen. This will help you to avoid paying for the $6 bagels in the hotel restaurant when you order breakfast. You can go through organizations that specialize in vacation home rentals or timeshare rentals, or even check places like Craigslist or the back of your college alumni magazine for ads for vacation rentals.
What about you? How do you figure out money savers for your vacations?
READ LEAH ON HOME GOES STRONG
Another tip when going away is to look at getting local discounts at your destination.
At epok.com we give visitors to London discounts on eating out and going out, that they wouldn’t normally know about.
While the Entertainment Book offers various discounts to visitors in lots of American cities.
Yes, the Entertainment Book is also a worthwhile investment. Thanks!
Great post today, Leah. I especially like #7 on your list: rent a house, apartment or hotel room with a kitchen. In England they call this “self catering,” and many of the bed & breakfast venues offer a small cottage or suite with a kitchen which can greatly reduce your expenses. We have rented apartments in Rome and Barcelona when we visited our daughters who were doing semesters abroad. In Rome, our apartment in a fascinating 15th century building in a fabulous location cost us only $30 per person a day (there were 6 of us in 3 bedrooms). In Barcelona, a stylish 2 bedroom apartment with a balcony looking out to the marina was about $200 a night for 3 of us. Both places cost far less than hotel rooms, and we were able to enjoy a bottle of wine, cheese and bread bought at local shops, and even leftovers from great restaurants, in our home away from home. Having a washer & dryer available can also help – you can carry far less luggage.
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On the road again: pack your own snacks and a cooler of drinks. If you’re traveling by car, definitely bring your own road food rather than pay up big bucks for gas station or convenience store prices. Coffee in the hotel room to fill the travel mug is cheaper than buying that fancy mocha, too.
Great tips–Thank you! No stranger to the “snack bag” myself. Inexpensive and usually healthier. Second tier airports also means a cheaper rental. I am a fan of bundling a flight with the hotel or car. You can usually knock off 15% that way. There is a great offer I am spreading the word about from JetBlue and Hertz called the Jet and Drive Giveaway, when you purchase a flight along with the rental you receive a $25 voucher for a future Hertz rental. All the more reason to escape to a beach.
Do you have a link to this Jet Blue deal? Sounds great!
Hi Leah
Here you go.
http://www.JetandDriveGiveaway.com for giveaway and http://www.JetandDriveSavings.com for discount
Good Luck
Suzie
We like to rent “cabins” at campground resorts. There is always tons of stuff to do, swimming (pools. lakes), boating, playgrounds, bike riding. We stayed in one in Virginia and had so much fun we barely left to do the sightseeing we planned to do. We had a 3 bedroom, air conditioned house w/ kitchen for under about 900.00 week. We have stayed at several campgrounds and have never been disappointed.
This is a great idea and something I wouldn’t have considered. Because I don’t “camp” and campgrounds make me think of tents. Thanks!
YES! Hadn’t thought of it as “your own mini bar” but that’s just what it is. Twin and I went to Hilo (Hawaii) a while back. Our first stop was a grocery store. We picked up a cheap ice chest (wonderful as it doubles as a cooler for foods that need it, locks out critters that want to share and so on) and stocked up on peanut butter, crackers, fruit and teabags and picnicware. Food can be spendy there anyway but by having our nibbles and travel foods in the room or in the trunk of the rental car we saved quite a lot.
Also – there are work-for-stay (or low cost) places in Puna district on the Big Island. Helps if you are vegetarian and people tolerant. We just chose a low end hotel and went day tripping. (I think the Big Island offers the most different experiences – from volcanos and jungles to beaches and snow!) – and possibly best prices. But I’m pretty easy to please.
Save up calories to eat out in Hilo – couple places worth the trouble. And look for authentic plate lunch… (that’s actually what it’s called, emphasisis on PLATE) harder to find these days but still less expensive.
And stay away from the timeshare deals. We actually got one and the deals are great if you use them… but very hard to get out from under.
[...] have to stay in hotels and eat out all the time. Not so. Coming on the heels of my recent piece “7 Money-Savers for Your Next Vacation,” I thought you’d all appreciate these 5 additional money-saving tips for those planning a [...]