Every year people tend to look forward to the summer, because summer means more free time, relaxing at the beach, swimming at the local pools, barbequing, watching baseball games, time off from school, and of course summer vacations. This year however, more and more people seem to be opting out of the vacation due to the state of the economy and their personal financial situation. There seems to be so much negative surrounding today, with the hope for tomorrow; and, this does not need to be the situation with your vacation. Don’t put off your vacation – take advantage of the many deals available for travel and accommodation because of the economy and you will be surprised what type of vacation you can afford.
Obviously, sometimes when you want to save a little money, you need to take a little bit more time. Just as the coupon cutter who religiously finds deals on food, with a little effort, you too, can find a great deal for your family’s vacation.
One good area to start is the different online travel sites because they offer deals and rewards programs that you can sign up for and get notified when specials are being held. You can subscribe to as many services as you want, including travel sites, frequent flier sites, frequent guest programs, reward programs, and any other online sites you find that you feel might potentially benefit your family’s future vacation. When you sign up, they will start emailing you alerts and sometimes you can join their customer programs for even better deals.
Scheduling is always an important part of the planning process that will aid you in saving a good amount of money on your vacation. While it might seem fun to go on an impulse trip, it is not always cost effective, so book your trip in advance. Also, you will often find better deals when you schedule your trip dates during the middle of the week.
Although you want your trip to be cheap, you also do not want to end up going to the middle of nowhere. However, if you have flexibility when it comes to your destination, you will find some good deals in areas of higher population and frequent travel, including cities and resorts. A lot of times these hotels or resorts will give you a discounted rate because they have vacancies and it makes more sense to get some money rather than no money at all. And, it also works in your favor as well!
For many of us, it can be difficult to even begin planning a trip because the cost can add up so quickly before you even get there by the time you pay for your airfare, accommodations, car rental, etc. Although you might not be rushing out to get your own travel agent, you can most likely book a package deal online and save yourself money. The package deal groups everything together for you (your hotel, airfare, rental car, anything else you might need) and you pay for it all together. And, the great thing is it is ready for you when you get there, giving you some extra money to use on attractions or food.
When you actually embark on your vacation probably the most expensive part to fund will be your family’s food, especially since you will not have a kitchen and you will also be on the go a lot. To avoid costly food expenses, ask the hotel to lock your mini bar and get you a mini fridge instead. You can use the mini fridge to store snacks for your family that are less expensive than you could buy at other places. And, if possible, try eating before you go to an attraction, because the food will definitely be cheaper.
No vacation is complete without proper activities, though, an activity everyday is an easy way to tack on expenses to your trip. The good news is, there are a lot of ways to find deals on the location accommodations. You can find coupons, special passes, and the hotel you are staying at might even have specials. Also, remember, even though the higher-price adventures are exciting, there are also lots of affordable activities and site seeing that you can do to stay busy, enjoy the vacation, and save money.
Affordable family vacations are actually possible in this economy if you are willing to put in a little bit of effort and find that great deal. If you are ready to go on your vacation, start looking for deals now. The faster you find the deal, the faster your family can begin their vacation!