Savvy Travel & Family Time

Best Ways To Vacation On A Budget Without Compromising On Quality

Everyone loves getting that time away but with rising costs of everything else, falling wages and job insecurity these days…. being able to afford that break is becoming harder and harder. So lets look at a few ways to get away on a great vacation without breaking the bank!

Look For Out Of Season Deals

If you are able to it’s a great idea to look at booking a trip out of the main tourist seasons of summer, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas etc. This is a particularly attractive option to those of you who don’t have children as you will not be constrained by school holidays but in addition to that you will have the run of the resorts without noisy, messy children making a relaxing vacation if not impossible at the very least a supreme challenge!

Consider Investing In A Campervan

You could always contact a campervan hire supplier to reduce the cost of accommodation, this also has the added benefit of giving you a little home away from home, ideal if you have children who need that comfort aspect. Or you could go a step further and look into getting your own camper van. This way you can vacation whenever you like. It may be worth it to find more info about buying a small camper van to accommodate any future trips. It’s amazing how luxurious and homey it can be to make a camper van and with it being your own property you can have it exactly the way you want it. If you start looking and the price of new RVs and campers is making your eyes water then why not consider the idea to build a custom diy camper conversion by converting an old van, this guide shows how to do it in extreme detail.

The Staycation

A staycation is an idea of staying in your local area or country rather than traveling further abroad. This can clearly save you a sum of money as the travel costs are greatly reduced and you can always use your local knowledge to get better deals on accommodation. You have the advantage as well of being able to return to your vacation experiences for day trips and short breaks as they will be not too far away. Other benefits include the staycation being more environmentally friendly due to the lower carbon footprint of not flying all over to get there.

House-Swapping

House-Swapping is and old idea and has been done for generations, but it’s still a great idea as you can temporarily swap homes with someone from another place and you can choose as close or as far away as you like for this. It’s so easy these days and there are loads of websites offering to facilitate this service so that you can have a good look and find a destination and a swap family that suits you best.

Budget In Advance (Make The Sacrifices Before-hand)

If you look at the above options and your thoughts are simply that you want the full vacation experience and are not prepared to compromise at all then you can still budget and get your top notch vacation but your budgeting then needs to be done in advance, look at where you can save, be strict with your cash and it may take a while but you can then go on that trip feeling you’ve completely earned it.

2 Comments

  • Dawn D.

    One of the things my husband and I do skimp on, that is hotels/motels. We go cheap on this because, after all, the only reason we are there is to shower and sleep. Now that isn’t to say we stay in raunchy hotels, trust me, we don’t. We just simply don’t find a need to spend on a room at a fancy place when we will be out all day. Another thing we have discovered while on the road (& not having reservations) are the area travel brochures (Usually found at convenient stores along the road). They’re chock full of coupons/discounts for businesses we’re bound to come upon (especially hotel rooms) in that area. (We take advantage of these travel flyers when we do a ‘road trip’, because of not knowing when and where we’ll be at a particular time.)
    I guess my bottom line money saving travel tip is: as long as you have a CLEAN hotel room to sleep and shower in, a cheaper hotel is worth the savings.

  • Donna

    I love these ideas! I’m long overdue for a vacation. I’m hoping to save up little by little, until I have enough money to go.