Taking a summer vacation is a great opportunity to get away from work for a week or more and spend time with your family or friends. Whether you choose to head to a new destination or back to a spot that you have visited many times, your summer vacation is likely to be one of the highlights of the year.
Of course, vacations aren?t free. Balancing the planning of a great trip with the costs that come with it can be a difficult task, but it doesn’t have to be. The good news is that you don?t have to break the bank in order to plan a trip that everyone will enjoy.
# 1 ? Stay Close to Home
One of the biggest expenses associated with vacations is the cost of traveling to your destination. If you take a trip across the country, you will have to purchase costly plane tickets in addition to likely renting a car when you arrive.
However, if you pick out a destination that is closer to home and allows you to drive, you can save on both plane tickets and car rental. Take a look on a map and you might be surprised to learn how many great options are close enough for a road trip.
#2 ? Avoid Tourist Traps
They are called ?traps? for a reason. While the touristy spots might have a few fun things to see and do on a vacation, the added cost usually just isn?t worth it. Instead, try picking a location that is a little less traveled to keep the costs more under control. Not only will you save money by avoiding tourist traps, you’ll also not have to deal with the clutter?the cheap junk can create.
#3 ? Don?t Go for Quite as Long
With good planning, you might be able to pack everything you would do during a week vacation into 4-5 days. Even cutting two nights off of your trip can save you a significant amount of money in hotel expenses. If you use this idea, make sure to put an itinerary together before you leave to take advantage of the time you have available as efficiently as possible.
#4 ? Dine In While on Your Summer Vacation
This is a great way to save money, when possible. If you are able to find lodging with a kitchen, consider doing grocery shopping when you arrive for your trip and eating in as often as possible. One of the big costs of a vacation is dining out for every meal, so you can find some significant savings just by cooking some of your own meals. There are a variety of hotel chains that offer kitchenettes or free breakfasts, though we usually go with Starwood Properties?so we can earn points as well.
We do this quite a bit when we go on vacation as it gives us extra time together as a family, not to mention being able to eat healthy?as well.
#5 ? Free Activities
Try to plan that includes activities which are mostly free or inexpensive. For example, visiting state or national parks is a great way to see some incredible sites on a budget. While you might have to pay small admissions charges to these locations, they will pale in comparison to more commercially-focused options. You might be surprised to learn just how many of these kinds of activities are located all around the country when you start to plan your trip.
What are some of your tips to save money on summer vacation? Where are you planning on going on vacation this year? Do you travel hack so you can travel for cheaper.
Photo courtesy of: Fundable.org
Wise Dollar
Latest posts by Wise Dollar (see all)
- 8 Investing Tips That All Beginners Should Know About - May 11, 2021
- 5 Reasons Why Freelancing Should Be Your Next Career Move - March 9, 2021
- 5 Ways to Improve Your Sales Pitch and Get Funding - February 22, 2021
I would add to go on odd days, like mid-week. You can usually get airline fares much cheaper if you fly mid-week as well as hotels. I get emails from a hotel near where I live all of the time. During the week, they have special rates fro $59/night but on the weekends, the standard rate is $189/night.
Excellent point Jon! We do the same thing quite often. Now that we work for ourselves it gives us more freedom to go based off of price and save some money that way.
Plan early because the good and affordable hotels get booked up pretty quickly!
We are planning to have a short summer vacation together with my daughter and my sister. Having an advanced booking will definitely save you money and of course you can choose the affordable room that perfect for your budget.
Doing a lot of research and setting a good budget for your summer vacation would be a good thing to do! We already bought a ticket and I also read lots of reviews and tips about the resort that we are going to visit.
Even if you don’t have a place you can cook at, plenty of hotels have small fridges in the room. When Mom and I go to FinCon, we go to the nearest grocery store and get some snacks for the room. This ranges from pretzels and candy to bread, cheese and meat. It keeps us from leaving the hotel every time we’re hungry at night.
I would add to go on vacation in the off season (so it wouldn’t apply to the summer vacation title) but still, a good way to save money.
Great tips. I especially like the free activities. I always check the local event calendars for my destination to see what festivals and other fun things will happen while I’m there. Historical sites, museums and botanical gardens are some other good free/low-cost activities.
I would stay at home! I kinda feel better (home buddy) inside than going to crowded places. And the heat! It’s so hot. I normally travel during off season. This is how I save money during summer.
We go camping in the summer. It’s close to home and there are tons of free activities to do while camping. You swim, hike, bike and just enjoy nature. Usually there are guided hikes if you stay at a large park. It’s also inexpensive on food because you can cook on site for the most part. We do a couple of trips each summer. One with all the family and one with just the immediate family. Lots of fun!