Friday, July 3, 2009

Summer Vacations on a budget!

Many are experiencing financial adversity these days. Despite budget constraints we still need to treat ourselves to some R&R from time to time! (Now more than ever) To plan a Spicy Vaca with your mate or a fun getaway with family, consider these tips:

* Start with your ideas, then work it in your budget.
* Think outside the box...for example are there attractions in town that you can take advantage of like botanical gardens, amusement parks or a new hotel.
* Map out destinations you can drive to on a tank of gas.
* Cash in reward points, frequent flyer miles or discounts.
* Found a dream vacation destination, simply ask reservations for a discount or the availability of special offers or promotions.
* Seek out friends and family who may belong to travel clubs, own timeshares and etc.
Interesting ideas or creative destinations...share your travel tips with us!

4 comments:

Spicy Wifey said...

We have been lucky with budget vacations this summer! WE live very busy, hectic lives on a daily and we need breaks. More importantly, we want our kids to have great summer vacations.

The first vacation we took was to a beach that was a 3 hour drive and 1 tank of gas each way. A friend redeemed rewards points for our hotel stay. With the money we saved, we ate out, shopped and really enjoyed site seeing. The kids a blast at the beach and at the pool in the hotel!

Our second vacation we took advantage of corporate discounts offered through my hubbies employer. To save even more we invited other families and split the lodging costs. We booked a luxury 3 level cabin in the mountains...amazing!

Our super duper getaway was for two! I searched online for inexpensive hotels downtown. (which would present a change for us because we live in the suburbs)I found an AMAZING deal online, because the hotel industry is discounting rooms due to economy. It was for a high-end hotel, romantic and private. We enjoyed a night out, romantic dinner and I called in favors to redeem massages for too. This Spicy getaway was about $200.00 total!
Quin, Spicy Wifey

Mrs. Brown said...

Yes, a hotel with a pool is a great vacation get away. We have a six flags here in Atlanta. So we got a hotel close to the park with a pool. (even though we live close to Six Flags) Like you said, the change of pace feel like you are out of town. The kids swam one day, we went to the park the next and on our 3rd and last day we drove into downtown to take advantage of some museums that we had never been to. It really felt like a vacation!

Anonymous said...

Great tips!

"the Mrs." said...

OOOOOOOOO! You must've had me in mind when you posted this one. I definitely need a vacation (on a budget)! Definitely will be taking these tips into consideration and maybe we can get it done sooner than later!