The thought of going on a vacation is exciting, but the thought of paying for a vacation is daunting. If you are ready to pack up and get away with friends or family, there are some things you can do to keep the costs down and make your vacation budget go further.
Drive Instead of Fly
Instead of flying to your destination if you are staying in the states, consider driving there. You can use apps such as GasBuddy to find the cheapest gas near you, and then you can hit the road. You can even use GasBuddy or AAA TripTik Travel to decide where to go. Just put in how much gas you want to use, and the app will give you a list of destinations within your gas budget.
Even if you’re traveling a long distance, driving there adds to the experience. There is a lot to see across the states, and you can make it an adventure for the whole family.
Travel With Friends
It helps if you can split the cost of your trip with friends. If you are close enough, sharing a hotel room will cut your lodging costs in half, and if you want to travel with a large group, some airlines will offer discounts. Once you arrive at your destination, ask the hotel concierge, or use the internet to research group deals for local attractions.
Visit National Parks
The U.S. has thousands of national parks with beautiful scenery and lots of things to do. Moreover, they are cheaper to visit than many of the big amusement parks and attractions if you have kids. If you enjoy the outdoors, you can pay a small fee for entrance, and then enjoy a whole day or even a week of fun outside in the fresh air at a National Park.
If you are a senior, it is even better. The America the Beautiful Senior Pass costs just $10 and allows you entrance into 2,000 national parks for the rest of your life.
Use Your Smartphone
There are so many apps available to help you find good deals, no matter where or how you travel. You can set up some apps to give you alerts when cheap airline tickets become available, or you can use a parking app to find good parking and a lower price in the city.
Travel in the Off-Season
One of the easiest ways to save a lot of money is to travel in the off-season. If you don’t have to travel when the kids are out of school, try to book your vacation right before the peak season starts or just after it ends. Prices for hotels drop drastically if you travel to the beach in the fall or to the mountains in the summer. The weather is still nice, and most of the shops and restaurants are still open. You will save money and get excellent service since the crowds are gone.
With just a little bit of planning and thinking outside the box, you can make your travel budget go much further.
Image “Road” by Janitors, used under CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from Original
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