Including a vacation in your plans can be a challenge on a tight budget. For those of you who want to get in that family quality time, yet don’t have the finances for an extravagant vacation, here are some budget family vacation tips. Since the goal here is to get the most fun for your money, let’s talk about some frugal and low cost vacation ideas and tips that could be right for your family.
Don’t forget your best resources, friends and family. Ask around to see if anyone has visited an area you plan to go. You may get lucky and have a “friend that has a friend” who maybe has a vacation spot they wouldn’t mind renting to you for a lesser fee. Sometimes people won’t rent out their vacation spots for various reasons, but don’t mind doing so if the tenant is a trusted acquaintance of a friend or family member.
If you want to beach it, be sure to check out all your options for lodging. Sometimes a large family can do better by renting a condo or home for the week rather than staying at a hotel. Remember, you can save a tremendous amount of money if you can prepare your own meals while on vacation. By eating in, you don’t have to worry much about bringing your fat burners! A good portion of a families vacation budget can be literally “eaten up”! Even a little kitchenette in a suite can save you big bucks. If you’re campers, you can almost always find a campground near popular beach areas and get maximum savings on lodging.
Needless to say, all of us have preferences when it comes to travel and leisure. Even when it comes to selection hotels with cheap accommodation rates, our tastes will differe.
While some prefer to laze at the beach and do nothing, others prefer the hustle and bustle of city travel. Experiencing the local culture, enjoying local food and sights are some key points that every traveler looks for. Here are some of the most popular destinations today:
1. Thailand. Thailand is also known as Siam. It is an Asian country bounded by Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Behind the back draft of Thailand’s jungles of bamboo, rubber trees and vines are the Five-star hotels of modern conveniences. In some parts of the country, elephants are still being use to lift timbers and buffalos are still being use in farming. If you are a fan of thai food, you will be spoilt with choices by affordable and authentic thai joints. Just don’t forget to bring along your colon cleanser cos it’s hard not to overeat!
2. China. China is now the second largest country and fastest growing economy in the world. Most parts of China are still unexplored by tourist; however, the eastern portion is now popular to western tourist. First class hotels now offer highest class of amenities and dozens are still being built/
3. Italy. Italy is a boot-like shape country bounded by Switzerland, Austria, France, and Slovenia. The main attraction of Italy is St. Peter’s Square where the Pope resides.
4. Caribbean. Caribbean is an archipelago of islands, 2000 square miles across. Most of the islands are plateaus and eruptions of underlying mountain systems. It has nice beaches of crushed coral and white or pink sand and the water at the shore is a deep blue. Be prepared to pay more for accommodation. This is one place you will find it a challenge to find cheap accommodation rates!
Why do people need to go on vacations? Sometimes, we are so tired after a long period of routines that vacations and travelling is a thing that helps keep us sane. That’s the reason why companies and bosses force employees to go on leave. It sure makes a lot of sense to take breaks. Sometimes, it can be hard finding a traveling partner.
If you are on your own, traveling with a friend or looking for a travel companion, a few tips might help you from having a lousy trip. Here are some tips when traveling with a partner:
• Decide upfront the objectives of the trip and what you want to get out of it.
• Money has the potential of destroying the best of friendships so be very careful. It’s best to decide what, where, and how much you will be spending on mutual expenses such as accommodation, food and transport. Make sure you share the same opinions.
• It is necessary to prepare an itinerary. You both should decide which places you want to visit, things to do and time to be spent at each location. If possible, compare hotels and find the best accommodation deals together.
• Respect each other’s opinions during the planning stage. It is better to agree who should bring what if you are sharing anything. Otherwise, each should be responsible for his/her own belongings. Don’t expect your partner to bring your weightloss pills or personal items for you. You should be responsible for your own things.
Last but not least, tell each other that whatever happens, you must purpose to have a good holiday.
A discount traveler knows that every planned spot in an itinerary will end up as expenses and costs to him/her. If you decide that you absolutely must go to a particular place at a particular time, you leave yourself at the hands of travel agents and tour guides, and put yourself in a position where you have to pay whatever it costs. You just have to trust them on what they say about cheap accommodation rates or best accommodation deals.
One of the most fundamental concepts to discount travel is to learn how to be flexible. The more rigid you are in what you want to do and when you want to do it, the more you are going to pay. Being flexible about your travel dates can save you a bundle in airfare costs. Even better is if you can be open to traveling in many different places. If you decide, for example, that you’re planning for a Machu Picchu travel, as opposed to another country, you’ll be able to take advantage of cheap fares and save a fortune. Almost anyone who is a master of the art of discount travel and best accommodation deals will be extremely flexible and more interested in the idea of travel itself, as opposed to a particular vacation at a particular time. And in most cases, when you meet people who don’t seem to make much money but travel all the time, this is the attitude they have.
When it comes to choose the right and best accommodation deals for any destination, I tend to be cautious over old accommodations or shabby ones.
I recalled staying in an old motel some years back when we were touring the US and as I examined the materials used for the room, I was very concerned about the risks of mesothelioma. For someone so sensitive like me, I was worried and couldn’t wait to get out of that place!
Then again, when you choose the right accommodation in your travels, the experience can be memorable and lasting. Sometimes it may require you to pay more unless you manage to get the best accommodation deals during off peak seasons. So cheap doesn’t mean good thus it’s important to evaluate and consider wisely.
I’ve never stayed in an airport hotel until two years ago when we made a trip to the US. We weren’t going to pay for a night’s stay in Korea town since it was hard to find cheap accommodation rates during that season. So we settled for a stay in Korea airport hotel.
If you are on a transit and a few hours or half a day, resting in airport hotels may be the best thing to do. Few years ago, we were in San Diego airport hotel and thought it was nice taking a rest before our next flight out. While finding cheap accommodation rates may sometimes be hard in airport hotels, you can choose a standard or basic room since it’s just a fairly short stay. You will be surprised how refreshed you will feel than to lie around on the airport waiting area where privacy is normally limited.
Needless to say, many families who are traveling with their children will want to get good bargains or cheap accommodation rates when it comes to a family vacation. Some may think that it is too hard to find cheap holidays for families, but if you research, you can find some great money-saving deals.
Family vacations can be expensive due to the number of people travelling. In addition, most families tend to travel during school holidays, which means that they have to travel during the year end peak seasons such as Christmas, Easter and the summer. Here are some tips to keep our budget low and your cost down.
1. Travel during the non peak season
If you can, choose to fly a week before or after the main holiday periods as it can make a big difference to your travel cost. Weekends tend to get expensive for short breaks in resorts and island holidays. If you have children that are below school age, then you should try to travel outside the school holidays to avoid the peak season surcharges.
2. Do your search on best accommodation deals
Instead of hotels, you can look into renting a self-catering apartment or holiday home for cheap accommodation rates. These are usually cheaper than hotel accommodation and you can buy your own food to cook simple meals. Eating out can be costly if you are traveling as a family and eating in provides you the flexibility.
3. Book in advance for cheaper accommodation rates
Hotels or accomomation providers tend to offer cheaper accommodation rates when you book way in advance. You can always book your accommodation and then wait for cheap or promotion flights to accumulate your savings. Search for hotels online to find the best accommodation deals and do your research.
The above travel tips will be handy no matter where your family is traveling to – Anaheim California hotel, Las Vegas Holiday, family trip to New York, to exotic Bali or tropical Phuket.
Traveling cheap is still possible. Do your travel research, book early for cheap accommodation rates and adopt one or more of the above travel tips.
Nobody likes to travel expensive when there is a budget constraint. In other words, we are always on the look out for cheap accommodation rates no matter where we are traveling to.
Imagine how much you would save if you take time to find cheap accommodation rates from the web for a family of four. Some families will prefer to book through a travel agent for best accommodation deals since travel agents get bulk and wholesale rates from hotels and accommodations.
My friend was just sharing with me on his Hydroxycut reviews and telling me how he’s won himself a vacation for two in his weight loss efforts. This is sure better than any cheap accommodation deals since the trip for him will be free!
This weekend, I will be spending more time to check out travel tips and stories for thailand since we are heading that way in three months’ time. Hopefully the hotels drop their prices further in lieu to the current global financial crisis!
Cheap accommodation seems to be on the tongue of many budget travelers during these tough financial times. At this point of writing, some of my friends are waiting for the clock to tick past 12am and the budget airfares will begin. Usually the $0 airfare promotion coupled with cheap accommodation will be the objectives of budget conscious travelers.
When it comes to cheap accommodation, travelers must be prepared for forgo luxury facilities and amenities. Perhaps you can still get your own room and not be required to share a room with another stranger. It really depends on where the cheap accommodation is situated and which destination. Some cheap accommodations are further from the city or airport whereas others are not close to public transport or have smaller room size.
Ask yourself: How much are you willing to pay? What is your budget for your cheap accommodation? Shop around and do your research and you are likely to find cheap accommodation online. Compare hotels and find the best deals. If possible, avoid peak periods. Just like buying a second hand POS system, paying for cheaper accommodation doesn’t mean compromising on your travel standards.
One thing for sure. Cheap accommodation doesn’t mean low service standards. Surprisingly, some cheap accommodations have personalized and great service that left great memories for the traveler. Always check travelers’ reviews on the cheap accommodation before your booking to ensure that you have made the best decisions for your vacation.
No matter where you travel to, as long as it’s some place you are not totally familiar with, it is always useful to get a travel map of the particular destination.
If you are traveling to Las Vegas, alas vegas strip map will be helpful so that you avoid wasting time trying to find your way around. For me, I prefer to get a travel guide book if I’m planning to spend at least 2 weeks in my travel destination. That way, I can flip and turn to the right resources when I need help. But online travel resources are equally helpful for anyone planning for a vacation… besides, the information is free!
