Image: Courtesy to Instagram Murad Osmann @muradosmann
When you’re heading out on vacation you want to have a great time and you want to make the most of your experience. However, at the same time, you don’t want to spend a fortune on one trip. Fortunately for you, this article is all about ways that you can have an amazing vacation that has everything you want without having to break the bank.
1. Pack Your Meals
One of the easiest ways to save money on your travels is to pack the food that you’re going to eat. Think about it like this: if you have a family of four and you stop only for fast food (which you likely wouldn’t do every night on vacation) you’re already looking at a bill of at least $20 – that’s if you all order cheap. If anyone in your family is a big eater, this definitely isn’t going to hold true. If you pack sandwiches, chips, and drinks, however, you can easily get away with less than $20 a meal and plenty more food.
2. ‘Comparison Shop’ for Airlines
You may have your favorite airline that you like to fly with or you may have an airport that is very close to your house or very close to your destination. You figure that the money you save on gas is well worth a little extra for the plane ticket, right? Well you’re on the right track but you’re not looking at it quite right. You want to make sure that you’re weighing out whether or not there really is a good amount of savings in gas because if there isn’t, it may actually be cheaper to use an airline further away that has cheaper rates.
3. Travel in the Off Season
Everyone knows when the ‘on’ season is. That’s when most people vacation to hotter climates in the summer months. Everyone likes to do it to escape from the cold after all. But if you travel during these months, not only will your destination be packed, you’ll be paying the highest rates. Traveling during the winter or fall season, even to the same locations, will be cheaper because those managing tourism at your chosen destination are trying to attract people when business is normally slow and will offer substantial discounts on accommodation and attractions to get you into their hotels and resorts.
4. Strip the Frills
When you look at the ‘all-inclusive’ package it seems like the best deal because it provides you with all the things you need, from your hotel, to your activities and sometimes even your food for one low price. But have you really compared the package deal and its conveniences with the same services should you buy them independently? If you go out and purchase all the tickets and food that this deal is offering you separately, are you going to get a better deal? You may be surprised to find that you are, or that you’re being given added frills you won’t use for more money.
5. Home Swap
One of the new ways to vacation cheaply is to do something called a home swap. There are many new websites that will allow you to post pictures of your home and information about where you live and then you can swap your house with someone who lives in a place you’d like to visit. You get cheap lodging because often there are no fees (they’re staying at your house after all) and you get to explore an entirely new area.