Cheap Vacations for Families or Couples

You've had great vacations in the past and will have fabulous ones in the future, but this year you simply don't have the cash to show the family a great time, right? Think again. There are lots of fantastic vacations where the family can have fun and you and your wallet can rest easy.

Plan a vacation that isn't too far away so that the gas tab won't be hard to manage. Camp out rather than renting motel rooms. Kids love camping and you can usually take the family pet along as well. Or check on motels that rent by the week to save a little. Shop at a local grocer and keep foods in a cooler with ice to save money on dining. Plan on a couple of nice meals during the trip but cook your own food otherwise. When eating out, choose to have breakfast rather than dinner, since breakfasts are usually much cheaper.

For entertainment there's swimming, hiking, biking and fishing. Or ride into town and check out the scenery, museums and parks. Many museums are free to enter or have minimal fees. National parks often have films and other events that are free. During the summer many movie theaters show G-rated films on weekday mornings for a very minimal cost. Three or four dollars generally covers the movie, a drink and small popcorn.

If there are no kids going along on the trip plan a totally different itenerary. Camping is still a good choice or get a low-budget room for a week. You can also arrange to stay with friends, if possible. Long strolls on the beach, a picnic in a park or just bird watching can be a real thrill to some couples. Other ideas for entertainment that are appreciated more by adults than kids are visiting large libraries, touring historical towns, viewing famous cemeteries, site-seeing old and unique buildings or going for a long drive in the mountains. And civic centers, found in most large towns, offer free use of the building to many different organizations. During your own vacation the civic center could be sponsoring a free art show, sports event, food-tasting presentations, coin or stamps shows or any number of interesting displays.

There are many resources for finding low-cost or no-cost entertainment. Look online or check with the Chamber of Commerce in the town you plan to visit. Some towns have a tourist attraction that is unique to that town and often free or inexpensive. In one town it might be a local circus. In another city, an outdoors theatre group. Try putting the name of the city in the search engine, along with "free", "tour", "attend" and other keywords to locate great attractions. Also check the area newspapers for free poetry-reading groups, parades, festivials or other attractions.

Some things that are fun and inexpensive are building sand castles at the beach, star gazing, visiting waterfalls, hunting arrowheads, shopping at a one-dollar store, going out for ice cream, walking around a mall, visiting a 4-H fair, attending area sports events, going to a flea market or attending an "open" dance.