How to Take a Big Weekend Trip on a Small Budget

Your life has turned into nothing but early mornings, meetings, and deadlines. It's been a month of Mondays. You long for a vacation, but don't have the time - or the money - to take one. What you need is a weekend pick-me-up. But how can you go away for the weekend without spending a fortune?

A weekend away can add up quickly when you factor in the costs for food, gas, and lodging on top of what you will pay for activities and attractions. It's really not so difficult, though, to get away on a small budget if you're willing to use the internet and do a little planning ahead.

First, you must decide where to go. With only two nights in a weekend, you should probably choose a destination within about 200 to 300 miles from home. This will allow you to get far enough away from home that you feel like you're on vacation without requiring you to spend the bulk of your weekend in the car.

If you're stumped about where to go, you might try looking at a map. It's not necessary to go to a big city in order to have a nice weekend. In fact, you are likely to have a better time in a smaller town - things will be less expensive and you'll spend less time getting from place to place. Try typing the town names into an internet search engine such as Yahoo! or Google. The search results will likely give you some ideas about what the town has to offer - festivals, attractions, parks, museums. Remember that you don't have a lot of time, so its okay to choose a town that only has one or two things that interest you.

Another strategy might be to first determine what you would like to do on your weekend and go from there. Some inexpensive ideas might be to visit wineries, parks, go antiquing, or take in a local theatre performance. These can be trickier to find on the internet, but if you are patient and resourceful you will be able to find them. Try using your search engine by typing in your desired activity and the names of some of the larger cities in your radius. Many small town businesses will reference larger cities on their websites and you may be able to find them this way. Although more time-consuming, you can also start with the smaller town names to find your desired activity. This can be done using a search engine or even the online yellow pages.

If getting away from home is your main objective, you might not be so concerned with planning activities. If you can find a place to go, you will most likely be able to fill your time in a coffee shop, local pub, enjoying the scenery, or even taking in a movie if you decide you want to get out. Most towns offer these kinds of things so you don't have to plan ahead to do them.

Once you settle on destination, its time to think about details. You will need a place to sleep. Depending on where you are going, you may have several options. Don't rule anything out until you've done a little legwork.

Hotels and Motels are probably the easiest to find and are usually the most budget-friendly. When searching for a hotel in an unknown city, chain hotels are the best bet for travelers. These hotels are generally in high-traffic areas near restaurants and attractions, providing travelers with safety and convenience.

If you aren't sure which hotels are in the area, try searching hotels.com or other similar website. You will be prompted to enter the city, state, and dates of travel. The site will generate a list of area hotels and rates for your selected dates. These sites often provide good rates, but once you find a couple of options it is best to go directly to the hotel's personal website to search directly. You are likely to get a different - often better - rate this way and you won't be required to prepay for your room as you might when using the hotel search sites, allowing for last minute cancellations if necessary. When looking at rates on the hotel website be sure to search several rate plans. Many hotels offer internet rates, AAA, AARP, and government employee rates. These rates vary among the individual hotels so you might get a better price with AAA rate in one hotel and the internet rate in another. Take the extra time to check all the different rates that you qualify for - this could save you as much as $10-$20 per night. Also be sure to look at what the hotels offer - it might be worth the extra $10 a night to have an indoor pool or full breakfast buffet if you take advantage of them and don't, in turn, have to spend money on similar activities or meals outside the hotel.

If you are not interested in a hotel, you could also look into a bed and breakfast or even a private cabin rental, depending on the area. These can also be found using a search engine and typing in "cabins" or "bed and breakfast" followed by your city and state. Again, be sure to do your homework - some lodgings are more luxurious than others. Bed and Breakfasts sometimes have less expensive rates if you are willing to share a bathroom with other guests. Private cabins shouldn't be discounted because of the high rates - you can make up for these costs by cooking your own meals and renting movies or playing board games instead of going out for activities. No matter what you decide on, be sure that you understand the terms of stay and any hidden costs such as fees for deposits, cancellations, and late arrivals.

Once you find a place to stay, you're ready to firm up your plans for activities. While it is a good idea to know what kind of entertainment is available, don't over-plan! The goal of your trip is to relax. If you spend your weekend running from place to place, you will defeat this purpose.

Make a small list of things you might like to do and scrutinize it carefully. Is there a particular attraction that has drawn you specifically to this town? If so, you might look into buying advance tickets or making reservations. Buying tickets ahead of time is a great way to save a few bucks - fees are often raised if you buy them at the door. You can usually purchase these tickets through a website for the event or venue and sometimes you can do this over the phone. If you are a AAA member you can try their website to see if they offer discounted tickets. Sometimes city websites offer discounts for travelers as well.

Planning in advance can save you some time and money later, but only if you are sure that these are things you want to do. Many things can come up while you are on vacation and it is easy to get side-tracked. You don't want to have to cut short a leisurely lunch or a long walk on a beautiful day in order to get somewhere just because you have already paid for tickets. You also wouldn't want to waste the money spent on tickets if you decide not to attend at all. Even if you end up paying a few extra dollars at the door, the flexibility might be worth it.

Costly activities are not the only things to do on a weekend trip. In fact, you can have a lot of fun spending no money at all. Do you enjoy photography? Take a camera -even if its just a disposable one - and look for things to take photographs of. Not only will you be recording your trip, you are likely to discover some really interesting things that you would never have found otherwise. Wineries usually offer free tours and wine tastings - it is customary to purchase a bottle or two when you are finished, but you can usually find a wine you enjoy for about $10-$15. Having a picnic in a park and taking a walk in the woods is always a nice way to enjoy an afternoon (and your recently purchased bottle of vino!). Some town museums offer free admissions on certain days of the week. Your options are endless if you just use a little imagination and don't wait until the last minute to look.

Before you head out for your weekend, be sure to make sure you have everything you need. Being prepared is the best way to ensure a relaxing weekend. Have the hotel phone numbers and reservation confirmation number readily available. Use a website such as mapquest.com to print out directions to your hotel. You can also print directions from your hotel to some of your destinations. This way, you don't have to waste time scrambling for directions once you get there. Another good thing to take is a few snacks to alleviate paying high gas station prices for these during your trips.

Although it may seem impossible at first, it is really rather simple to get away from the daily grind for a couple of days. Just remember to use your resources - websites, maps, phone books - and be willing to put a little effort into your search. Planning ahead will make two days away seem like two weeks and you will return to work on Monday morning feeling relaxed and refreshed.