Spring Break Tips for Couples on a Budget

Having a fun and romantic spring break doesn't have to break the bank-there are plenty of creative and budget-friendly ways of vacationing without spending a lot of money. Couples who want to spend spring break together on a budget, try a few of these travel money saving tips.

1. Rent a Hotel with a Kitchen

Many travelers now have the option of renting rooms with a kitchen-the perfect budget-friendly solution to any spring break trip. If you love to cook, or your partner loves to cook, spend a few nights inside cooking together. Cooking can be a very bonding experience when done together, although cooking for your partner can be very romantic! So buy groceries at the supermarket or local farmer's market and spend a few nights indoors. This spring break experience brings couples closer together while staying on budget.

2. House/Apartment Swap

The newest trend for couples is to participate in house or apartment swaps. So if you've got a great place in San Francisco and you'd like to spend spring break in Paris, check out swap websites online and arrange to trade homes for the vacation. Swaps through most venues cost nothing and you can use the money you save on renting a hotel for other romantic activities! Swapping really helps couples stay within their budgets.

3. Fine Tune your Bargaining Skills

Many vacation spots that Americans travel to are bargain-friendly cities. Couples traveling to Mexico for the spring break should practice tough bargaining when shopping for items-you'll find that most venders expect you to bargain and so markup their prices by 100% or more. Couples, learn to bargain those prices down to stick to your budget.

4. Research Budget-Friendly Restaurants Beforehand

Couples love to eat out-but eating out can really get expensive quickly if its not done carefully. So during your spring break vacation, look through a tour guide book or online user-based restaurant recommendation sites to come up with a list of budget-friendly restaurants that are highly rated. You don't want to get caught breaking the bank on a mediocre restaurant because you didn't plan ahead.

5. Use Traveling Planning Websites

If you're traveling by plane to that beautiful spring break destination, don't buy your plane ticket separately from your hotel and from your car. Use travel planning websites such as expedia.com or kayak.com to find optimize your travel costs. Budget planning was never cheaper than with these sites.

6. Save the Wine for Later

Couples are often tempted to indulge on expensive wines at expensive restaurants. Resist this temptation! Wine purchased at restaurants is often so overpriced-and corkage fees are outrageous. Instead of purchasing wine at a restaurant, buy a few nice bottles at the market and drink it after dinner to stick to your budget.

7. Skip the Gifts

Think of your spring break vacation as a gift to each other, and forget about purchasing other gifts for each other during the trip. Spending money on a beautiful spring break vacation is enough for each other.

8. Eat off the Street

Not all meals need to be spent in the luxury of a fine dining restaurant during spring break. Buying from street venders (provided they are clean) is much more budget-friendly and often tastier than many tourist restaurants.

9. Rent outside of the Tourist Areas

Couples should rent hotels outside of the main tourist area-these hotels are often overpriced and inadequate. Its easier to find nice hotels a little removed from the main tourist site, and these hotels will be much more budget-friendly.

10. Skip the Ticketed Activities

On vacation, couples are often tempted to purchase expensive tickets for tourist events. These events are often not worth attending. Instead, go on a beautiful hike or swim in the ocean-these activities are free of charge and will not break your budget. Hiking can be very romantic as well, and if there is still snow on the ground, snow-shoeing or cross country skiing can be a wonderful activity for couples.