Vacation Ideas on a Budget

Considering the economy the way it is, thinking of what to do on your next vacation can be depressing if you are trying to save money.

A vacation is simply a time for relaxation or inspiration. We all need to take a break from the every day mundane things we do. Here are some budget friendly vacation ideas.

Under $100.00
Camping is probably one of the cheapest vacation options you may have if you have all of the equipment needed. If you don't it can be costly to buy the necessary gear. Most parks will charge between 9 and 40 dollars for campsites. The range varies based on number of people, electricity, interior, lot sizes, etc. If you are thinking about camping on the next long weekend, I suggest you call at least a month in advance. Most lots are pretty booked so the sooner you know when you are planning to go the sooner you should call and reserve.

Day trips are relatively cheap and you return to your own home at the end of the day. This includes days at the beach, conservation area, parks, etc.

Under $200.00
A hotel within driving distance for a night out and away from home. Look for hotels in your area that are having specials. I am including all of the costs here. Not just the hotel. I am thinking the gas, the eating out, the miscelaneous costs as well, like parking and tipping. One night in a hotel is going to really cost you anwhere between 100 and 200 dollars if you really think about it.

Bed and Breakfasts - are usually cheaper than hotels, you just have to enjoy staying in someone else's home and like that sort of thing.

$300 to 500.00
Cruies are relatively cheap. If you want to go to New York for example think of the New York Cruise. Hotels in New York can be very expensive. Look for 2 day cruise to nowhere in your search engine. For under 400 dollars you can visit new york via cruise ship. (remember cruises are per person) if you can drive to your cruise location you don't have to worry about flight costs.

Cottage rental - cottage rentals for a weekend rental will usually cost around 300.00 plus a security deposit.
Renting a cottage in the low season will stretch your dollar further. Remember you will have to supply your own food for cooking.

Over $500 vacation ideas and things to consider.
When you are thinking of vacationing on a budget you may want to think about the following:
Be very flexible if you can on the dates you are travelling. It is more expensive to travel between Thursday to Monday. If you can leave on a Tuesday or Wednesday it is usually cheaper.

If you are driving to florida with your family, make ahead some sandwhiches for the road and take plenty of your own snacks. A couple of months before your vacation start scoping out sales for snacks and beverages that you can take along. Believe it or not you can save up to 40.00 dollars a day if you have your own snacks and drinks instead of stopping and buying them. For example if you stop at a gas station and get pop and chips for a family of four it is going to cost you anywhere from 8 to 15 dollars. 1.28 for a pop and 1.23 for a bag of chips is almost 3 dollars times 4 that is 12 dollars times 3 stops that is 36 dollars in junk food for the day. You can buy two large bags of chips at your location grocery store for under 5 dollars and a case of pop is under 4 dollars that is 9 dollars a savings of 27 dollars. It could cost you 250 dollars or more if you buy snacks during your trip.

Another good tip if you have really young kids that get ancy in the car, is try to leave around 10 at night if your trip is going to be a long drive. This way the kids will be asleep for most of the start of the trip, which I refer to the boring part anyways. They will hopefully wake up when the scenery is completely different.

Try to stay in efficiency units if you are going to be staying over night for more than 2 days. This way you can cook some of your own meals. I have taken a lot of vacations where you stay at hotels and then you get up and go out for breakfast then you dine out for lunch and dinner. Quite honestly I really don't like to do this. I feel I overeat this way and I get tired of spending so much money this way. I enjoy eating out, but not for every meal and not every meal on my vacation. With an efficiency unit I can make lunch and dinner and then we can go out for breakfast. Breakfast is definitely the cheapest. Near the end of our trip I do enjoy going out to dinner though.

As mentioned above the more you can buy locally before you trip you will probably save. So think the same for sun tan lotions and other items that you would need to have for you trip. The less you have to buy when you reach your destination the more you have to spend on the fun things. I always look for sales on bathing suits and sunglasses and sandals and other items at the end of season sales in the fall for a march break trip.
For example you are going to Florida for spring break you go to your local mall and they have nothing that you are looking for because it is off season.. you say you will buy what you need on your vacation. You will most likely spend 3 times more than you normally would because now you need it.

Here is a really cool idea for a cheap vacation, seasonal work exchange for room and board. Do a google search for Seasonal work for room and board. You see some results for various parks and recreational places that are looking for seasonal staff in exchange for room and board. Sure you are working on your vacation but something totally different and in a different place may be just what you need.

Lastly, If you really need a break and cannot afford to go away, I would suggest visiting a friend or family member that you really get along with and staying with them for a day or two. Offer to take them to dinner or offer to make them dinner. Some of my best times were staying with friends and just hanging out.