Frugal Vacation- How to Have a GREAT Vacation on Limited $

[Liss]

Ok, new question time!

How do you give you & your family a great vacation on a limited
budget? What do you do that helps cut the costs?

My husband and I despretly want to take the kids to Disney, but it’s
becoming a distant dream now. We are going to relocate this summer
out of neccessity, and all of our Disney savings are pretty much
going to that. 🙁 It really sucks, BUT, with 3 kids, you have to
move where the jobs are.

Anyway, because the Disney trip is on hold probably for a few years
yet (we originally planned to go in the spring of 2008), we are
going to do a much smaller, closer vacation this year for us and the
kids.

Other than packing food, and not eating out at attractions, we’re
looking to cut costs by using coupons, getting a really cheap room
that will sleep 5 (actually, it sleeps 8, and it’s a bit more
expensive than a regular room, but it includes a microwave, fridge,
& grill for cooking), using coupons for area attractions, and going
during the week when prices & crowds are much lower.

I also plan to cover a portion of the gas by using my reward points
at my gas station for a free $25 gift card, and filling up with that
for the first drive. It probably won’t cut the gas cost in half, but
it should come close. It costs us roughly $30 to fill the tank up,
and I’m anticipating only one fill up per “way”, so 2 fill ups.

I do
plan to budget for a 3rd, though.

I thought about camping, but we don’t have -any- camping supplies,
and cramming 5 of us into a tent just doesn’t sound relaxing or fun
to me or my husband.

We plan to stop at small places along the way- city parks, zoo’s,
maybe a museum or two, and are looking to see how much a zoo
membership costs for different zoo’s. Many have recipricol’s, where
you can use your membership from 1 zoo to enter other zoos free of
charge. The memberships are cheaper at different places, too, so if
I find the cheapest one to get it at, then I can take the kids to
zoo’s all summer long free.

Souviner’s will be limited to a set price per kid (more if they
bring their own saved birthday money and what not). We plan to see
exactly how much each thing costs, and find out ahead of time of
anything offers a discount or coupon, and that will go into the
budget.

While we do plan to bring most of our own food, I’ll budget an extra
amount for that, just in case. I plan to let the kids each get a
snack here and there.

So, what ways do you save money on vacationing costs?

[JennyCup]

I signed up for the Wyndham ByRequest membership (free) and I frequently get emails from them giving me discounts on Wyndham hotels in and out of the US. I just saw an email earlier this week for an all inclusive (food, drinks, & activities included) room in the Caribbean for under $75 per night.

I would suggest checking to see if your hotel offers a loyalty program and see if you can sign up. The Wyndham gives great perks like a free snack/beverage when you arrive, you can specify how many pillows and what kind you want, etc.

[Author]

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