Ways to save on your Stay-cation

[opal1973]

There are several ways to save on your vacation. I have found that comparing websites doesn’t often help much in the price of airline fare anymore, for instance. However, signing up for emails and newsletters often can.

There are several sites that I use for stay-cation planning, but these are my favorites:

groupon.com: they now have groupon getaways that can save literally hundreds of dollars on everything from all inclusive trips and hotels, to stay-cation deals close to home. we saved over $300 on our summer trip to Orlando this year by using this for an all inclusive deal to the Nickelodeon Resort. Prices started at $99/night.

They have buses to local theme parks and the entire resort surrounds the seven water slides and various pools. If that was all, I would still consider it a deal, but the resort also offers a mall and 4-D movie theater and a package for a family of four ($93) to keep you all entertained for a week.

With Groupon, we will also sign up for the deals newsletters for the cities we plan to be in for our vacations. We have been known to eat at some really nice places for up to 50% off dining. While we don’t do this for every meal, it’s nice to have some plan as to where we are going to eat and save money on the food costs, while seeing parts of the cities that we may not normally visit.

we went on a mommy/daddy weekend in tampa one time and got to see some great stand-up comedians with a groupon for really cheap.

hotels.com: already offering reduced prices on hotels. they were not happy enough with that, they now have a stay for 10 nights and get one free club that you can sign up for. This is great if you are like us, and have smaller stay-cations in different cities near you.

Since we live between Miami (have family there) and Tampa (Busch Gardens) and Orlando (Disney and Universal), all within 3 hours drive time, we will take smaller 2-4 day stay-cations instead of one long two week vacation.

hotwire.com: i still like them for their prices, but my only warning is that you should make sure to keep an eye on the satisfaction rating for returns. if people don’t rate above 85%, it’s likely not as good a deal as you may think. Last year, we stayed at a hotel that touted itself as such and it was oddly secured by a guard and gate and then wasn’t a hotel at all.

It was a motel with a great kiddie pool. Unfortunately, it was also on the other side of the property from our room. I have no idea what the check in clerk was thinking, other than give them a yucky room on the other side, since they didn’t pay full price.

If you want to rent a room with the option of seeing the hotel name, it is similarly priced to Hotels.com, but Hotwire.com doesn’t have the rent 10, get 1 deal, so it’s less savings over time.

camping.com: there are literally dozens of camping sites and state parks in our area and all were found with a quick internet search. while we wouldn’t consider this as an option in florida for a summer stay-cation, it is definitely something for a winter one. some even have cabins or cottages to rent, if you would rather.

the state parks are often a great way to get exercise on the walking trails and often to learn about history and conservation for children and adults alike. many state parks are also free or low cost and make for a great adventure in the not so wild. this site is a great way to find a park and even reserve a site.

they have a grid view to see the amenities and a map view to find one in the area you are planning to stay.

restaurant.com: i used these quite a bit when we first started trying to save money on vacations and eating out. you can get a certificate to a restaurant for pennies on the dollar. here’s the issue with them.

there are restrictions that may not work for you. restrictions like: a minimum purchase amount, can’t be used on certain types of food or beverages, dine-in only, and not valid on certain days or times of day. this can be great if you know exactly what you have planned for the trip, but what if something happens and you need to use it on a day or time that is not allowed?

also, only one certificate can be used per party, per month, per location. i still suggest them, but just be certain when you buy them, that you will use them for that location under the restrictions noted during purchase.

always a good thing to keep in mind is what type of amenities the room or sites have. if you know you have a small fridge and microwave in the room, cold cuts, pb & j, bread, and popcorn will help to curb the need for snacks or even some dinners when you’re tired from a long day and don’t wish to go out for food. we have even searched out the closest walmart to stop close to our destination and stock up right before or bring it with us.

saves bunches, especially when you have growing children, like we do.

another thing to keep in mind if you’re going to an amusement park is to consider the dining plans they offer. when the children were smaller, we bought one of the dining bracelets for me and one for my husband for the busch gardens and sea world resorts and the children would eat from our plates, since they gave you so much food. it easily saved us about 35% off of food costs.

Even if you bought one for each person, the savings is about 20%, so still a good deal.

Note: None of my Stay-cations in recent years would have been possible without this site and Liss. I have learned so much from all of the wonderful people on here. I would like to share what I have learned, since you have all taught me so much with your tips and tricks.

Thank you.

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