If you are someone who loves to travel or go on vacation every so often, then you know how expensive it can be.
Whilst traveling abroad may seem like a perfect vacation each year, it is just not viable on a tight budget.
Luckily, there are budget vacations formed from cheap vacation ideas that can help you save money on your next vacation so you are not scraping the barrel trying to put together whatever very little money you have to make your time away a good one.
What is This Article About?
Today we will discuss some cheap vacation ideas and some budget travel tips that can help you plan a vacation that won’t break the bank.
Whether you are looking for a quick weekend getaway or you want to spend time somewhere new, you do not need to go for fancy vacation packages to have a good time by yourself or with your loved ones.
Creating Your Vacation Budget
Before you book any vacation rentals and your travel dates, you need to think about what you will have to factor into your budget before you go away and when you are away.
Think of Your Current Finances
What money do you have spare for your vacation? Do you have enough money to go on holiday somewhere away from your own town or are you only able to afford something local?
If your savings account or current account can afford it, then searching for your travel destination internationally will be on the cards for you.
However, just because you can go to another country, you will still need to think about saving money on it.
Traveling During Off-Season
Off-season travel is good for going to popular destinations as there will be fewer tourists there compared to peak season so you will not be stuck with huge groups, although, these seasons may be colder for some countries in Europe, so you’ll need to decide if it is worth it for you to go.
Avoiding major holidays will help you save money and provide you with a budget-friendly travel option for your next trip.
Look at a Variety of Flight Deals
You can sign up for travel alerts that will let you know of cheaper flights that are within your budget.
This can be great if you don’t care where you go and just want to be in another country (maybe somewhere hot), so you can save money on a cheap flight without shelling out loads of money for a popular country or city.
Pick Where You Want to Stay
Hotels can be quite pricey, so you may find staying in hostels to be a better deal for an affordable vacation.
Despite the fact that you may think hostels only have big dormitories where everyone stays together and there is no privacy, that is not always the case.
There are private rooms that people can book, so if you want to be part of the budget travelers club but would still like a layer of privacy, you can check out these rooms and find the best deal in the area you pick.
Think of Your Daily Living Expenses
You may feel happy that you found a hotel/hostel off the beaten path that doesn’t have too many people and is incredibly cheap for you to stay in, but if you do not factor in how much you’ll be spending each day, you are not saving yourself money.
Think about the food you will be eating, what you will be seeing, and your transport to and from places.
Check out The Best Deals Available
If you can find some train/bus deals for your time away this can help you out a lot, or if you prefer using car rentals to drive yourself around, then this may be ideal for big family outings.
You may also want to think about bringing your own food (if you are staying in your own city), or going to local shops and buying food there instead of eating out at restaurants.
This will help you save those dollars and keep you from going over your budget.
Other travelers and cheap vacationers do this all the time, you just need to do your research for the location you are going to, to see what deals they have.
Cheap Vacation Ideas to do
Now that your budget has been figured out and you know what you will need to spend your money on and how, here are some cheap vacation ideas that will help you with deciding on what you may want to do when you reach your chosen destination city or country.
Go Camping
Some people may see a cheap vacation as picking out some local bed and breakfasts to stay at in their own country, whilst others may feel happier to rough it outside in nature and go camping instead.
Camping is great for adventurers and will be ideal for people who love to be out in the wilderness with a tent and a sleeping bag.
There are some great local sites out there that people can access and they won’t need to spend time Googling flights, they can just pack up their cars and go.
Stay With Friends or Family Members
If you have friends or family that have a vacation home or they live somewhere that would be perfect for a weekend away, then speak to them about staying at theirs.
You will be able to save money by not staying at a hotel, plus it will feel more intimate than staying in a hostel filled with people.
It may not be Disney world but, it will be better than being in your own house, and you get to catch up with people you may not see much.
Visit a National Park
Many parks are free to enter, so you will not have to worry too much about spending a lot of money on going to these places.
There are around 63 national parks in the United States, so you are spoiled for choice.
Some of them may be closer to your hometown than you think which would be great if you want to make a full day of it and go for a ‘mini’ vacation with your family.
Book Everything in Advance
Want to really know the best way how to plan a cheap vacation? Book as much as you can in advance.
You can find some great prices and deals by planning in advance. This will help you save on travel expenses and beat out those who plan at the last minute.
It is not always a viable option, so you may find some hotels or other accommodations are not able to do this for you, but a good Google search and determination will help you find a place that will be the right choice for you.
Tour Your Own City
If you are really not someone who wants to do international travel and get stuck in tourist traps that make you wish you had stayed home, then looking at your own region may be the best thing for you.
There are places in your town and city that you probably do not even know about. You can discover so much in your own backyard if you just know where to look.
So hop on your favorite search engine and see what else is out there where you live. You may be surprised at what you find.
Conclusion
Planning a cheap vacation is not always going to be filled with everything you want, however, it will still be a wonderful time for you and your family if you know how to work around it.
So you may not be visiting an ancient city and staying in a five-star hotel. You don’t need that to have a memorable vacation. You can make all the memories you want by just being with the people you love.