Living There
When you are planning a beach vacation during the peak travelling season, your budget is bound to take a big hit. Check out these five tips for getting the best bang for your buck.
Shop Around
Your wallet will thank you for comparison-shopping among various brands and sites. Keep it easy by using a travel deal site like Travelocity, Kayak, or Orbitz. If you like to do your own research, set aside a morning or evening to plug in dates on several hotel, vacation rental, and airline sites. Keep multiple browsing tabs open and jump around until you find a combo that works for you. Remember that most of these websites will log you out or kick you out of your cart if you wait longer than ten minutes to pull the trigger. Combat this annoyance by taking screen shots or jotting down flight numbers and hotel details as you go. It will never hurt to see all of your options laid out and give yourself the power to choose.
Plan Ahead or Put it off
When it comes to your travel reservation timeline, it is advantageous to plan in advance or keep it last minute. Amazing deals can be found when you decide on an impromptu trip when hotels scramble to fill any vacancies or planes have empty seats. On the other hand, planning six or more months in advance will give you more options and the luxury of not having a deadline looming overhead.
Be Flexible
Flexibility is the biggest weapon in your arsenal for finding hot deals and cutting your overall costs. For example traveling Thursday-Sunday will always be more expensive than traveling Tuesday-Friday. During the summer season, many vacation rentals and beach condos require a weeklong commitment. Searching for lodging without time limitations might take a little more legwork, but can have huge payoffs in the long run. If you are making a long drive, keep in mind that gas prices usually spike around holiday weekends and popular travel days.
Keep it short
Even though long vacations are amazing, keeping it short can cut costs dramatically and has similar benefits for your health and mental wellness as a weeklong adventure. And obviously, the less time you spend away, the less money you will spend. Many travel and deal companies offer weekend getaway specials– so keep your eyes open and be ready to be whisked away for a few days.
BYOB
One of the quickest ways to blow through your budget is to eat out for every meal and shop in your mini bar when your afternoon munchies strike. Plan ahead and pack your own snacks and drinks to minimize impulse shopping on the road and at your final destination. If you have access to a kitchen, plan to stay in for breakfast and lunch and only splurge on one or two dinners out. Spreading out your restaurant budget will make the meals you do buy all the more special!
