This is definitely not a blog post on how to save money in order to vacation because there are tons of articles/blog posts out there with a ton of great ideas. Only you know how you can best save your own money based on your income and what is left over for you to set aside.
This is a how-to on what to look for when vacationing in popular tourist attractions/destinations. One of my favorite places, and one I get asked about frequently by those who know me, is Orlando (Disney World). However, these tips can be used to vacation to other popular destinations such as Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Bahamas, etc.
First, I'm going to ask you to remove any and all negativity that you have heard about how much money you'll spend, how extreme the weather is, or anything that anyone has vented to you about their experience. Remember that it's only that...THEIR personal experience, which can differ from person to person.
Here are a few tips on how to save during your vacation in order to be able to afford taking at least one each year.
1. Use bundle deals on applicable websites (Expedia, Priceline, Spirit, etc.).
I've used this option myself twice now and saved me so much money. The first was my trip to Cancun in 2011 with some friends. We used Expedia and paid $500 per person for the airfare and resort stay for an entire week. Most recently my family and I used Spirit to book our airfare and resort stay for my uncle's wedding in Cancun. Although it was still pretty pricey, $540/person, we still saved a lot by booking it as a bundle package. Always make sure to browse under a private browser window so that the websites won't read your IP address and hike up the prices, since we all know they are in cahoots together.
2. If you know someone with a timeshare, ask to purchase 1 week from them or visit this website for amazing and affordable deals (sales presentation required).
Fortunately for me, my parents purchased a timeshare when I was young and have since then paid it off. This means that my sister and I are able to use their timeshare through an amazing resort exchange company called RCI to book five star resorts anywhere in the world. If you know someone who has a timeshare I'd definitely suggest treating them to a nice dinner and casually asking them to buy a week of theirs to take advantage of the beautiful resorts available for use to timeshare owners. Of course this comes at a price, but will not compare to the insane amount of money you'd pay to book a hotel that doesn't have a kitchen, washer/dryer, or multiple pools. The beauty of owning a timeshare and more information is coming soon on another blog post.
3. If the destination isn't more than 15 hours away from you, and airfare is expensive, consider driving.
Many times we get caught up with life and some trips may be last minute decisions. This then means that with less time until your vacation, airfare becomes a heck of a lot more expensive. Although I myself am not a fan of road trips, if your vacation destination isn't too far from you, driving may be the most cost effective choice. Think about it, you'd only spend money on gas (which if you don't have a gas guzzler won't mean too many trips to the pump) and you now have a car to travel with during your vacation. That for me is the BIGGEST plus on a vacation, especially if you're going somewhere that has multiple attractions that you have no choice but to drive to. For example, my nearly annual trips to Orlando always require a car during my week stay because all of the parks are at least 20-30 minutes driving distance from each other. Although the resorts we stay at offer free transportation to the parks (another great perk about timeshare/resort stay) my family and I always like to go to dinner after at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Kissimmee, El Tenampa (highly suggest trying it). During our time in Texas we drove back and forth, a lot! This was a 12-14 hour drive, depending on how risky we wanted to be in hopes to not get pulled over, and literally only spent about $150 on gas round-trip. If you're a couple, that is almost one airfare ticket. If you're a family of four, you're saving at least $400 on airfare. Definitely something to consider.
4. Search for online deals for activities prior to your trip to save by booking online.
Theme parks, kayaking, swimming with the dolphins, ATVs, excursion tours, para sailing, jet ski's, and so much more that so many of us can't wait to do during our vacations. If you have ever done any of the mentioned activities or something similar, you're aware that the cost seems a bit high for the activity. However, being that it's a vacation spot, they know people will pay premium dollars to experience something like this away from home. There are tons of companies that offer these services at your desired vacation spot and many have discounts for those who purchase in advance online. It can be anywhere from 10-30% off the regular price. That in itself is saving a lot considering it'll already be paid for once you arrive and it won't take away from the cash you set aside during your vacation. Always check Groupon as well, they usually have a ton of stuff available not only for activities, for getaways as well.
5. Take advantage of those unbearable sales presentations that are always being offered.
Now I know this is the most unpleasant of the steps I've listed, but hear me out when I say IT'S WORTH IT! Is it ever the 90 minutes that they swear it will only take? No. However, if you're firm with your decision to not purchase the entire process will go by much quicker than you'd imagine. Do not let a pushy salesman deter you from raking in some cash or scoring free tickets to activities/theme parks! Think of it this way, you go through this anywhere you go nowadays. You go to your favorite retail store and they ask you if you want to sign up for their credit card. You go to the bank and they say, it looks like you qualify for our premium so on. You go to a mall and are approached by the kiosk owners to try their products. It's something we go through often and we don't even realize it. Why not take advantage of the presentation and if anything look at it as this. You schedule the presentation in the morning, always in the morning, and they give you free breakfast. After the free breakfast, and many have amazing buffets, they take you on a tour of their beautiful and luxurious resort and you get to see how timeshare owners spend their vacations in what is bigger and more beautiful than the average apartment. After the breakfast and tour they proceed with their sales pitch. If it's something you are genuinely not interested in, then by all means say no and explain why it's not for you, they thank you for your time, and send you off to retrieve your gift just for attending. The best part about it, you have the entire rest of your day to enjoy the free gift you just received!
During my last vacation to Orlando my fiance and I did four presentations, yes four. So for four days out of our seven days there we had free breakfast, money we didn't have to spend out of our own pocket. One of the four presentations offered us extremely discounted Universal Studios tickets, we paid $300 for TWO 7-day park-to-park passes for both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. They don't even sell 7-day tickets on the website, just for ONE 4-day park-to-park ticket you pay $400 plus tax. The other three presentations we received $100 Visa gift cards, so $300 in total. My fiance and I made $300 while on vacation! That definitely helped us celebrate this vacation in particular since he proposed to me while we were there at Islands of Adventure.
These 5 simple steps can help you and your family ensure you take the deserved time off and away from home each year. It's very much possible and I encourage everyone to get away once a year, and if a one week vacation is too much there are always short getaways available. Make sure to check out the link to check those out. Here it is again, be sure to check out the hot vacation spots and amazing deals!
Always remember, vacations may cost you a portion of your savings, but the memories you will make you'll cherish forever and are PRICELESS!
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