Planning Your Vacation on a Budget

Photo of family tent-trailer camping at the KO...

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We all like to escape from our lives once a year and get out and see the world, take our family camping, or travel across the country on a vacation to clear our minds and spirits. But no matter how beneficial a great vacation may be to us personally, we may not always be able to get away in the fashion we would really like. The constraints of our pocketbook tend to keep us more realistic in what we are actually able to do.

If you are planning a vacation this year but are on a budget, don’t let that stop you from getting away and having a good time. Some vacation budgeting advice can save you from staying at home and allow you to take your family with you for a retreat of some sort this year.

One easy way to vacation is to not leave home at all. Simply unplug your phone and make fun plans you can do from your house or around town. Go see a movie and visit local sites and museums. Go on a picnic or have a barbecue.

Another great piece of advice is to contact local or more distant locations for information about towns. If you’re going to Canada, you can visit Canada 411 to get information about things happening on a local level that don’t cost too much but can be great fun for the family.

There are also package deals you can check on where many of the aspects of a fun vacation are paid for, along with your accommodations. That could be a less expensive alternative.

No matter what your budget is there is no excuse not to take some time off and have a great experience with your family before returning to work for another year.

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Couch Surfing: Tips and Tricks

Cooooooouch Surfin'. Day 269 of 365
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When you are traveling by bus and bed, one of the ways that you can find lodging without spending a lot of money in the process is called couch surfing. The purpose of couch surfing is to stay with a host that has a spare bed or couch so that you can bunk for free along your traveling route. You can meet a lot of really interesting people when you are willing to couch surf, but there is some inherent risk in this type of practice, and as such, you need to make sure that you are being safe and getting to know your hosts a little before you spend the night with them.

There are websites that let you find out more about people, such as Canada 411, and there are websites where you can couch surf more safely as well. It is vitally important that you do your research and find out what options are available to you for hosts before you set something up with someone. You should also make sure to discuss your plants in depth with each host so that you both know what to expect, especially when you or your host is new to the whole idea of couch surfing.

When a couch surfing situation benefits everyone involved, it can be highly successful for all. Many people have positive and uplifting couch surfing experiences that allow them to travel through the United States and other countries without spending exorbitant amounts of money on hotel bills. If you want to save money, meet people and have new experiences, then couch surfing is definitely a positive way for you to get things done. Just make sure that you are safe and that you do as much preparation and research beforehand in order to have the best possible couch surfing experience imaginable.

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Off the Track Budget Travel

If you’re looking to get the most out of your travel dollars, maybe you should look off the beaten track. Any change of scene is refreshing, and just because you’re not going to the Riviera or Disney World doesn’t mean you can’t have just as much fun–and at a fraction of the cost!

For the most economical of vacations, search your surrounding county or state for places of interest you’ve never explored before. With little to no travel costs, you can spend more time and money living it up when you get there.

A weekend at a nearby casino can provide excitement at the card table or an evening show. For something completely different, travelers in the midwest can visit Amish Country, enjoying a relaxing vacation antiquing or horseback riding. Even an overnight with the one you love the next town over with a candlelit dinner and bottle of champagne can be just the break you need to rekindle that relationship.

Then again, if you’ve got the budget to take a long distance trip, you can still stretch your dollars by choosing a lesser-known destination. There are small towns all over the U. S. and Canada that have a lot going for them. With great food, coffee shops, boutiques and their own cultural festivals, they also have that friendly, small town atmosphere you won’t find in the bigger tourist attractions.

A few winners of a budget travel -coolest small town’ destination poll are: Cayucos, California, near San Francisco with great beaches, great food and a laid-back atmosphere; Lexington, Virginia, like a Norman Rockwell painting in the Blue Ridge mountains; or -the world’s crawfish capital’ near Baton Rouge, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Some of the bigger cities in Canada are fantastic travel destinations without the regular fuss: Toronto, Quebec, or Victoria on the West Coast.

With a little research and an open mind, you can discover hidden jewels of vacation value anywhere in the world with less stress and more bang for your buck when you choose off-the-beaten-path travel destinations.

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How to Find Cheap Cruises in the Peak Season

A cruise ship in San Deigo Bay, August 15 2004
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Many people who want to pay less for a cruise try to book it for the off-season when prices are lower and there aren’t as many people interested in traveling. The good news is that you can still find an inexpensive cruise during the peak travel times – you just need to know what to look for. Booking early is one of the ways to save big. There are many times you can get cheap cruises by booking them far in advance. If you try the opposite tactic and are prepared to leave at the last minute, you can also score a great deal by booking your cruise with almost no time to spare.

Cruise lines offer low prices to people who book at the last minute because they want to fill up those rooms, even at a discount. Getting some money is better than getting no money at all, and a cruise ship that sails half-empty isn’t going to make much money for its parent company. The time you book isn’t the only way you can get a cheap cruise, though. You can also ask about any and all available discounts. Sometimes, you can get a lower rate simply because you asked for one.

In addition to those ideas, another way to get a cheap cruise is to get a smaller room or do without some amenities. How much time are you really going to spend in your room, anyway? Why not get a smaller one, or one without a balcony, so you can save big? You’ll probably be so busy with activities on the cruise and on the shore excursions that you won’t miss having a big room or a place to step out and see the view. You can see the view from the main deck and have money left over.

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