8 ideas for a cheaper vacation this year

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This is looking like a tough financial year for some Americans, but most of us still have vacation time to use so even if we can’t afford to go to Europe right now we still want to make the best of it. If you are planning a trip you are probably noticing that airfares look higher than ever, partly due to new fuel surcharges the airlines have added to help offset their skyrocketing costs. But don’t despair, because if you get a bit creative you can have an excellent vacation spending less than you have in previous years.

Here at BootsnAll we are all about “independent travel,” which is sometimes another way of saying we are cheapskates who refuse to pay top dollar for cliché package vacations and the privilege of being surrounded by thousands of people who saw the same ad in the Sunday newspaper. Nope, we want something a little different and we want it at a low price, so below we’ve collected up some of our best money-saving ideas for a cheaper vacation.

Consider last-minute packages

Thanks to all the airlines using computerized techniques to fill up their flights at the maximum revenue, the concept of “cheap last-minute flights” is more or less a thing of the past, but last-minute vacations continue to exist and they can offer excellent value if you know how to take advantage of these specials. These days “last minute” usually means two or three weeks from now, or in some cases this coming weekend, so don’t pack those bags just yet.

Go to any of the major travel-booking sites and click on their Last Minute section and you’ll probably have hundreds of things from which to choose. They aren’t all great deals, but in many cases these are hotels in prime locations that have too many rooms still available, so travel sites can package them with a cheap flight at a price well under what you might have paid if you’d booked earlier. It’s probably wise to have a Plan B in place in case you don’t see anything appealing as your vacation time approaches, but there can be something exciting and exotic about surprising yourself with a cool destination just a couple weeks before your flight leaves.

Go to winter places off-season

Each winter Americans flock to Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, and Central America to get away from the chill, but in summer and fall those same resorts have crazy amounts of empty rooms they’d like to fill. As a result you can book a 4 or 5-star resort for a 2 or 3-star price in their “off season.” And as a bonus the places aren’t jammed to the gills with slow-movers who seem to be ahead of you in every line in spite of their constant state of confusion and complaining.

What about the weather in those places, you say? Chances are it’s much more pleasant than you might think. Blistering heat and stifling humidity are no fun, but sea breezes keep things pleasant enough during the day, and all decent hotels in those areas have industrial-strength air conditioning that makes going back to your room a true pleasure in the evenings. It’s true that it does rain almost daily during summer in many of those places, but that usually means for 15 minutes late each afternoon, which can be refreshing while it adds a bit of excitement to your routine.

Take a vacation close to home

This might not sound too exciting, and in fact it might not even be wise depending on where you live, but many of us have barely explored some of the resort areas or cool cities within driving distance of our homes. Once you eliminate the airfare factor - especially for families - suddenly you can afford many other luxuries that you would have had to pass up if you’d flown somewhere.

Sure, checking into a nice hotel in your own zip code might be taking this idea too far, but if you think about places within 300 or so miles of you there are probably a couple of interesting things you’ve avoided while instead flying to Hawaii every year. If you are near a beach, a lake resort, or just an interesting city you could probably have a whale of a time there, and you’ll also be able to brag to your hippie friends that you’ve decided on an “eco-friendly” trip this year.


Take a road trip

This one might seem counter-intuitive as gas prices are skyrocketing, but a good old-fashioned American road trip can be really affordable in every other way. Many people start by renting a cheap car or minivan for a week so they can trash the inside and drive up and down curbs without worrying about the consequences. But no matter which vehicle you take you’ll find that almost everything situated next to American highways is hilarious and cheap. As long as you avoid the major three holiday weekends in the summer you should be able to drive into a new city and find a vacancy at a motel or chain hotel in a matter of minutes.

There are plenty of legitimate and wonderful attractions along our highways, but those with an ironic sense of humor can find endless entertainment at places like South of the Border near Dillon, South Carolina, Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota, or any of the many novelty Stonehenge recreations that stretch across the country. The fine people at Roadside America have an inspiring book and a great website that catalog this country’s oddest and most interesting roadside attractions.


Camping!

You may already be an avid camper/outdoorsperson and if so we salute you, but most of us have neglected Smokey and Yogi for far too long. The United States is filled with camping areas that range from empty fields to luxurious RV parks with facilities that would make a Club Med jealous. Foreigners come and marvel at our storied national park system as most of us ignore them completely, so this might be a good year to change that.

If you haven’t checked in a while you might be shocked to find that the nightly fee for campsites has shot way up in recent years, but it’s still a huge bargain compared to hotels. You’ll also have to reserve the top places well in advance, but as long as you don’t wait too long you’ll still be able to find a great piece of nature to call your own for a while. Most of the tents and gear you’ll need can be borrowed or gotten pretty cheaply, or if you want a bit more luxury you can rent an RV for a week so you can celebrate the great outdoors with a grilled cheese sandwich prepared in your own browning-element equipped microwave oven. Delish!

Home swapping

Sure, the idea of having strange people live in your place and sleep in your bed while you do the same to them might sound horrifying at first, but this concept has really taken off lately and we aren’t hearing many negative reports from those who’ve taken a chance on it. As long as you live in a place that at least some people find desirable then you can list your humble abode with an agency for a small fee and after that you’ll have a chance to get to know any potential swappers by e-mail or phone for as long as you want before you commit.

You can never be too careful about such an undertaking, but if a home exchange works out for you it could be one of the cheapest and most interesting vacations you’ve ever taken. In many cases people swap cars as well, so for not much more than the cost of a flight you might be able to live really well in the city of your choice, at least as long as you can find somebody there who finds your own setup appealing.

Go on a cruise

If your cruise experience consists of 4 or 5 theatrical viewings of Titanic, then you could be excused for not realizing that a vacation on the high seas can be surprisingly affordable. Even if the initial price quote you receive sounds really high you have to remember that this cost includes your room, meals, entertainment, and your transportation as well. If you fly to a big city and check into a hotel your travel money gets eaten up quickly by hundreds of little things you hadn’t considered, but on a cruise you can practically leave your wallet in your room.

Even better, it’s also possible to get amazing deals on cruises if you are flexible and are able to book something at the last minute. Just as with the last-minute hotel situation mentioned above, most cruise ships will slash the price of some of their unsold cabins as the sail-date approaches. Check out any major travel website and you’ll find a large selection of last-minute cruise deals that could be perfect for you if you are able to do with just a few weeks’ notice.

Make lunch the big meal

This isn’t so much of a vacation idea, so it’s a bonus tip for making a normal vacation a bit more affordable. Okay, so you can’t afford to go to Europe this year, but you can add a little continental flair to your Stateside vacation and save some money in the process by making lunch the key meal of the day. Eating outstanding meals while on vacation is a big part of the fun for many of us, but the better restaurants can be hard to get into at prime time and they’ll charge an arm and a leg for that Euro-Asian-Aboriginal fusion dish once you do finally get seated. Many of these same restaurants serve nearly the exact same menu at lunch and always at a lower price. Do some sightseeing in the morning, have an elegant and relaxed lunch, and you’ve got the whole evening free for nightlife or whatever you fancy.


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