Leisure Special

During a recession, when money is tight, you still may not want to forgo your annual vacation. The number one way to save money during your travels is to focus on upgrading experiences and downgrading living and travel costs. Here are some quick tips to help you do that.

Budgeting

• Create a budget and plan ahead
• Budget four areas: hotel, transportation, entertainment, and food
• Carefully select entertainment that provides memories, not debt
• Review bills and agreements for hidden add-on fees before you sign

Hotel

• Get accommodations with kitchen space
• Check out hotel reviews online before you book
• Use discounts from club memberships, like AAA
• Forgo hotels completely and do a home swap
• Bunk with relatives

Transportation

• Travel mid-week and stay over weekends to get lower airfares
• Travel light, each piece of luggage will cost you more these days
• Check out airline ticket costs ahead of time and try to get a better deal on Priceline.com
• Use airline miles to reduce costs or get travel upgrades
• Check out airports within two hours driving distance of your destination or departure location
• Travel by car to cheaper airports can save lots of money

Entertainment

• The bulk of your experience money should be on entertainment
• Check with local agencies for tourist deals
• Ask your hotel if they have recommendations offering your budget for the day

Food

• Keep food experiences manageable by focusing on one scenic meal of the day
• Other meals, like breakfast, try to include in hotel package
• Use the eat-in kitchen space or refrigerator in hotel to prepare your own meals

You may be interested in the following related articles as well.

• Beware of overload info when seeking Airline Ticket
• choosing right sit when you travel with kids
• Things to Prepare for a Healthy Holiday Travel
• Reasons to choose vacation rentals
• Avoiding Illness while on Travel