Frugal Vacation Ideas?

[sraplayas]

We are looking toward the spring for a week away and, like many families with young children, are trying to find something inexpensive! Last year we stayed at someone's guest house in a fun local and that turned out wonderfully. Unfortunately, I am not a camper, so that's out! I'd love to hear other's ideas on what they have done.

[velochic]

I'll tell you where not to go... Switzerland. It was very expensive.

[Eaglevoice]

What about visiting family that you haven't seen in a while? You could perhaps stay with them.

Or getting together with another family that has kids and renting a condo together somewhere...

[CerridwenLorelei]

I know you say you are not a

camper, but some places have these neat shelters. google inks lake in texas.
We stayed in the little cabin -all six of us! It had four bunk beds, a small table, a unit that is a heater/ac combo. Room to move a bit. Oh the bottom beds are full size. And it was 35 dollars a night. Something like that could give you a good base to go out exploring from.
or maybe houseswapping?
I will try to answer more later when I get home

[sphinxie]

Originally Posted by velochic

I'll tell you where not to go... Switzerland. It was very expensive.

Somehow I love the uselessness of this post

I'm subbing because right now we are sort of obligated to take some stupidly expensive "vacations" so once that's done I will be trying to recoup the expenses with cheaper, more fun vacations!

[mightymoo]

We've always found that renting a house especially sharing it with family is a pretty good deal. You can find some amazing houses a short walk from the beach for a few hundred dollars a week, depending on the location, etc.

Or I've seen lots of ski homes for rent and if they aren't real near a lake in the summer, they are dirt cheap - you could rent a house or condo somewhere and use that as a launching ground to explore the area.

We just secured our vacation rental in NH for August - nice four bedroom house on a lake with my parents and brothers and it is going to be I think $750 for us for the week after the split, and the house is directly on the lake with a private beach, hot tub and water trampoline. If we went for a house that was a short walk to the lake instead of on it, it would be probably almost half that.

www.vrbo.com and www.cyberrentals.com are great sites to find places. This is the third house I've rented this way and I've been very happy so far - but I always make sure the house has plenty of pictures and I ask a ton of questions to be sure I know what I'm getting.

[koru]

i've never done this but i'm very tempted...

on craigslist they have a housing link where people post to trade homes for various reasons. i don't know the logistics of how this would work, though. i'm a fairly trusting person but my husband isn't so i know it's not for everyone. but it seems like such a great idea!

[Belleweather]

If you're like us, family visiting is out... I love both my mom and my FIL, but a week with them spent running interferance between the grandparents and my son ("No, you can't give him fudge and rootbeer for breakfast.", "No, he can't go in the hottub.", "No, under no circumstances can you take the baby to McDonalds, especially not without the carseat.", "No, he really IS allergic to wool, which is why he's crying from that blanket...", "For the last time, he DOES NOT LIKE JALEPENOS!" All actual quotes from our Christmas "vacation") is absolutely the last thing I want to get away from it all.

Staying with friends can be great, or it can suck. Especially if a lot of your friends don't have children and you have toddlers and are going to spend your whole vacation trying to keep them entertained in a totally un-toddler-safe environment. Sometimes, it's worth it to just pay the price for your own space.

We've stayed in hotels, which kind of sucks. I'd look for a place somewhere like "Vacation Rentals By Owner", which is where we rented a mansion for our wedding. They have some nice 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom places that would be fine for a family, and let you eat in your own kitchen and have a place to put the kids to sleep while the adults can still talk/watch TV.

We tend to pick 'second tier' cities rather than super big cities, and look for attraction deals -- parks are usually cheap, we can almost always get into the children's museum for free with reciprocity from our membership to our local one, we do a lot of picnics if it's nice out, especially if it's summer and we can go to a lake and swim and grill. Checking the Even the same old boring things you might do at home, like the dollar theater movies or walking around, can be cool because you're doing them somewhere else. Also, it's worth browsing through a travel guide to get ideas of good cheap local things to do.

[msjd123]

I have three ideas:

1. Look for a city that has lots of stuff to do. Then, rather than staying somewhere IN town, look for places to stay a few miles out of town. Depending on where you're looking, just be sure the destination are only a few subway stops or a few miles in the car away.

2. Go somewhere where there will be a free festival that weekend. For example, DH has been wanting for years to visit a place that has a guitar festival every year. Said town is also just a few miles from a river, and you can rent a canoe and paddle up and down that river for a day. What a fun and cheap getaway that will be when DD is older!

3. Piggy-backing off #2: Go someplace that has a lot of cheap, easy fun. Our honeymoon destination could have cost us a fortune, but rather than doing all the pricey stuff, we went bike-riding, hiking, we visited the historical spots (admission was usually free, but occasionally a few dollars), and we wandered through the beautiful towns. When the location is stunning, you'll be so happy to be there that you won't really "need" to do all those expensive must-do things to feel fulfilled!

[1growingsprout]

what area are you in? if you give a general location im sure we can give you lots of good ideas...

for eating out savings generally breakfast and lunch are cheaper then dinner... we sometimes get an early like 3pm dinner that still is on 'lunch' time prices... also look for buffett places and kids eat free places...

[Amys1st]

We stayed in San Diego pretty inexpensively. We had breakfast in the room from cereal and milk from Trader Joes, got plenty of fruit to snack on at the food coops they have, wandered in balbao park, wander on the oceanfront...very kid friendly too and we got a cheap airfare to boot. We did splurge on the hotel but I got a AAA rate so it wasnt too bad.

[CerridwenLorelei]

also look for places

that list their neighborhood as a 'resort" that is far and away from the city and all the attractions
There is a place called XY Texas most complete resort ( its not but was at the time it was built) and the homeowners rent their homes out for less than or at budget motel rates.
If you have a state park system and they have a pass similar to the ones here in Tx that can save you a lot of money. One of the state parks here is a historical farm that is like it was in 1900. Free admission and the kids can help gather eggs and do a few chores. It was pretty neat. You also get camping/shelter/cabin discounts if you have one.

[jaidymama]

What comes to mind for me is to check out someplace nearby... or someplace you could drive without going insane being in the car too long (cheaper than flying however).

Also, check out a hotel that offers a real kitchenette in the room. Because that would save you on meals... we stayed at a place last fall that was around $30 more per night, but that saved us from eating out.

Also, if you have to stay at a hotel, try looking to see if they have seasonal rates. I don't know if your vacation is set in stone... but some destinations offer cheaper rates during off season times... (pretend winter season prices might be through March 15... you could book your trip the week before that??). Also look around for new or promotional prices... we once found a place that was new or new owners that was offering 2 nights for the price of one. We found those through online places. Also, check with a local travel agent to see if they have any tips.... Or call the place you are going directly.

Activities... can you pick a place that has lots of free things--sight seeing or beaches or parks.

For suggestions, try the internet because most towns have a website these days... and they usually would list the kinds of things going on... Oh, and don't forget that some places have celebrations or festivals... St. Patties day is coming up... that would be automatically fun (if there is a parade)...

Hopefully you can find something great for a low cost!

[SuperMama]

Family Camp

[hannahi]

I was going to suggest that you look into staying in a dorm room because many colleges and universities rent them out in the summer, but your vacation is in the spring--but this might be useful advice anyway! Also I think you can find family-friendly hostels in a lot of big cities

Hannah

[KarenEMT]

We do off-season things, like going to Vermont before or after the main ski season, when the nice lodging is dirt cheap. We always get a place with a full kitchen, the extra lodging cost more than makes up for restaurant food prices for all of us.

[annethcz]

Another idea would be to stay home, but do tourist-y things near your home. Go out to dinner, go to theme parks, museums, etc. that you would normally skip because they're 'too expensive.'

[Stayseeliz]

1) Go places in the "off" season! We go to the moutains every year and a room that costs close to $200 in the summer or fall is $65 a night during the winter and spring!

2) Do a timeshare tour to get cheap/free housing. When we go to the moutains in 2 weeks we'll do a timeshare tour of their property and it knocks $100 off a night. Do NOT buy into a timeshare. It's almost ALWAYS a waste of money and it's NOT a good investment!! Go in knowing you'll say no and stick to it!!!

3) Look for places close to where you are! Gas is expensive!

4) Eat at a breakfast buffet, get a snack for lunch and eat dinner out! That's only two meals a day you have to pay for! Or eat a late lunch and a snack for dinner! Take your own food for snacks and look for coupons!

5) Look for online deals!

[1growingsprout]

st. louis has lots of FREE activites
the zoo is FREE
they have BIGFOOT, monster truck shop that is free
the science center is FREE

check it out

also if you decide on a large metropolition area, get an entertainment book, they have lots and lots of 2 for 1 coupons....