Money Management

Planning Budget Vacations Tips

Planning you budget vacations? Check out some great tips to help you save money on your next trip.

With just a few tips you can save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on your frugal travel plans without sacrificing comfort or fun. Do you have some tips on saving money on your vacations? Share them here - we would love to hear them!

Here is a great video showing some great tips for travelling on a budget.

Check out more tips on frugal travel for booking hotel rooms, vacation packages, dining out, or frugal road trip planning.

Planning Ideas for your Budget Vacations

Here are some ideas for planning your vacations and save money:

Choose off seasons or non crowded time frames and destinations. Visit Australia in their winter - may be cooler but it is considered low season in some parts of the country.
Pick the Caribbean in the summer or spring months. Choose a cruise in the summer. Avoid Florida over Christmas and Easter and school holidays.
Research your chosen destination for when popular festivals are in town, or look for areas where tourism is down.
Tourists that chose to go to New York, Las Vegas or Washington after the 9/11 terrorist attacks got some great bargains.
Has the destination you have always wanted to visit just suffered a natural disaster? Thailand after the Tsunami was a great deal and you would be contributing to the local economy which would help with the relief efforts!
Subscribe to different sites that send you last minute deals and take off within a couple of days - prices for 5 star resorts could be less than 1/2 what they normally go for.
The Internet may not have the best deals. Try offline discount travel agents as well.
Be flexible with your dates. It's amazing how if you change your vacation from one week to the next how the price can drop.
Research what benefits your credit card companies offer - Usually if you book your travel on your credit card they will cover some of the insurance you should have.
Go where your dollar is the strongest. For example it is a great bargain right now for Europeans to travel to America as the USD is weak - Also Canadians can get a great bargain in the USA as the CAD is stronger than it has been in decades.
Try a repositioning cruise on a cruise line - or a shorter 5 day filler or introductory cruise. Call your travel agent for more info.

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Transportation Tips on Planning your Budget Vacations

Look at every option for your transportation.

Is it better to fly or drive (you would be surprised at how it may be cheaper to fly with the right airfare)?
Price out car rentals (remember parking fees) or public transportation costs.
Look at taking the take the train from point A to point B instead of flying. You can even cut out a lodging night cost by taking a train trip overnight.
Use online discount agencies for your flights. Book early or use Priceline.com Airfare - Choose your EXACT flight & time for arranging your travel.
Use your reward miles to book airfares.
If you are a frequent flyer - join the program of the airline you use most - then use upgrade coupons to upgrade you to business class.