My wife and I celebrate our wedding anniversary in May. Last May was our first anniversary. Now, our wedding was not traditional to say the least. I was wrapping up my masters, we were in the middle of moving out-of-state and we had a destination wedding in Naples, Florida. In the midst of all these life-changing events, we never had a honeymoon. So, for our first anniversary, we decided to make a trip out of this milestone! We headed back to Naples, where we stayed at her family’s condo. But this trip was different. It was the first vacation we had taken just the two of us. We had to consider flights, car rental, expenses of food and other activities we wanted to do. Although we did splurge on parts of the trip to make up for our lost honeymoon, we learned a few money-saving tips along the way that made this a budget friendly vacation.
This picture doesn’t even do this sunset justice…
Location, Location, Location
During our trip to Florida, we decided to venture the Florida Keys for a couple days with no set agenda. We stayed in Islamorada and Key West each for a night (I recommend driving through the keys on US-1 if you’ve never done it!). Location is everything, including price. In the Keys, my wife and I came to the conclusion that 90% of the time we will not be in our hotel room. So, why would we pay a premium for a nice hotel if we just needed a bed to sleep? In contrast, while in Islamorada we stayed at an older hotel that had everything we needed in the La Jolla Resort. We read that the hotel offered free amenities which we took full advantage of. For instance, we kayaked for free! But another bonus? The hotel faced west over the water and we got to enjoy this amazing sunset!
In Key West, our hotel was a 100-year-old mansion turned bed-and-breakfast (Old Town Manor). And it was walking distance to Duvall Street, making it easy access to all the main attractions! Both around $100 or so per night. Not a bad price for the Keys.
The was so much history and character at this manor.
Look for Discounts in the Offseason
We went to Florida in mid-May, right around the time the snow birds flock back North and everything calms down. If you’re hell-bent on going to your destination in season, I suggest looking at the front or the tail end of the season. You can see a 50% price difference in airfare, car rental expenses, and hotel accommodations. For example, when we rented our car to drive through the keys, we got 60% off because Enterprise had a surplus of rides available for rent and no one to rent them. I splurged and rented a Maserati for less than $150 a day… Check out the ride!
Yes, I know I splurged here… But man was it fun to drive!
Cash is King Over Credit Card
If you truly want to keep yourself on budget, carrying cash is king for everything you pay on the trip. My wife and I took out cash we felt comfortable spending on food and activities and stayed true to that budget. Once the cash was out, we moved to free activities and stayed in to cook. This might require sacrifices and compromises on things we want to do, but it holds us accountable on spending money while on vacation.
One Big Vacation vs. Local Trips
One thing we realized after our trip to Florida is that we have so many places within driving distance to explore. Being in south-central Indiana, we are an hour away from Bloomington, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cincinnati, while being close to Chicago, Nashville, the Smokey Mountains, and much more! Don’t be sucked into the idea of getting away has to require hopping on a plane and traveling across the country. With all the financial obligations we have today, going on a trip for us could mean driving an hour and exploring a new city or going into the mountains and hiking or camping.
Plan Trips with Friends and Family
This is probably my most important point for planning a budget friendly vacation because its a double-edged sword. Not only do you get to adventure to new places with people you enjoy being with, you also get to split the costs. Imagine cutting the car rental or the hotel accommodation in half or a third. It opens up your finances to save on the trip or do more on your vacation!
Tools and Resources for Planning a Budget Friendly Vacation
Mint – Mint has a great budgeting tool to help you financially prepare for the vacation.
Hotels.com – Hotels.com was a great resource for finding cost effective hotels in the Keys.
AirbnB – We have used Airbnb to find great deals on places to stay while traveling on a budget.
Uber – Uber is a great option for getting a ride around a city you’re traveling to if you do not want to rent a car.
Lyft – Lyft is another option for getting a ride.
Enterprise – Enterprise gave me great deals for car rentals while traveling
AAA – Out AAA account has saved us a ton of money on hotels, rentals, and travel expenses.
Tripadvisor – Tripadvisor has given us great insight on the cities we are traveling to and what to do.
Travelocity – Travelocity is basically an online travel agency that bundles airfare, hotels, and car rentals for the most cost effective price possible.
Orbitz – Orbitz is another great site that helps you find great deals on airfare and hotels.
Yelp – Yelp helps us find all the great local restaurants in the area we are traveling to.
A vacation doesn’t have to cost you thousands of dollars. No matter where you go, you can find deals and there are plenty of free things you can always do. Work a little to find the right deals and live out your dream of traveling!
