It’s really hard to plan a budget vacation you can still enjoy. After all, some vacation spots are inherently expensive. And trying to do them on a tight budget is to ruin the vacation. The best example of this is probably Disney. No matter how you plan it, Disney is not a cheap holiday. If you have saved up enough money to barely manage it, hold off for a couple more years while you save up enough to do it right. The wait will be worth it.
Other budget vacations tend not to take you overseas. That is because international flights are so expensive, just getting there and back is the vast majority of your budget. You will find yourself counting pennies when you get there. And that takes all the fun out of the trip.
Gambling vacations are also off the table for a budget holiday. If you have a penchant for gambling, and a small budget, that is the recipe for disaster. There is nothing wrong with rolling the dice in Atlantic City. But if all you have is little more than your fare back home, you probably shouldn’t go.
Don’t worry. There are plenty of vacation options available for the budget conscious to consider. We can’t possibly cover them all. Once you know the smart moves to make when planning a vacation on a budget, it will be much easier to figure out how to proceed. Here are a few suggestions:
Buy an RV
There is an up front cost to having a lifetime of RV adventures. Finding the right RV loans makes all the difference. The right down payment coupled with the right financing will determine how much your monthly payments are, and for how long. But after that initial investment, the bigger part of your vacations for the next several years are already paid for.
RV touring is a great way to spend some of those retirement years. You can be away for weeks or even months at a time with little to worry about by way of expense. You may not travel the world. But you can see the country in all its splendor.
Timeshare
Another way to visits some really nice places is to purchase a timeshare. Like buying an RV, there is some up front investment to make. The investment can be anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. There are many benefits of a timeshare including the following:
- The accommodations tend to be a cut above. You can get apartment spaces with as many as 4 bedrooms that can accommodate a lot of friends.
- You can trade your space for some other location you would prefer to go, opening up just about anywhere in the world for a 2 week stay.
- Timeshares are property you own, and can sell later if you like.
The biggest expense with a timeshare is getting to your destination. But you will often be able to join travel clubs and take advantage of discounts on flights. Once you’ve paid for a timeshare, you have a vacation spot for life.
Cruises
You are going to want to have at least $800 per person. And it can quickly go up from there. But at that level of investment, a cruise is the best vacation value money can buy. That price will likely get you a week of travel on a luxury cruise line. Just look for deals. They are easy to find. You will be able to visit exotic ports of call. And the food is included, as much as you can eat.
In addition, there is great entertainment in the form of live shows several times a day of all varieties. Some ships include libraries and movie theaters onboard. If you want to spend extra money, there is plenty to tempt you from fine dining to spa treatments. Just save some for those fun excursions.
You can pick up a sleeping bag and go camping in your back yard for free. But If you can stretch your budget a little further than that, look into financing an RV, a timeshare, or a cruise.