Thu
11
Mar '10
With the changing economy and reduced incomes for many families, this year will see big changes in family vacations. There is a lot less money left over at the end of the month for such things as weekend getaways and family outings. It will take a lot of imagination and planning to make that little bit of left over cash go far enough to take the average family on a decent vacation. We will give you some suggestions and help you plan some low cost vacations that won’t ruin your savings account and provide some tips on how to make those low cost family vacations a lot more enjoyable.
- The first thing I want to suggest is that you begin looking a little closer to home this year. It’s a lot of fun to take the family out to the coast or up to the mountains for a few days to a place that is entirely new to everyone but if you stop to think about it there could be such a place right in your own neighborhood. Many organizations sponsor camp outs for kids and families. I will never forget the camping trips I went on with the YMCA when I was a teenager. After I got a couple of years experience camping I was able to go to camps as an aid and I then camped for free as long as I was willing to be a counselor for younger campers.
- If you are looking for a low cost family vacation then camping has to be one of the first things you consider. Whether you go camping in a pop up trailer or use a tent you’ll save a bunch of money on your sleeping arrangements every night. Each year you can add a few pieces of new equipment to your gear or you can shop the local yard sales and save a little extra on you purchases that way. The Goodwill store can be a great source of used equipment that can be in excellent condition.
- There are always lots of things to see and do in your own area. For great discoount family vacation ideas, start at the local office of tourism. They will have suggestions for many great places to visit and lots of places to go camping with your family. You will find that your local Chamber of Commerce will also be a very good source of information about places of interest and places to stay.
- Talk to family members and see if anyone has a time share that isn’t being used this year. It may be possible to vacation with another part of your family or you might be able to make use of an unused timeshare that might otherwise go to waste. However it won’t be a low cost family vacation if you decide to attend a presentation and end up buying your own timeshare plan. (Just say NO!)
- Here is an idea that has become very popular recently and can save you a bundle.You can make arrangements to trade houses with someone who would like to spend their vacation in your area. There are several large home exchange clubs that can easily be found on the web. There are rarely any problems with these arrangements and they can certainly lead to some interesting new acquaintances.
There will be a lot less money to go around this year so it is going to take all the help you can get to squeeze out those cheap family getaways and low cost family vacations. With our tips and recommendations you are going to find great new vacation ideas and we will help to make them much more affordable.
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