Travel Discussions

We are lucky because we rent condos directly across the street from the "Mexican WalMart".  We load up the cart with beer and snacks, the wheel it right into our rooms.  It is much cheaper to do it like that then try to stay at an all-inclusive, especially if you have discriminating tastes in food. 

 

We take food too. Usually we rent a place with an outdoor grill. We eat better and healthier plus do save a lot on the meals. Sometimes I take a crock pot. When we're sightseeing all day, we can come back and have roast and veggies or BBQ chicken or something simple but tasty with a bagged salad and some deli rolls.

Good timing on the post, Cyndi, since lots of people are probably preparing for vacations. Here's what we've done or heard other people have done:

• If you're willing to listen to a sales pitch, many of those timeshare places will throw in a couple days stay. I'm good at saying no. I think they tend to target people in certain income brackets and may gear their offers toward those with 2 or less children. You may be able to get free tickets for a dinner or for something like Disney as well. Be careful with these guys though--one guy that was trying to pitch to us tried to get us to sign a form saying we didn't make enough money--we did but didn't want to spend it on something like a time share. Maybe people with experiences with the timeshare deals could start a thread on that since I'm not sure which ones are better than others.
• We pack all of our food. I have some electric burners that look like eyes on the stove and use those since I'm not the greatest at grilling. (SORRY--guess I need to print off some of your great tips on yesyoucangrill, Cyndi!)
• Mom has a camper that she lets us borrow, so we have really enjoyed having the opportunity to vacation at places like the beach for a fraction of the cost. I was really impressed with Hunting Island State Park and wrote a review on that.
• If you have a membership to the YMCA, they have a program called AWAY (Always Welcome at the Y). Many of their facilities will let members in for free or for a discount for 3 days/month or 3 days/year, etc. I did a search of the area around Hunting Island and found a YMCA close by and my kids had a blast at their swimming pool for free. I highly recommend that you research the area where you are traveling and look up the nearest YMCA to see if they honor the AWAY program.
• If I don't have reservations for a hotel (which I usually do now since I have small kids), I've been known to haggle a deal for a room. Usually the people at the front desk will give you a price that is negotiable, but they don't usually say that since they are trying to get you to pay as much as possible.
• I don't buy travel-sized toiletries. I purchase several empty ones at the Dollar Tree, label them and fill them up and I'm ready at a fraction of the cost.
• There are lots of cool places to go that are near home. Riding the escalator at the mall is a special treat. My 2nd oldest child said she liked Wal-Mart better than Disney World. With small kids, I prefer the smaller things like parks and playgrounds and children's museums and such. We went to Lowry Park in Tampa and enjoyed that just as much as Busch Gardens for a lot lower price.
• We make sure to do regular maintenance on the vehicles and thoroughly check everything out before leaving for a trip. Last year, the truck's air conditioner seemed to be having problems and we got it checked out to discover that the water pump needed to be replaced and also the compressor on the air conditioner. Temperatures were in the high 90's when we left for our vacation. We saw NUMEROUS people on the side of the road with broken down vehicles. I can only imagine the cost of an emergency repair, not to mention the time and frustration that would have been if those things go on the blink.
• We have a cell phone and use that rather than phones at the hotel.
• I research various low-cost entertainment ideas online and in books and ask people who live in the area (they're usually the best at steering us in the right direction).
• We always try to watch the gas prices. There are websites where you can check for the lowest gas prices in the area. If you don't have access to the internet while you're out and about and have a little extra time, gas prices are often lower a few miles away from the interstate.
• We made a checklist for vacations so we wouldn't forget items like an umbrella and mosquito repellent, sunblock, etc.
• I have some friends who have friends that live up north--they vacation at one another's homes and it works really well for them.

In Paris we really looked carefully at the menus and we stayed at an apartment with a fridge and a microwave so we brought in a couple of nights and always had breakfast at home.

I've heard that a lot of people with time shares are struggling and trying to let other people use them just to get some $$$. I'm not sure how you would find out about that, but someone at work offered me their timeshare in Las Vegas for a really low price.  Unfortunately a Vegas vacation in not in the cards at this point.

I had some good ideas but they have already been mentioned.   : )  You could take a travel grill with you. A lot of places will let you use it outside if they don't have their own. Also maybe some places have microwaves and my let you use a small indoor grill (like Foreman) if you bring one. Some rooms charge extra if they give you a fridge and microwave but it's worth the savings on food.

• We have timeshare weeks, as do my parents. We use them for weekends and weeks and then buy groceries so we can eat in for the most part.
• Yes, we can "rent" them.
• We pack food and drinks - especially for the kids wherever we go.
• hit the internet and look for coupons or discounts available for print before you go.
• see if there are "go" passes. here in houston and in san diego you can buy these passes that let you come and go as you please to a number of places and cost basically the price of one day admission to just one of them.
• pick up an entertainment book for where you are going - then sell it on ebay after you are done with it. just a couple of meals and it pays for itself plus the discounts on many family activities, entertainments or events.
• only take as much with you as you are willing to spend - and one credit card for emergencies only. leave the rest at home. then you know that enough is enough.
• ask your resort or hotel if they have offers or coupons for discounts - many do you will be surprised.
• ok, that's all off the top of my head -- I actually wrote two articles on saving money in Orlando and San Antonio and how we had a great vacation without spending thousands of dollars.  If anyone is going to one of those two places let me know I will send you the link to the article -it's not "handy" right now.

Tried and true ideas.  I plan in advance - for a family of four I have found that buying annual passes for places such as Universal Studios, Wet n Wild, Busch Gardens/Sea World, Paramount Parks, etc. save hundreds a week.  With each annual pass there are benefits - FREE Parking ($10-$20 per day per vehicle), up to 20% off food and drink, discounts to other parks (EX:  Univ. Studios pass gets discounts at Wet n Wild:  BuschGardens/SeaWorld gets pass discounts at Wet n Wild and Discovery Cove), the special dining activities are discounted as well.  City Walk discounts at Univ. Studios include pass discounts, movie discounts, meals discounts 10-20%.  Busch pass gets discounts on the Hawaiian dinner show.  Also the passes get you reserved seating at shows inside the parks and pre notifications of up coming events.  The benefits can be found on the websites.  Most annual passes can be paid for on a monthly basis.  I arranged to have at least 2 vacations in the 12 month pass period or the 24 month for Busch.  With Universal Studios a second year can be obtained with a coupons or the renewal of a second year or additonal year is as little as 1/2 price.  Excellent times for Univ. Studios is Halloween and Christmas.  At Disney - stay off the property and save money.  There is free parking at Downtown Disney that will allow you to catch the buses into the disney parks without paying the high prices at the park themselves.  In order to access any of disneys parks you must use there transportation.  Most amusement parks are part of a chain like Busch - Sea World.  Their passes can be used in FL, VA, TX, etc.  Six Flags has a similiar package.  I own and rent timeshares/vacation properties - feel free to contact me for requests at phillipsrenea @ yahoo.com if you are interested in saving money and staying in style. 

Here are some ideas:

• Buy most of your food and drinks from a grocery store. Snacks and drinks are much cheaper this way when you sightsee or visit theme parks.
• Book a suite, rather than a hotel room, with kitchen and laundry so that you have the option of eating in. Wine from a store is way less expensive than in restaurants.
• Travel with someone and share the cost of the hotel room or suite.
• Use a credit card with no annual fee that provides travel rewards. Use this credit card for anything and everything to accumulate points (eg. for groceries and paying cell phone bills). The travel reward points, depending on the credit card, can be used towards air travel and/or lodging.
• Look for "last minute" travel deals from travel agencies.
• Search the internet and clip coupons.
• Take advantage of discounts offered to AAA members. These can include special rates at hotels and discounted admission to some tourist attractions.
• Purchase an online membership to Entertainment Online (eol.entertainment.com) for $30/yr or $4.95/month for entertainment coupons nationwide. These include 2 for 1 and up to 50% off coupons to restaurants, travel and services.
• Enrol in Loyalty Programs such as AAdvantage or the Priority Club for Holiday Inn.
• Consider taking the train or bus, if you are not in a hurry. Unlimited travel train passes like the Eurail pass for Europe are reasonably priced and let you travel and stop in places that look interesting on the way to your destination. You may even save on accommodations if you are able to sleep over night on the train or bus.

That's all for now!

• go in the off-season if possible
• rent a place with a kitchen
• if you're renting a condo, cabin, etc.go through a place where the owners rent the place out instead of a third party- just be cautious
• always rent somewhere that is having a deal-like a free night
• buy your own groceries and cook yourself
• if you're driving keep a cooler stocked with drinks and snacks
• use coupons books- almost anywhere that you go will have some sort of coupon book available for lots of different things
• eat the free breakfast or free snacks/drinks if that's available

If you're staying at a hotel always check their website along with some of the travel sites. You can also find some good deals at RoomSaver.com We ended up getting a really good deal through their printed book. Book is free at various rest stops.

Almost every tip I can think of has already been mentioned! And I'm learning a lot of new ones. I do think it is a good idea to stay in a little apartment and have at least two of the meals there. If you are looking to go someone different or exotic (say to a carribbean island or something) you usually save money by booking everything in one go- there are websites where you can book a week at an all-inclusive resort with a flight included as well