Tips for Planning a Frugal Vacation

Vacations are essential for relaxation time, quality time with your friends and family, and just getting some time to unplug! However, with more people trying to be frugal and the prices of everything rising every day, it can be difficult to plan a frugal vacation and still enjoy yourself! These five tips will help ensure your frugal vacation is great, successful, and enjoyable for all!

1. Plan to visit somewhere relatively close.
Although flying to Hawaii sounds awesome in theory, it’s pretty expensive and won’t make for a very frugal vacation. If you live close to somewhere that you can drive to for vacation, planning a frugal vacation at this location will surely save you money. Make sure to pack your own snacks and entertainment for your road trip. Bringing along bulk snacks is more cost efficient than eating out.

2. Look for free attractions.
While some of the better attractions cost money, there are also usually some free attractions. Before you go on your trip, do some research online to see what attractions are offered in the area and if any of them are free and worth going to see! This way you can find some great activities for your frugal vacation without breaking the bank.

3. Do your best to save money on gas.
If you drive on your frugal vacation, you want to make sure you’re not spending too much on gas. Gas prices can be extremely high in some places, and the cost of gas will add up quickly. Try downloading an app on your phone like Gas Buddy or Waze to find out the closest gas stations to you and their prices. This gives you an advantage when you’re getting gas for your car and you won’t have to spend even more time driving around to find something affordable!

4. Don’t spend all your money on the hotel.
It might be tempting to get a huge suite at the Hilton, but honestly, vacation isn’t about the hotel room. It’s about getting out, sightseeing, spending time with your family, and getting to explore! Of course you want to have a clean hotel room, but don’t splurge on the hotel too much because then you’ll have to sacrifice money for other areas and it’s not worth it since you’ll only be in there to sleep anyway!

5. If you decide to splurge a little on a hotel and you have a kitchen area, cook your dinners rather than eating out.
This will allow for a little extra wiggle room in your budget if you decide to make your own dinners rather than eat out and spend tons of money at restaurants. It’s also much healthier and your dollar can stretch a lot further this way!