If you have gone through financial or credit problems and you are trying to get out of trouble, the first sacrifice you probably have to make is giving up vacations for a year or two. As you begin to get out of trouble you may be able to afford a much needed break, provided you follow these tips for low-cost vacations. As with all things, it is important to make a realistic budget that will work for your financial situation and then stick to it. If you stick to these tips it doesn’t take much cash to have a vacation of your dreams.
Be flexible
If it doesn’t really matter when you leave or when you return you can save yourself a lot of money. Everyone wants to fly at the busiest times – generally weekends. You can take advantage of lower fares if you can fly midweek or at times of year that fewer people travel. You can even take this flexibility a step further by being flexible about where you go. You can save a lot of money by choosing the type of destination you want (like a beach, for example) and then going to the destination that fits the criteria and is the cheapest.
Shop around
Use the internet to find the best deals around. There are lots of websites specifically designed to find the lowest prices. Look around and find the best deal you can. Also look at the websites of airlines to see if they have any deals or incentives that can help you save. It doesn’t have to take forever to find the best price. You can do a good survey of the deals in less than half an hour. The time is very worth it.
Use air miles
If you have a credit card or other loyalty program that lets you collect air miles for your spending, use it to make your purchases. Just be sure to pay off your purchases right away to avoid further financial troubles. If you are going to be spending money anyway, you might as well get something for it.
Save on Rental cars
Before you leave on your trip, use the internet to shop around for the best car rental deal. You can often get very good deals if you look around a bit for them. One great tip is to book a car in low season, even if you will be using it in the peak season. The rates will be lower then than they will be if you book in the high season. If you haven’t spent the time looking around for a deal before you go, don’t rent a car at the airport. There are surcharges and higher rates at the airport. Go into the nearest city or town and rent there for a better deal.