Today’s post comes to you from my friend, Kristl Story, who offers great advice on finding the best vacation deals! Read on…
The typical family plans their vacation by…
- Deciding where they want to go.
- Searching for the best deals.
Maybe it’s time we reversed that thinking, and tried to find a deal first and a destination second. It’s a different approach to saving money on travel, and oh the places you’ll go if you keep an open mind!
Next time you’re planning a vacation, rather than getting all excited about going to New York or to Myrtle Beach, scour your favorite travel sites for amazing deals and choose your destination accordingly. Imagine if the same amount of money you were planning to spend on your family’s Myrtle Beach vacation could be spent on a vacation to the Bahamas! It really is possible is you start thinking deal first, destination second.
When it comes to travel sites, think beyond the traditional sites, and check out some of the new players…
- Groupon.com – Daily deal sites like Groupon are now in the travel business, and they’re boasting savings of up to 80%! The deals are for real…just be sure to read the fine print because travel dates are sometimes restricted. You might also try sites like LivingSocial.com and DealChicken.com.
- Expedia – The folks at Expedia are getting into the flash sale business by offering ASAP 12-hour Sales.
- LastMinuteCruises.com – Sometimes it pays to not plan ahead and take advantage of huge last minute savings when cruise ships are trying to fill their empty cabins.
- Hotels.com – Traditional travel sites like Hotels.com feature entire sections dedicated to last minute deals. If you’re the spontaneous type, take a look!
- Travelzoo.com – This is a free e-newsletter worth subscribing to! Each week they search hundreds of travel sites, and come up with the Top 20 Travel Deals.
The next time you’re planning a vacation, remember: Deal First, Destination Second.
Written by: Kristl Story TheBudgetDiet.com (It’s a diet for your wallet, not your waistline!) Kristl is the CEO of her family and also the maid, the cook, the coupon queen and yes, the bargain shopper. She’s not a financial planner or an accountant, just a mom that knows how to live the good life on a budget! Kristl’s tips have been featured in publications like Consumer Reports, All You Magazine and Good Housekeeping as well as Mint.com, MSN Money and KHOU-TV. Discover more frugal living tips at TheBudgetDiet.com
Rosey says
We did this on a trip before and it was awesome! We searched around, found a great deal and booked (no plans ahead of time as to where we wanted to go). It was fun. 🙂
Karen says
We’re planning to do this once our second son gets to college — taking long weekends with the last one on school breaks. 🙂
Lynn Thomas says
Great idea! I just found TheBudgetDiet.com early this morning and she has great money saving tips on there. I am going to start watching for the deals and surprise my hubby with a little trip. You have inspired me to travel 🙂
Pamela R says
a great twist on travel planing—but honestly most of the time our family is going on vacation its to visit relatives—don’t think they’s like it if we didn’t see them because Hawaii was cheaper =} Just saying….
Karen says
True. Family vacations might not work that well. BUT, if you want a long weekend away, you can block the time on your calendar and surprise the kiddos with a weekend away. You’ll be surprised too — the destination is the last thing you find.
Karen says
Hmmmm…. on second thought, I think I’d invite the family to join me in Hawaii!!!! 🙂
Pamela R says
it took me a while to get back here—but I think my family might share your thought on us ALL just going to Hawaii =)