My husband and I recently returned from a mini-vacation to Branson. Though our trip wasn't free, it was considerably less expensive than it could have been. I thought I would share a couple of tips for taking a vacation on a budget. Keep in mind I am no expert, so if you have any tips of your own, feel free to share!
Daily Deals - Because I knew we would be visiting Branson a few times this year (thanks to a season pass to Silver Dollar City we received for Christmas), I subscribed to the Springfield (near Branson) version of Groupon, just in case any deals came up for hotels, shows or restaurants nearby. And it worked! Only four days before our trip, a Groupon came up for The Legend of Kung Fu, a show in Branson I had wanted to take my husband to from the moment I first heard about it last year. Because of the Groupon (and a $10 credit I had), we paid only $26 for two tickets for the show - which typically sell at $38 each!
I also currently subscribe to the Groupon and Living Social sites for Los Angeles (where we plan to visit this summer) and St. Louis (where my parents live, so we visit frequently).
Booking Travel - Similarly, I subscribe to Southwest Airlines e-newsletter, so I can keep my eyes open for sales. As mentioned, I know we'll be visiting L.A., but we have yet to book a flight, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a good sale. There are also sites, like Travelocity, Expedia and HotWire which help you find the best deals on flights anywhere.
Accommodations - I typically refer first to hotels.com when booking accommodations. For our Branson trip, I found a one bedroom suite with a full kitchen, fireplace, and balcony overlooking the lake for less than $90/night through hotels.com. Any of the aforementioned travel sites also offer hotel bookings. And the daily deals sites occasionally offer deals on hotels. Another option, if you're looking for high class lodging at middle-class pricing, are some weekly "flash deal" sites. Some I subscribe to are Living Social Escapes (after you sign up, you can see the "Escapes" tab on the left side of the page) and Snique Away. The catch on these is that the deals are only offered for a week, you have to book your stay (for specific dates) at the time of purchase and these are typically non-refundable, so you need to know for sure when you intend to travel.
Before I book anything, though, I always check TripAdvisor to read reviews on the lodging of choice, because you never can tell. Reading honest reviews from other travelers is my best insight to what I'm looking at and seeing what the hotel won't tell me. Is it in a bad location? Not in the best condition? Are the staff friendly and accommodating?
Always go through E-Bates! - When I booked for our Branson trip, I visited E-Bates and used their link to visit hotels.com in order to earn 3.5% cash back on our hotel stay. I also went to E-Bates before purchasing the Groupon for our Branson show, earning me 2% cash back on that purchase.
These are my favorite ways to vacation on a budget. What are some of yours?
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