Debt Free

Well summer, and most people’s vacation season is just about over. So, why a post about saving money on vacations now? Well, it’s never too late to save money on anything, weather it’s a vacation, a new car, or tonight’s dinner.

First of all, there’s a great chance you’ve gotten those free vacation offers. It sounds like a great deal, but, and you should know this by now, there’s no free lunch. In almost every case, you’ll have to give up something to get your free days of relaxation, and it won’t be very relaxing. In fact, you’ll probably need a good vacation after jumping though all the hoops most of these offers require. At the minimum, you’ll have to sit through a boring presentation about the virtues of timeshares.

Usually, the situation will rapidly degenerate into a scene reminiscent of your last trip to the used car lot; a high pressure, overly persuasive sales person trying to get your John Hancock. Don’t do it! For one thing, you’ll probably notice that for every time you say “no!” to that vacation club membership or time share they sweeten the deal. The price will go down, they’ll throw in more perks, or both. If you’re of a mind to sign the contract as the deal gets more attractive, you should let some common sense back into the room. Never sign a lengthy (or a short) contract without letting your attorney review it first. You could easily live to regret it.

Now, about that free vacation they promised you as an incentive to get you into the room in the first place. For one thing, unless you read the offer carefully, you may be unaware that you’ve got to sit through the sales pitch; shame on you. You’ve got to read this stuff. About the free aspect; you’ll find in the majority of these offers, many of the vacation essentials are far from free. They’ll be coming right out of your wallet, or getting added to your credit card balance. Nothing important you’ll have to buy, just niceties such as rental cars or other transportation, food, anything but the most basic hotel room, etc. In some cases you may even have to pop for air transportation too. In addition, your accommodations may be not what many among you would term desirable. The other problem these jaunts are known for is horrific scheduling. Like to fly at 4:00am? Me either.

The bottom line is that, unless you’re a glutton for punishment and copious conditions, pass on the “free” vacation offers in most cases, you’ll probably enjoy yourself much more if you stay home and paint your bathroom. So, if you do want to save money on vacations, what can you do?

Timing and Research is Everything –
In most cases you can do yourself rather well by taking a few days to really hunt for bargains. Here’s where that high speed Internet connection can pay for itself in a hurry. In many cases, you can scoop up last minute deals as companies try to rid themselves of unsold inventory, weather they’re airline seats or hotel rooms. Visit not only travel related sites such as Expedia.com and Travelocity.com, but sites of the air and hotel providers themselves. Also if there is a major convention in town, you may want to seek out another location. You could get stuck paying convention prices for everything, and many of the hotels and attractions will be crowded and difficult to get into.

Intro specials–
New resorts often offer introductory pricing and package deals as an incentive to bring people in. Sometimes these are really fantastic deals, but you can often do even better yourself, if you’re willing to put in a little leg (or mouse) work. One thing you want to do when trying to score a really cheap vacation is to make sure you’re not visiting during peak times. In fact you want to be there when they’re dying for visitors. Find out the lowest travel season is for the destination you’re planning to visit. In some cases, you can narrow it down even further. You can find the lowest demand period down to a few weeks, and plan your vacation for these times. No resort or hotel wants to have unsold room inventory. They obviously generate no revenue for the property, so they are looking to get them filled and generate enough revenue to pay for the cleaning. If you can make that happen, you’ll be the answer to their prayers.

The Good Stuff –
Steer clear of the most popular resorts at popular destinations. In almost every area there are hotels that aren’t quite as popular as some of the rest, but still offer great accommodations. These will be your target. Also look for hotels associated with larger properties. In many cases these will have fewer amenities than their larger, more popular cousins, and far lower prices. The great thing is that, in many cases, they are right down the block or across the street, and you may get full use of the facilities at the larger property. It’s definitely worth checking on.

If you don’t mind a little additional hassle, and you plan on being in a specific location for a week or two, try using the phone after you arrive. Call around and check on specific room rates, you may be able to move. I’ve personally seen huge luxury suites, a block from the beach in Waikiki, go for as little as $75 a night, and rooms with a fantastic view of the beach, right across the street, be had for as low as $45. If you are going to stay longer during a hotel’s slow times, you have more bargaining power. You’ll be generating revenue for them during an off time, and they’ll than you for it.

Food -
See if you can get a room with a kitchen(ette). One of the largest budget busters on many trips is food. Sure, you want to splurge on gourmet meals every night, but if you can cut that back a bit and cook you own, your vacation budget will shrink drastically. Stop by the local grocery store and shop for food instead of eating every meal in a restaurant. Even better, investigate the local warehouse food stores, you save even more cash there.

Discounts –
Make sure you get all your discounts. Check everything in your wallet; AAA, credit cards, and corporate discounts. Many times your employer will have arrangements with different providers of travel related items, such as rental cars, restaurant chains or hotels. You can also get discounts for using certain credit cards to book your flights and rooms, but be aware of the conditions that sabotage your efforts. Many times there are discount right under your nose that you could have taken advantage of if you’d have only known you were eligible for them.

Stick Around –
You could save big money and much of the vacation related hassle, if you minimize one of the largest budget and pain inducing components; travel. Face it, airports and highway rest stops are not the best places to spend your vacation time, so don’t. No matter where you live, chances are there are some fantastic places right in your own backyard. If you can drive 2 – 3 hours and get to one of them, you’ll eliminate many of the nightmares and much of the expense of your vacation. Many people don’t even consider this they are so focused on getting away from everything. Many times the best getaway is right under your nose. Check it out!

Call Ahead –
Make phone calls to the local chamber of commerce and tourism agencies in your selected destination areas. You’ll be amazed what they’ll offer as incentives to attract visitors to their communities. From little items such as maps and restaurant guides, to discount coupons and a list of places you can visit for free or cheap, such as state and county parks and zoos or wildlife parks, they can be a great resource. These agencies are looking to build repeat vacationers to their communities, so let them do their job. Take them up on some of their offers.

Make Sure Everything is Ready to Go –
The devil is in the details. In the case of your vehicle, that’s really true. If you plan on traveling more than a hundred miles or so, get you car / truck / SUV checked out and change the oil before you head out on the road. An unneeded repair will bust your vacation budget in a hurry, and there may not be anything fun to do next to the repair shop. If your car needs a major repair and you find out about it before you leave, you may be spending your vacation budget on the fix, but at least you’ll be doing it before you leave, at your chosen auto care provider, not the closest one to the site of your breakdown.

Check Everything Out First –
Don’t wait until you get to the area to decide what you’ll be doing there. Check out the major (and minor) attractions first. Have a plan. Browse the net at not only the major sites and the community sites, but look at forums to hear from people that have actually been to the places you’re considering. It’s always nice to have a bit of input from someone whose been there before. You can find what restaurants to visit and which to avoid, attractions worth seeing, and great deals and discounts you might otherwise have missed.

Financing –
One last thing. If you have to put your vacation on a high interest credit card or use a home equity loan to pay your vacation, reconsider. Sucking equity out of your house to pay for a few days of relaxation is the recipe for shot term fun at the cost of long term disaster.