How to Save on Holiday
Going on holiday does not have to be about spending money. There are many ways you can save and still have a good time. You will come back feeling refreshed and without large bills to pay. Here are some suggestions.
Seasons
You really do save money visiting a site just before or after the main season. Just before is often the best choice because the sites are usually spruced up by this time but not so crowded that you can’t obtain specials. The end of season often has even better specials than the start as the sites try to pick up every last dollar before the season ends. For winter attractions, April or early May are preseason times; September and October are after season times. For summer attractions it reverses. March to April is after season; preseason falls around October and November.
For those who like to cruise, the cheapest cruises are early and late season. You can see when these are by reading the cruise price schedule. No cruise line has one price all year long. You can also save money by booking cruises when the ship is relocating. This is usually a good deal, and often you only have to pay airfare one way to reach your homeport.
Hotels
One of the biggest expenses on holiday is paying for somewhere to stay. This does not have to be extremely expensive if you plan well. Look for deals. Many hotels these days provide breakfast and a free night if you stay for a certain number of days. Don’t be afraid to rebook your stay to obtain a special. Another money saving idea is to book in the next town over. If you don’t mind driving, you can often save by simply booking in a suburb of your intended goal. You need to consider parking and other expenses to go to your intended sites. I find that it is often just as cheap in terms of time and price to stay next to Disneyland because of the local hotel competition. However, when visiting Sydney, I do better staying at a city near this area.
Generally, booking early will also save you money on your room. Other ideas are to share rooms. The more people in your room, the less it costs. Don’t be afraid to book a suite for say six persons rather than trying to cram six into a room for four. You will still save plenty of money and you probably will have an extra bathroom. Don’t forget camping out in season. Campgrounds are still a great deal, and you really will get away from it all. Time of week is also important. It is cheaper to stay Sunday through Thursday. Staying on Friday and Saturday nights will usually cost you twice as much.
Meals
Eating out is another costly item on a holiday. The trick here is to try not to do it. If your hotel offers a free breakfast and you can eat it, this is essentially free. Eating out for breakfast will easily run you $7 or $8 a person unless you order a bowl of cereal. You can also cook your meals by using a kitchenette or microwave. Of course, if you camp, you can cook all your meals at the campsite. Many hotels have barbecues for their visitors to use; you can barbecue for dinner.
Meals are more expensive as the day goes on; you can eat lunch or breakfast out and do something inexpensive for dinner, such as ordering pizza or going to a sandwich shop. If you can afford a nice dinner or two out, then do it. If you can’t, don’t do it. Just because you leave home is no reason to spend like mad. Ask at the hotel where good deals are and don’t be afraid to use coupons. We try to restrict eating out to just lunch when on vacation. If you can, don’t eat at the attraction you are visiting. This is usually very costly. Some vacation plans now include meals. Some of these are pretty reasonable and will save you money.
Attractions
First, you don’t need to see everything in one visit. You can go back. Try to get tickets early for what you want to see; these are usually cheaper than buying at the time of entrance. Look into joining any loyalty group that the attraction has. These will usually save you something during your visit. If you plan to come back soon, maybe a season pass will save you money. Use a combination of attractions. Plan one or two big expenditures with several free or inexpensive ones, and find out about parking at your attractions before you go.
Parking
This has become a big expense to attend some venues and stay at some hotels. Last time I went to an arena, the parking was more than the price of two tickets. Investigate the cost of parking and what you can do to decrease it. Often loyalty programs give patrons free or reduced parking. Hotels have begun charging for parking for certain guests. Usually this is waived if you are on a special or are staying at certain times, but $10 a day for parking can take a bite out of your budget. There are still hotels that don’t change for parking. Stay there over paying for parking. Otherwise, parking costs will never go back down.
Summary
With careful planning your holiday should not cost a great deal more than to stay at home and go out for the day. Your goal is to stay on budget, or come in below it. Now, get out there and go on holiday!
Heather Johnson writes for HoneymoonDestinations.org, the best honeymoon research and planning website. Discover some great honeymoon ideas today!