Frugal Vacations (insurance, properties, court, bill)

[e.ortega]

Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal

It's that time of year! (well, it is always a good time of year for a vacation, lol). Please share your frugal vacation tips and information!!!

Me and my boyfriend are going away this weekend. We are going to drive from Queens to New Jersey to go on the beach then dinner then rent a room for the night do the same thing on Sunday before heading back home to Queens then Monday back to work....

That's what WE call a Beach Weekend Getaway.... Easy, Fun, Convenient and Cheap ... Gotta Love It

[tijlover]

I have done more than my share of hostels and other alternative lodgings. The rooms are cheap, sometimes. The rooms are cleaned, sometimes. The rooms have bed bugs, sometimes. [/quote]

Sometimes, you can even find bed bugs in 3,4, & 5* hotels.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by tijlover

I have done more than my share of hostels and other alternative lodgings. The rooms are cheap, sometimes. The rooms are cleaned, sometimes. The rooms have bed bugs, sometimes.

Sometimes, you can even find bed bugs in 3,4, & 5* hotels.[/quote]

200+ night/year in hotels for years and waiting for my first bed bug.

[haggardhouseelf]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

Investigate your own town. Pretend you are a tourist there. Go to the museums, battlefields (you're in Tennessee, I see), and any other interesting historical sites of interest.

Most people have no idea of the myriad of interesting things that are in and aroudn their own home town!

20yrsinBranson

Good suggestion!! In our experience, these have been the best "staycations" - because you get to sleep in your own comfy bed at night and you know where all the bathrooms are!

I suggest trying to visit the nearest national park or state parks in your area as well. A nature hike is a wonderful thing, as is a good fishing or rafting trip.

[bigcats]

Lots of free or cheap campgrounds around here. My parents store their RV in my yard and in return I can use it when they aren't. So although the gas isn't cheap, it's very fun. I don't have to go very far to find great, dog-friendly places here - hikes, swimming holes, etc.

I pack most of my own food or if I do eat out, I make sure it is breakfast or an ice-cream cone lunch.

Since it's normally a major trip to do "big shopping" (anything you can't get at the small town market, tiny drug store, or hardware store), combine vacations with Target, Trader Joe's etc. if I'll be passing through a place with these.

[LittleDolphin]

We used to tent camp a lot in our younger years..now with many campgrounds charging $25/night, we're opting more and more for renting cabins. If we go off-season, we can get good deals and it's a lot easier to cook in a real kitchen as opposed to a camp stove or fire--as cooking is my duty, it wasn't much of a vacation for me, a week of outdoor cooking...

We find small cabins, off-season, for $350-$450/week which is less than a decent hotel or motel...

Sometimes we find a cabin that comes with a canoe or rowboat and that's always great as we love doing outdoor things like paddling around, hiking and bicycle riding.

Cooking most of your meals or packing a picnic lunch saves a lot of dollars..we eat out a few times but mostly prepare our own simple meals...stopping at small grocery stores and produce stands usually results in friendly conversations and tips on local things to do or see...

And we have stayed in hostels on occasion in a couples' private room and they are always an adventure with interesting people...no bed bugs yet...

What I really hate are most motels--the smell of the sprays they use to cover up odors and the noises from too many people arriving and leaving, engines revving, and partying and from their TV's blaring.....I will not pay money for being kept awake anymore...give me a tent or cabin over that experience, thank you very much.

[cr1039]

Originally Posted by Spac3d

I took a vacation to Vegas earlier this year that was insanely cheap.

I don't gamble much, but I have the Harrahs card and a special offer came in for a comped room for 4 nights. I got in on Southwest.com half price airfare to Vegas. On the way out there, we took a bumped flight and got Southwest credit for $150 more than what we had paid roundtrip for airfare - we arrived in Vegas about 2.5 hours later. We did some things off strip (like hiking) and the only thing we paid for the whole trip was food. We broke even on gambling which gave us plenty of drinks.

A great, cheap vacation

But you did not see a show? Comedy, magic, burlesque etc?

[Gerania]

I've stayed in hostels and some very nice accommodations as well and have never been bothered by bedbugs. I've seen roaches in my room in a couple of expensive places. I've picked up scabies from God knows where in my home town. Oh, that is the worst. It's like having whole body chiggers.

The point is, the place in which you're lodging either has bugs, or it doesn't. Bugs don't care about the price of a room.

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

Sometimes, you can even find bed bugs in 3,4, & 5* hotels.

200+ night/year in hotels for years and waiting for my first bed bug.[/quote]

[moved]

If you're thinking of staying in a hotel/motel for a vacation, you might want to check out this website first to avoid bedbugs. It's Bedbug Registry - Check Apartments and Hotels Across North America. You'll be amazed at what's on it! Just check out the expensive hotels listed.

[ilovemycomputer90]

Originally Posted by e.ortega

Me and my boyfriend are going away this weekend. We are going to drive from Queens to New Jersey to go on the beach then dinner then rent a room for the night do the same thing on Sunday before heading back home to Queens then Monday back to work....

That's what WE call a Beach Weekend Getaway.... Easy, Fun, Convenient and Cheap ... Gotta Love It

Gotta love the Jersey shore. It seems like a whole different world than North Jersey. Although we've found the Jersey shore to be expensive to stay at for a week long vacation. Ironically Myrtle Beach is cheaper (which is where we're headed in a few weeks).

Although we try to cut costs (mostly by cooking for ourselves or having a light lunch), vacation is the one time of year we splurge since we only go away once a year. Food is usually the budget buster.