A weak dollar and struggling economy don't have to curb your summer vacation plans entirely. You can still get some rest and relaxation without emptying your wallet. Check out these tips from Yahoo finance and happiness expert Laura Rowley, and you could slice your vacation costs in half like she did with her Myrtle Beach, S.C., vacation. Check out her plan below.
Drive rather than fly. Although gas is expensive, driving is just one-third the cost of flying. And although your SUV may get only 18 miles to the gallon on the highway, it's still cheaper to drive your own vehicle than to rent a car.
For instance, if you rented a Nissan Versa, which gets 33 miles to the gallon on the highway, it would cost $175 for the rental and $192 for gas — bringing the total to $367 — still about $40 higher than using your own car.
Before you fill up, surf gasbuddy.com and find the stations along your route with the cheapest prices. The site has 750,000 volunteer gas spotters informing the site of the best prices. You also can get updates to your cell phone.
Other sites you can try are gasprices.com and gaspricewatch.com.
Pack lightly, use cruise control and drive the speed limit. Traveling 70 mph rather than 55 mph will cost you a 17 percent loss in fuel economy. Get more fueling tips at fueleconomy.gov.
Rent from an owner. Check out homeaway.com, vrbo.com (vacation rental by owner), and redweek.com, which lists timeshares for rent. Because you're dealing directly with the property owner, these sites offer big savings on accommodations. (On redweek.com, for example, I found a timeshare in the Marriott Oceanwatch Villas for $264 a night or $1,700 for the week — less than this family was paying for four days.)
Always ask for a discount from the property owner on the nightly rate — it's not uncommon to get a 10 to 20 percent discount from an owner who wants to keep his property rented and doesn't have other prospects.
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