Clip Your Way to a Cheaper Vacation
Find out how you can save on your trip away.
June 27, 2008 — -- 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.
Transportation
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.
Hotel
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.
If you find a place you like with a weekly rate, ask them to pro-rate the weekly rate to a daily rate. Obviously, if they can get a four-night rental, it's better than no rental at all.
Food
Plan ahead and buy groceries.
Because you're staying in a villa with a kitchen, stop at the grocery store when you arrive and pick up breakfast, lunch, dessert and snack items. This also means healthier eats for you, too.
Do an Internet search for "grocery stores" and the area code.
Go to the store Web site and plan simple, healthy menus. Base them on what is on sale in the store's online circular, so you don't walk in unprepared and overpay.
Laura created a healthy menu and shopping list of two dozen items for $62, or $15.50 a day. The only cooking required was boiling water or microwaving. (For an extra $20 you can add a case of beer and a bottle of wine.)
Stop at customer service and get a loyalty card if you don't have one for that store.
Eating Out
Take advantage of every coupon available.
You can start by ordering a free copy of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce 2008 Vacation Guide online, like Laura did. It contains $1,000 in coupons. (All local chambers have these.)
Find local coupons by doing an Internet search. Laura looked for "Myrtle Beach coupons."
Try to skip the sodas and cocktails when you eat out. They add significantly to the bill.
Other vacation-savings tips: If you do decide you really need to fly, sign up for the weekly e-mails from the carriers that fly to Myrtle Beach to find last-minute specials; also do this at cheapflights.com.
Check out airline sites such as www.kayak.com, hotwire.com, and faircast.live.com. At Yapta.com, you can enter your departure and destination cities and it will track flights for you, and let you know when fares have dropped.
Breakfast/Lunch Menu For Laura's Myrtle Beach Vacation
($62, based on sale items in online Myrtle Beach circular found at Kroger.com )
Breakfast Menu: Cereal
Toast
Juice
Yogurt
Fresh fruit
Day 1: Mac 'n' cheese, corn on the cob, grapes, milk
Day 2: Ham sandwiches with chips, peaches, milk
Day 3: Pork spare ribs, baked beans, baby carrots, strawberries, milk
Day 4: Turkey sandwiches, corn on the cob, apple slices, snack crackers, milk
Lunch Menus for the Adults
Day 1: Oven Baked herbed chicken, chef salad, fresh fruit
Day 2: Ham and turkey sandwiches with chips and fresh fruit
Day 3: Pork spare ribs, baked beans, chef salad, fruit, soda
Day 4: Calzones, fresh fruit
Desserts: Ice cream and cookies
Snacks: Fruit, crackers, yogurt, baby carrots, cookies
Click here find the complete grocery list.