How to Plan a Budget Friendly Vacation

Who doesn’t love a fabulous vacation to an interesting destination spot? However, you don’t have to break the bank when taking time off to unwind, relax, and find a little fun. Read on to learn how to plan a budget-friendly vacation.

Why Take a Vacation?

If you dream of traveling to far-off places, that reality doesn’t have to be out of reach. People need to take time off to unplug and break the habit of normal life so they can recharge their internal batteries and get away from stress.
You might feel that taking a vacation is wasteful or frivolous but taking time away from work actually helps you come back more productive. It’s something your body and mind need. However, planning a vacation that fits in with a budget can be stressful. Keep reading to learn how to budget a family vacation.

How to Plan a Budget-Friendly Vacation

The best way to plan a budget-friendly vacation is to plan ahead. Map out your entire vacation but keep in mind that things change, and you might have to adjust as you go. Some tips for planning the perfect budget-friendly vacation are:
  • Set a travel budget and stick to it.
  • Use sites like Hotels.com and Kayak to find amazing deals on hotels and motels, and even check out Airbnb to see if you can find some cheap accommodations.
  • If you have a AAA card, use it. Don’t forget that members get special discounts not available to other travelers.
  • Travel during the off-season. Hot vacation spots can be priced astronomically during the summer months, but if you travel during the off-season, you could save 50% or more! Not only that, but you also won’t have to fight the crowds and stand in lines.
  • Plan adventures and tours ahead and shop online for discounted tickets. Often booking in advance by a week or two can save you big money.
  • Visit local attractions. You probably live in an area with some great tourist venues and don’t even know it. Explore locally, and you can even sleep in your own bed.
  • Visit national parks. They are often free or very inexpensive to get into.
  • Sometimes, cruise lines offer last-minute deals to fill every room. Check with your travel agent to see if you can snag any last passenger deals.
  • Visit less traveled areas Some people dream of visiting England, France, or Italy but did you know traveling around Greece is really inexpensive.
  • Consider a house swap in another country so you can live there for free for a week or two and as a bonus see the sights.
  • Use a credit card with travel rewards to pay for everyday things like gas and groceries. Then when it’s time to take your vacation, you could use those rewards to fly or stay at hotels for cheap.
  • Stay in a hostel, vacation rental, or with friends. You may have to cook your own meals and rent a car, but you could visit exotic places for cheap money and have the vacation of your life.

Don't Forget Budget Vacation Travel Gear

When taking that dream vacation, don’t forget to bring your laptop, camera, travel adapter, and extra charger. You will want to take tons of pictures to remember your trip forever and won’t end up stuck somewhere without a cell phone or a dead laptop. Also, don’t forget to protect your gear with proper travel cases or storage bags to carry them./div>
You may even want to invest in some special travel devices like the Anker 533 Wireless PowerBank to power up all your devices quickly while on the go. Also, consider an actual travel camera like the GoPro Hero 10. It’s lightweight, small, and perfect for capturing pictures and video during your trip.

Don’t Forget to Protect Your Travel Gear

Traveling is fun and exciting, but it can open the door to accidents and damage to your precious equipment. If you take an expensive camera or laptop on your budget-friendly vacation and drop it and it breaks, do you know if the warranty will cover it?
Unfortunately, most manufacturers’ warranties don’t cover products for very long (usually one year or less). And they only cover manufacturing defects. They surely won’t fix your broken gear if you drop it or spill liquid on it.
This is where Upsie comes in. Upsie offers the best travel gear warranties for laptops, cameras, smartwatches, tablets, and much more. Not only will Upsie cover manufacturing defects long after the original warranty runs out, but many of Upsie’s warranties also cover accidental damage from drops, cracks, and spills.
You pay up to 70% less with Upsie. You also have access to unlimited claims up to the full price of the item and can reach claims 24/7.
Upsie also offers Smartphone Warranty Subscriptions that cost just $9.99 per month for comprehensive protection. So rest easy on your lovely vacation, knowing that Upsie has your travel gear covered!

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* This article is over 6 months old and may or may not be updated.