Where would we be without vacations? Overstressed, overworked and overwrought! Even going away for just a week or two a year is usually enough to help us feel refreshed and revitalized until next time where we can get away. Whatever you do on vacation, chances are it’s exactly what you’d like to be doing instead of work. Even if it’s simply sitting on a porch with a glass of wine and a good book… at least it’s not work. So you don’t have to spend your entire year’s wages on a vacation to make it worthwhile. When you get away however, there are do’s and don’ts to vacationing that will help keep the price down while still allowing you the full enjoyment of getting away from it all. And don’t forget one of the frugal person’s mottos… it’s the little things that count.
Staying in a hotel is fun
I love staying in hotels; even cheesy ones! Of course the luxury resort type hotel is exactly that; a luxury. Sometimes, we tend to have a little too much fun in our hotel rooms by ordering room service. Just call up your own private chef and have him fix your meals right outside of your door. It will probably be cheaper. Okay realistically, room service is fun but pricey. If you want to feel special by getting room service, have a pot of gourmet coffee delivered to your door in the morning. You will feel special, having gotten pampered; and your budget will still be intact. Enjoy that coffee like it was your last cup! Ordinarily, we simply use the coffee that is provided with the little coffee pots in each room. It’s horrible, but it’s ‘free’. The coffee you get from room service is tasty, a great way to kick off your morning and makes you feel special. What more could you ask for?
Don’t forget the Internet, Travelocity is a favorite
Booking a vacation can be very expensive, but many people forget to take advantage of online coupons. Many booking sites such as orbitz and travelocity offer promotional codes. Apply one of these promotional codes at checkout to get discounts from a few dollars to a few hundred bucks off. I applied a travelocity promotional code when I traveled to Hawaii, and received a $50 savings off my travel. Talk about savings! All I had to do is search online for these “travelocity promo codes”.
Bring me a souvenir
How many times have you heard that? Well if you’re going to bring things home to remind you of the fabulous time you had on vacation, make it something useful. Non utilitarian souvenirs simply get tossed in a drawer, forgotten about and sold at the next rummage sale. One frugal minded vacationer suggests buying something and that can serve as a Christmas ornament. Once a year, you bring it out, hang it on your tree and reminisce about the great time you had on vacation that year. With enough of these you will be reminiscing for weeks after decorating your tree every year. Some locations even sport Christmas Stores, where you can kill two birds with one stone.
But I don’t want delivered pizza again tonight
The nicer hotels more often than not have attached restaurants/and bars. Not all of them however, allow you this convenience. And when they do, after a couple of days you’ve probably eaten all your favorites off the menu… now what? Allow yourself the privilege of one night to eat an extravagant meal out. Whether it’s locally stocked seafood or free range porterhouse steak, make it something special and memorable; and for goodness sake enjoy it! This is a treat. Even if you have to cut back in another small area, be sure to pamper yourself at least once with drinks and dinner at one of the area’s fine dining restaurants. Maybe you could spend a little less on the hotel, maybe walk or take the bus instead of a taxi, there’s lots of ways to save enough to make you feel good about the dinner out. And if you’re staying at in hotel room that has a kitchen, shop at a local, inexpensive grocery store and make as many meals in your room as possible. Yet another way to save!
Oooh, that’s the spot
A massage, a manicure or pedicure or possibly a facial… the royal treatment for the frugal vacationer is not only marvelously self indulgent but relaxing and well worth the extra dollars you’ll spend on it. Once again, cutting back somewhere else will allow you to feel better about throwing some money into the spa treatment of your choosing. Painted toenails in crazy designs and colors are great fun for a beach vacation. Wiggling your toes in the sand becomes a conversation starter just like that.
High quality manicures and pedicures will even outlast your vacation!
