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Vacation Savings

Our family loves to go to Myrtle Beach from our home in Ohio every year.  How do we afford this?  There are a few money saving vacation tips that we enjoy.

Go off season!

It only stands to reason that rates are going to be cheaper off season.  We research when the rate change is where we're staying and we book just before or after that date.  When our kids were little, we'd opt for early October.  The last several years, the month of May worked out better. 

We found schools to be more than happy to work with us and send homework with the kids.  Much of this, they were able to do while we drove and the rest took only a short time each day.  If you happen to homeschool, you really have it made.

In our family's opinion, going off season is much more than all the money saved. This is a photo of our kids enjoying one of our 90 degree days on the beach in May.  Notice it looks like we have our own private beach. Once the weekend arrived, so did the local tourists. I couldn't even imagine how packed the middle of summer much be.  Being frugal spoiled us!

Eat In!

We've found that, again, food and eating out is what hurts the most when vacationing.  Our family has had an RV for years, so we take almost all of our trips in the 5th wheel and prepare our own meals for the most part.  This is a great way to see the country and be comfortable with your surroundings as well as save a lot of money on meals.

You don't have to own an RV to enjoy this tip, though.    There are several reasonable hotels and inns that offer kitchen units for extended stay travelers. Other options include rental homes and condos.

Don't forget about RV parks! The privately owned parks in your more popular tourist areas have some great villas to rent, and many times they're more reasonable than you'd think!  You're not couped up in a hotel, and the kids can play outside during down time.  Not to mention that most in tourist areas include use of one or more swimming pools, arcades, mini golf and bands for entertainment, amongst much more.  We're big fans of  RV parks.  Our favorite is Lakewood RV Resort , which is located right on the ocean .

Hotels

If you're determined to stay in a hotel and without kitchen facilities, you can still save on meals.  First, look for hotels that advertise "kids eat free".  Many times they'll also offer adults complimentary breakfasts and that meal, at least, will be included. 

Another way to save on meals, is finding a supermarket and planning a few family picnics to replace some more expensive restaurant meals. 

Home Exchange

This is something that was recently featured on  The Today Show. I was intrigued. You simply exchange homes with another pre-screened family. I want to do more research on this, but I thought it was worth a mention and a link left so you can check it out yourself. www.exchangehomesoia.com

Links to more vacation savings articles:

Tricks to Travel on the Cheap

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