How to Plan a Fun, Cheap Trip

I love traveling, however, more times than not, I don’t have a ton a cash on hand that I can use to get away from day to day life.

These are some pointers I have learned from experience!

1st: Decide where your want to go. For whenever I need some time away, I pick a town that is in driving distance but is still far enough away that I can forget about my life at home. Usually around 3 hours away..  However I am attending a special convention out-of-state next month, so we will talk about that too.

2nd: Now that you know where your going, look for lodging. The cheapest way to stay some where is to camp. My husband and I love to camp and get in touch with the great outdoors, but I know its not for everyone. You can easily find hotels in the area where you want to stay. I like expedia. Another option is to stay in a cabin. If you book last minute, you can find some awesome deals. The down side to that, however, is that you run the risk of the cabin of your choice already being booked.  For my trip in February we are staying in a hotel. If you decide to do that, its probably best to stay at a hotel that has breakfast (when you are booking your room, make sure you ask if the breakfast is included in the price or if it is extra). I really think having your breakfast at the hotel saves you money in the long run. When we camp or stay in a cabin, I make sure to bring breakfast food to make. It would be cheaper than buying your breakfast every morning. This is a cute little cabin for 2 my husband and I stayed in a couple of years ago:)

3rd: How are you going to get there? Obviously if your destination is around 3 hours away, the cheapest way to go is to drive. But you have many options of transportation! My best advice to you is to compare prices and decide what is best for you. Sometimes we decide to drive even if it is a great distance. (we are driving 16hrs to OKC in February:)) We decided to rent a van and car pool next month, so there will be a total of 10 of us driving together. It came out to around $80/person including gas for the transportation for the entire trip!

4th: What to do while your there.  This is my favorite part! And its the most simple. Before you leave, go online and google “free stuff to do in…” I know this sounds like I am giving a dumb step but this is how I do it!  I find the coolest places to go and things to do this way!Here is an example of how I would plan a cheap fun trip:

1. Where :  Maumee Bay near Lake Erie.

2. Lodging: Camping in Maumee Bay State Park. $27/night

3. Transportation: Driving (only 3hours away)

4.Things to do: We are going to stay from Mon-Fri.

Monday: We will be arriving this day so we will probably just do some exploring in town

Tuesday: Ottawa  National Wildlife Refuge for Bird Watching and  a picnic (free)

Wednesday: The Great Lakes Museum ($12/person) and  Sandpiper’s ($20/person) Dinner Cruise

Thursday: Hanging out at the state park, on the beach and maybe canoeing (free)

Friday: Toledo Museum of Art. On Friday’s they do free live entertainment! (free)

Total Cost: $172 for 2 people (since we will be cooking most of our meals, Im not including cost of food)

I hope this helped you guys a little!

Always,

m