Currently, most people are being very careful with their spending and a vacation may be one luxury activity that people are putting off until the economy rebounds.
However, vacations do not have to be expensive if the family can agree on a location closer to home with many free activities as part of the agenda.
It is very easy to plan a cheap vacation that will be fun for the whole family.
There are two ways to approach planning this kind of vacation.
The first way is to pick an activity that everyone can agree that they really would like to do on vacation.
If, for example, everyone wants to go to an amusement park as part of the vacation then search for amusement parks close to your location.
It does not have to be a major park to be fun.
If there is a park close enough, then search that city for other activities.
Do they have a museum or a zoo that everyone would enjoy? Are there any local festivals, flea markets or other activities that would be fun? If it looks like there are enough activities to be fun, your vacation is planned.
The second way that a cheap vacation can be planned is by choosing the location a certain distance away and then looking for things to do at that location for the family to enjoy.
Most areas have some activities that are standard like local sporting events, movies, shopping centers and restaurants.
The trick is finding something that is unique near the location you have chosen that everyone would have fun doing.
Many local activities are free or very inexpensive to draw larger crowds.
Another way to save money on the vacation is on meals.
Most hotels offer some type of continental breakfast to start the day with but eating lunch and dinner out for every meal can definitely cut into money allotted for the vacation.
Fixing a cooler for the car ride and in the motel room will save a lot of money on drinks.
It is definitely more convenient and easier to keep cold drinks on hand than stopping at convenience stores along the way.
Packing healthy snacks can also cut down on the need to stop for food as often during the trip and cut down on vending machine runs at the hotel.
It can be very tempting to eat more junk food than you planned while on vacation.
Once you arrive at the hotel, it would also be a good idea to stop at a grocery and pick of a few things to keep in the room that would work as snacks; like apples and bananas.
Planning a vacation that will be fun and memorable without spending money that is needed elsewhere is very possible.
It just takes a little time to look for a place with events that are a good fit for your family.
Vacations should go back to being about spending time with loved ones doing activities to bring you closer; not about spending a lot of money.