Cheap Vacation ideas (Can't do Disney this year :(

[mommylovesdisneymore]

My husband has been placed on disability because of his bad heart and things are REALLY tight here at home Are there any budget vacations we could do that the kids will not be Totally bored we have a 15 1/2 and 8 year old boys We live in VA and everything just seems SO expensive we like to travel when the boys get out of school like the middle of May just because that seems to be right before the rates go up for summer and help with would be much appreciated

 

[hsmamato2]

I feel your pain...I just posted a (lighthearted) thread on this over on the community board.....
I am thinking for our family,I will plan plan plan(not necessarily go right now)
b/c planning is fun...
Plus I will keep an eye out for any huge specials I can find....for anything. I'll be openminded about what looks fun,and go from there.
I'll probably plan some camping trips this summer,and go with friends, it will be cheap and fun!
I'll still plan for my huge trips (that dh has no clue about,they're in my head) like I have extra $$$ and then when I can,I'll go and do them....
I'll probably go to one or more cities that are neaby (2 hour train ride) when I get really antsy,and find some fun stuff to do
I'll search the local offerings nonstop for any free and cheap activities....

 

[mommylovesdisneymore]

Is riding the train somewhere cheaper than driving we have never done that and my kids would probably like that

 

[HeatherC]

Do you like beach vacations? How about Hilton Head Island?

It has a reputation for being pricey, but we have found it to be very affordable. We rent a condo so having a kitchen saves on eating out every meal. I usually just use my regular grocery budget for the week. Any eating out comes out of our vacation fund.

We spend our days on the beach, biking, playing mini golf, dh and ds golf, fishing, crabbing, etc.. It can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be.

The most affordable option we have found is the Hilton Head Resort...hhresort.org. It is an older resort, but is clean and has EVERYTHING you could need. We rent through private owners on homeaway.com and usually pay about $600 for a week in a two bedroom condo during the summer.

 

[ilovemk76]

My husband has been placed on disability because of his bad heart and things are REALLY tight here at home Are there any budget vacations we could do that the kids will not be Totally bored we have a 15 1/2 and 8 year old boys We live in VA and everything just seems SO expensive we like to travel when the boys get out of school like the middle of May just because that seems to be right before the rates go up for summer and help with would be much appreciated

What can your DH do with his bad heart?

 

[kkandaj]

My friends did a "staycation" last year. They both took the week off work and kept the kids out of daycare. They discussed fun activities in the area that they never really do (amusement parks, renting a boat on the lake for a couple of hours, fun restaurants etc.). They put all of those in a jar and pulled one each night. The next morning they would set out on their adventure.

Their family (kids are 5 and 6) had a blast! They also liked coming home to their own beds and not having to "pack."

Not sure if this is something that would interest your family, but sounds so fun to me!

 

[cah5525]

How about camping at Assateague with the ponies?? I see you are in Va. just don't know how far from the seashore you are. Not sure if there is camping on the Virginia end of the strip but last summer we camped on the Maryland side. They offer state and federal camping so it is very affordable. We saw lots of horses...stepped out of our tent one morning and they were lying down about 20 feet from us! We had such a good time that we are going back this summer!

 

[Promomx2]

I know KOA campgrounds have cabins you could rent that were alot cheaper than hotel rooms.

 

[VroomVroomLightning]

My friends did a "staycation" last year. They both took the week off work and kept the kids out of daycare. They discussed fun activities in the area that they never really do (amusement parks, renting a boat on the lake for a couple of hours, fun restaurants etc.). They put all of those in a jar and pulled one each night. The next morning they would set out on their adventure.

Their family (kids are 5 and 6) had a blast! They also liked coming home to their own beds and not having to "pack."

Not sure if this is something that would interest your family, but sounds so fun to me!

That sounds like a lot of fun! Might be an idea I use with my niece and nephew later this year. The grown-ups of the family are going white water rafting and I am not in to that so I am staying home with the kids! Sounds like a perfect plan!

 

[aymekae]

Try focusing in on the major expenses of a vacation, figuring out how to minimize some or all of the costs, and then seeing what options are remaining within those constraints. I have some ideas below:

Accommodations
Do you have to stay in a hotel? If so, does it have to be a resort or just a place to put your head at night? Options include camping as others have mentioned, more affordable hotels, staying with family or friends. (For example, we turned a family visit to North Carolina into a vacation of sorts, we went for my DSIL's graduation, stayed with her, and she turned into a sort of tour guide for the remainder of our stay. I know that most family visits are NOT vacations, and some people don't appreciate a whole bunch of people crashing at their house just to save money. So take that advice with a grain of salt...)

Transportation
Flying is expensive, so try to narrow down locations to places you can easily drive to (I'd look within 6 hrs or so). I'm not familiar with your area, so it's hard to give any recommendations on that point. Just that the closer you stick to home, the lower your transportation costs will be.

Food
Consider vacations that you can cook for yourselves (camping, condos/timshare rentals with full kitchens, staying with family/friends). Or avoid places that traditionally have high food costs, such as resort areas.

Entertainment
It doesn't cost much to sit around relaxing, depending on where you end up doing that relaxing. I think that's why beach vacations are so popular. But if hanging out on the beach is not your thing, take a look at other free/low cost activities. See a local baseball game. Find a trail for hiking. Check out botanical gardens or war memorials or historical sites. I believe every state and most cities have a website for visitors with these kinds of ideas.

 

[mommylovesdisneymore]

Thanks everyone this is very helpful my husband can't do alot of walking or anything like rides at parks and such I already figured we will prepare our meals my younger son was just diagnosed type 1 diabetic so this is easier for us anyway. I was thinking about camping or maybes house near a lake we are in central VA but about 3 hours to the coast

 

[peacelover]

Look at the virginia state parks website, cabins are pretty reasonable for virginia residents. I love first landing state park.

 

[Pooh2]

We camped at Assateaque when our kids were young. It was a great camping trip with the beach and hiking trails all a few steps away from our campsite! And the campground was very inexpensive.

 

[torinsmom]

You might be able to get a good deal at Great Wolf Lodge if you do a night mid week. You can get your water park passes as early as non check in day and can use the water park until closing on your check out day. The rooms have microwaves and fridges, so you can bring easy foods to the room to eat. The pizza hut there is expensive, but we ordered Dominos using a coupon and met them in the lobby. My son loves GWL and when you break it down to per person cost per day at the water park, it is a pretty reasonable deal.

For example, May 13-14 would be $230 with tax. Not too bad for a 2 day vacation if you drive there and bring your own food.

 

[blessedby3]

Do you like beach vacations? How about Hilton Head Island?

It has a reputation for being pricey, but we have found it to be very affordable. We rent a condo so having a kitchen saves on eating out every meal. I usually just use my regular grocery budget for the week. Any eating out comes out of our vacation fund.

We spend our days on the beach, biking, playing mini golf, dh and ds golf, fishing, crabbing, etc.. It can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be.

The most affordable option we have found is the Hilton Head Resort...hhresort.org. It is an older resort, but is clean and has EVERYTHING you could need. We rent through private owners on homeaway.com and usually pay about $600 for a week in a two bedroom condo during the summer.

This is what I was going to suggest too. Hilton Head Island is our "other" vacation. We love HHI because it is so quaint and quiet. We have stayed at Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Club Resort many times. We usually get a 2BR condo because we have 6 in our family, but I linked a 1BR beacause it is cheaper. We rent through VRBO and have always had a great experience. You can go to www.vrbo.com and go to SC, then Hilton Head. HHB&TCR is in the Folly Field area. Many areas are much more pricey. This one is only $500 for the week in May:
http://www.vrbo.com/1302

We buy groceries when we get there and cook most meals in the condo. You can rent bikes for the kids for the week at reasonable rates. HHI is not crawling with touristy things to do so we end up not spending as much as we would say at Myrtle Beach. I cant say enough good things about HHI

 

[HM]

How about Massanutten Resort? You can rent a timeshare type place there pretty inexpensively and it's not too far for your family to drive, saving on gas.

 

[englishteacha]

What about going to Washington DC for a couple of days and going to the museums? They're all free. The National Zoo is free but you have to pay to park. We also did a fairly frugal trip to the Williamsburg area and went to Jamestown and Busch Gardens. We stayed at Super 8 motels and had a nice time. We also went to King's Dominion for a day, but we won't be returning. It's not worth a 17 hour drive from Maine. Busch Gardens, on the other hand, is one of our favorite parks and we had a multi-day pass and went 3 or 4 days.

Here in Maine, if I were looking for a really budget trip, I'd probably go camping at a state park for a few days. We'd go swimming and hiking, and perhaps ride our bikes around the area. We also do day trips from home sometimes, to a pretty local waterfall where we can swim and have a picnic, or to one of the bigger cities for lunch and a chance to bargain shop at stores we don't have near us.

As for a train being cheaper than driving, it depends on where you are going. I took my husband on the train from Maine to Boston as part of his Christmas gift. The train ride WAS the gift, and he really enjoyed the ride. He'd never ridden the train before and had always wanted to. It was lots of fun, about the same price as driving, and we could enjoy each other's company better than when one of us is behind the wheel.