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Budget travel even exist anymore?
DH and I want to take a 4-5 day trip first week of August. We don't like to spend thousands of dollars on vacations. It's been hard for me to find something that fits our budget (less than $1,500 total, including hotel, travel, and food). A few years ago, I used to see lots of trips that fit this bill for two people, with airfare and hotel. I'm talking in big cities like NYC to Mexican resorts. I can't seem to find anything like that these days.
Just an overall question - is budget travel totally not happening anymore, if you can't be super flexible with your dates? I have two children and work full time. I can't drop everything and leave tomorrow if airfares drop. I need to book 6 months out. I don't want to camp. I don't want to stay in a Super 8. I want 4-5 days with my husband in a fun city that we can explore, eat, drink, and relax. Or 4-5 days on a beach with fruity drinks and the ocean. Hmpf.
Re: Budget travel even exist anymore?
I got a list of these travel deals this week from Travel zoo. You could look into these deals or sign up at travelzoo to get the weekly emails.
Travelzoo Weekly Top 20
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Destination of the Week: Mexico's Beaches
Cancun, Riviera Maya, Cabo & Puerto Vallarta Deals from $79
http://www.travelzoo.com/destinations/mexico_beaches/
************************************************************
TOP 20 DEALS * -- NOVEMBER 07, 2012
************************************************************
$399 -- Transatlantic 10-Night Cruise w/$100 Credit
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1346074/
Source: Royal Caribbean
$99 -- Napa Valley Hotel incl. Breakfast, Reg. $179
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1346204/
Source: Ivy Hotel Napa Valley
$3899 -- 5-Star South Africa Safari w/Helicopter Ride & Air
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1344887/
Source: Lion World Tours
$174 -- Paris 4-Star Hotel incl. Breakfast, Reg. $324
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1345071/
Source: Millennium Hotel Paris Op?ra
$149 -- Vegas 3-Night Luxor Escape incl. Airfare
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1344300/
Source: Southwest Vacations
$109 -- Savannah Riverfront 4-Star Resort at Half Off
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1346052/
Source: The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
$20 & up -- Last-Minute Thanksgiving Deals, up to 85% Off
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1346209/
Source: Multiple Companies
$2199 -- Israel 9-Night Escorted Vacation w/Air, Save $750
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1343415/
Source: Gate 1 Travel
$139-$159 -- NYC: Chic Times Square Hotel incl. Holidays
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1346103/
Source: Hotel Mela
$75 & up -- Southern California Fare Sale (Roundtrip, w/Tax)
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1346133/
Source: Major Airlines on Fly.com
$899 -- Riviera Maya 4-Star All-Inclusive Winter Trip w/Air
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1344851/
Source: Apple Vacations
$1298 -- New Zealand Fares on Sale (Roundtrip incl. Tax)
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1344915/
Source: Air New Zealand
$159 -- Swanky South Beach Hotel incl. Weekends, 60% Off
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1345022/
Source: Mondrian South Beach by Jet Luxury Resorts
$199 -- London 4-Star Mansion Hotel w/Upgrade, Reg. $507
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1346097/
Source: Millennium Hotel London Mayfair
$129 -- Tucson 4-Star Resort w/$50 Daily Credit & Upgrade
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1346028/
Source: The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa
$699 -- Balcony on 7-Night Caribbean Cruise w/$125 Credit
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1345855/
Source: CruCon Cruise Outlet
$99 -- Nashville Hotel w/Breakfast & Parking over Holidays
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1345994/
Source: Sheraton Nashville Downtown
$639-$679 -- Jamaica All-Incl. Winter Escape w/Air, $350 Off
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1344067/
Source: CheapCaribbean.com
$3199 -- Vietnam & Cambodia 13-Night Escorted Trip w/Air
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/87268799-1346065/
Source: Friendly Planet Travel
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a few YEARS ago-that's why.
sure budget still exists but it's budget compared to normal or peak fares, not necessarily 'cheap' budget.
for example-i went to rome and florence for a week in jan/feb. non stop from jfk, super hotels, 1300 a person. that's cheap compared to high sesason.
but i think you may have an unrealistic expectation for the amount you want to spend especially if you have a certain time of year in mind.
I agree.
Also, depending on what time of year you go it may be more or less expensive. Not to mention, depending on where you are flying from and to, airfare alone could cost you $1500. We are flying from Philly to Cancun in April and airfare round trip for both of us was $1200.
The three times we've gone from Philly to Key West ( which is only a three and a half hr flight) it's been just under 1k add the room,food,drinks,excursions (mostly museums), car (we drove from Miami and then flew home Kw to Philly) and for 4 nights it was $4500.
I would look on Groupon,Living Social,travel Zoo...etc and see what you can find.
All in all, I think your expectations for that dollar amt. are way to high.
Kristi and Kerry June 21,2008
What airports are reasonable options for you to fly out of? Are Chicago's airports too far?
What about Las Vegas? I just quickly looked on priceline and you can fly out of ORD and stay on the strip in some of the less grand hotels (Excalibur, Stratosphere, Harrah's, Flamingo) for under $800. I used Tues-Sat of that week as the dates. That won't leave you enough money to eat at 5-star restaurants and see the top rated shows every night; but maybe enough money where you and your husband could enjoy some time away. There are so many reasonable (or even cheap!) restaurants, tons of free sightseeing, plenty of places to shop, nice pools, etc. If shows interest you, there are discount tix booths on the strip.
What about Washington, DC? Most of your entertainment wouldn't cost you anything. Almost all of the museums, memorials, and monuments are free.
Obviously driving isn't practical to get you to a beachy climate, but what about cities that are within driving distance? I assume Chicago is a "been there, done that" kind of city, but have you and your husband ever explored Minneapolis, Detroit/Windsor, or St. Louis? If you can cut out airfare, I think your budget is VERY doable.
I completely understand trying to plan vacations on a budget.
We routinely use hotwire and priceline and book our hotels without knowing the name of them. With a little investigation, many times you can figure out the hotel in advance. We have never had a bad experience and typically save about 30-50% off the cost of what it would be to book directly with the hotel.
We also sometimes book in a less convenient location in order to save some big $$$. When we were in NYC, we stayed in Brooklyn. When we went to DC, we stayed in Silver Spring, MD. Each of these times, we made sure to book hotels that were near subway lines and it really wasn't much of an inconvenience at all.
If we're trying to make a vacation a little cheaper, we try to hit up a grocery store or a drug store near our hotel and get some food. We find that we save a ton of money if we have some snacks and drinks in our room. We sometimes try to get some bananas and granola bars for breakfast. Cutting out a $30+ breakfast everyday adds up. We still go out for a reasonable/nice lunch and dinner.
At the end of the day, you get what you pay for. Can you have a nice and relaxing 4-5 days with your husband and do some sightseeing for $1500? Yes. Can you do those things without doing much research, stay at the nicest hotels and eat at the nicest restaurants? No.
Good luck.
Thanks! I don't think my expectations are too high - we've done a lot of budget trips, just not in the past two years because I was pregnant, then had an infant, etc.
We don't need high priced restaurants or 5-star hotels. That is SO not us. We travel like that when we are with DH's parents, and we actually don't prefer it! Sounds strange, but true. I do a lot of research for my trips, but even Expedia and Travelocity have not been looking too promising lately. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on what might be the new "in" website to look for deals, but it sounds like I am already looking at most of them.
Thanks! I don't think my expectations are too high - we've done a lot of budget trips, just not in the past two years because I was pregnant, then had an infant, etc.
I think the pps were saying your expectations are too high for the current times. Back then, it was doable and you weren't asking for too much. Now, with the way flight prices are going, you will blow your budget before even starting to look at hotels. Keep searching, as good deals do pop up from time to time, but travel costs right now are just ridiculous.
Our wedding on Wilson Island!
I think budget travel is still there, but is changing a little bit. I rarely see the $9 flights and $29 AI deals anymore, but you can still get some great deals, but your dates need to be flexible. You do neccessarily need to be "last minute" but you need to have some date flexibility. I think the best deals are mid-week, so you'll get a better deal flying out on a Tuesday or Wednesday than the weekend.
August is a tough month for budget travel since so many people are vacationing in August, but the last week in August you can usually find good deals. 3-6 months is usually when you will find air discounts because that is when airlines actively monitor that stuff. Good luck!
I think you do have to be flexible to get good deals. Even if you have to book 6 months out, look at mid-week flights if you can. And even more so, be flexible with your destination. There are a lot of trips I'd love to take but haven't, because the price didn't fit when I had the time to go. Have a few options and look to see which ones have the better deals. You may not get your top choice, but you can save a lot.
I also find that booking on my own saves more. Priceline and Hotwire save me tons on hotels and car rentals, so combined with a decent airfare, it usually works out less than a package.
Also, you said you had to plan 6 months out, but is that really true? Can't you request the time off without specifying a destination and itinerary? Pick a block of time, and then watch for flight deals that fit in it. Even if you have a destination in mind, you can watch airfares for the dates you want and wait a few months to watch the fare trends and hope for sales. Just because you kow pure traveling 6 months before doesn't mean you have to book the ticket then.
Would a driving vacation work? Sometimes DH and I go on road trips and we pair it up with hotel deals. Then we save our money for fancy dinners. We did this on our past trips to Montreal and Ottawa Canada. We stayed at 5-star hotels for $125 and ate at really nice restaurants. Not sure if that is an option for you or if it is anything you want.
We are lucky in Upstate NY. We have Boston, NYC and Montreal 3 hours away, Ottawa was about 5. Toronto and Philly are about 5 hours as well and we haven't hit those two yet.