Looking For A Cheap Beach Vacation?

A typical beach vacation at a resort is expensive - too expensive for many. So how do you find a cheaper way to visit a sunny shore? You can start by identifying what you really want of your vacation.

Is a big resort really necessary? Perhaps it is for you, but you still want to save some money. In that case, you need to be flexible. Check prices during the "shoulder season" (just before the prime season gets going or right after it ends). There may be deals that save you as much as 50% at these times. Check different dates for both plane tickets and hotels, because sometimes the difference of a day or two can save you hundreds of dollars.

Maybe you don't need a big resort vacation. Maybe you just want to travel to any warm and relaxing place. Perhaps you aren't sure what you want for your beach vacation, but you know it has to be a cheap. In that case, here are some ideas for less expensive trips.

Friends And Family

It can be nice to have family or friends with spare beds who live near the beach - or on it. Maybe some of them have already told you to come for a visit. Time to take them up on the offer! For future vacations, you might also want to encourage your friends to move to nice beach towns.

Caretaking

There may be somebody just waiting for you to come and stay in their house in Hawaii, California or Costa Rica. They need somebody to water the plants and get the mail for them, and in exchange you get to stay in a beautiful home. To make this a beach vacation, find one of these caretaking opportunities near the coast. Check out the Caretaker Gazette online for more information on these opportunities.

Beach Camping

Most of us have seen those Corona beer advertisements on television. It looks like a great time. If it gets too relaxing, you can collect seashells and driftwood up and down the shoreline, or bring a metal detector and search for coins and jewelry. Jump in the ocean when it gets too hot, and watch the sunset every evening too.

But how do you make this a cheap beach vacation? Try camping. There are many places you can camp in your RV, or in a tent, right next to the ocean. At the state parks in northern Florida we saw dolphins swimming by. We flew a kite while collecting some of the most colorful sea shells we have found. The $22 per night fee was certainly cheaper than the hotels in the area. If you wanted to go really cheap, there were free campgrounds within thirty minutes of the shore.

Freshwater Beaches

Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior are like oceans of fresh water, but cheaper to visit. In Michigan's upper peninsula in particular, you can often find cheap motels on or near the beach (they are all along Highway 2). Most vacationers visit these beaches in summer, but the best deals may be in September, while the days are still hot and the water is often at it's warmest of the year.

Share Expenses

Perhaps friends of yours also want a cheap beach vacation. If so, you can share the expenses to make it more affordable for everyone. Sharing a room as college kids do during spring break is one way. You could also rent an RV together. The cheapest option might be to all get in one car and drive to the nearest warm beach with a couple tents and coolers full of Corona.