Travel Bargains
Travel bargains come in two basic types. The first the special
deals that show up from time to time on travel to popular destinations.
For example, if you are flexible and pay attention, you can often
find a great package deal to Disney World. Or keep three trips
in mind that you might enjoy (a cruise, a trip to Hawaii and
a Vegas weekend, for example), and you can wait for a special
offer on one of them. This will increase your odds of a bargain
trip.
The other travel bargains are the "deals" that are
always there. These are the affordable places to go and inexpensive
things to do. You can take advantage of these without waiting
for a special promotion or sale. Let's look at a few examples.
Travel Bargains - Places
Look at a map and use the internet to do a bit of research.
There are probably many inexpensive places you can go within
a couple hours of you. Look for places where you can afford to
stay, and with activities that you will enjoy. If you are traveling
with kids and live near Michigan, for example, you could go to
the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes near Empire, Michigan, and then
enjoy the Lake Michigan beach at South Bar Lake nearby.
An hour from there is a casino (near Suttons Bay), where they
have reasonably-priced shows. Afterwards you can drive down Highway
22 and take in the views of Grand Traverse Bay. Once in Traverse
City you can go to one of the water parks or hit the malls for
shopping. Hotels are very reasonable here, especially in the
off-season (September to June).
In Montana, you could visit Anaconda, a great little mountain
town at the east end of the Anaconda-Pintler wilderness area.
The hotels are under $100, (or just $140 for the entire week
at the Harp and Thistle Inn) and there is a reasonably priced
Jack Nicholas-designed golf course right in town. Every one of
the dozen casinos has nickel slot machines, and a movie at the
beautiful Washoe Theater costs just $4 per person, and 90 cents
for a small popcorn.
Somewhere near you there are travel destinations that have
what you need for entertainment and relaxation. Some of these
are expensive perhaps, but others are cheap enough to be considered
travel bargains. You just need to get out a map, get on the internet,
and make a list!
Travel Bargains - Activities
Then there are the trips and vacations that are travel bargains
because they are based on cheap activities that you enjoy. Make
a list of all the things that you might like to do. Now just
pick from among the least expensive activities on that list and
design a trip that will be everything you want it to be, including
inexpensive.
You might enjoy treasure hunting with your metal detector,
for example, so head for the nearest beaches or ghost towns.
Do you like bicycling or hiking? Find a new place to go and load
up that bike or backpack. Want to relax on the beach? If you
live in the north, and its summer, skip the expensive ocean destinations
and head for the Great Lakes. Bring a cooler with food and drinks.
For the more expensive dream trips you can wait and watch
for the great travel promotions that show up from time to time
in the newspaper and online. In the meantime, plan for inexpensive
destinations and activities. You might find that you have even
more fun on the trips that cost half as much money, and that's
a travel bargain.
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