Budget Traveling

Would you rather go on a high-dollar trip once or twice a year, or take budget trips as often as you like?
I’ll choose the latter almost every time.

I’d have a hard time enjoying even a really nice vacation to some far-off land, knowing it took me all year to save up for it. What’s worse is putting it on a credit card and spending the whole year just trying to pay it off.

Mastering the two-day weekend is crucial for this new style of vacationing. You might be surprised how much you can pack into two days if you try. Spending Friday afternoon driving is often worth it when you consider how far you can go in six hours. That gives you about a 350-mile radius, which means plenty of options are within reach.

Don’t want to put that kind of mileage on your vehicle? Think it’s not reliable enough? Don’t want to haul a boat that far? People white-knuckle high-profile campers, often way too heavy for their single-axle trucks, across multiple state lines every weekend without thinking twice. Even if you have to double-check for your socket set like it’s your cell phone before leaving the house, you may still be able to do more with less. Chalk it up to character development and make the trip in something you know full well you’ll have to work on. It beats not going at all. So what if it takes a quart of coolant every other time you stop for gas? The other option is sitting at home all weekend, getting your money’s worth out of that $15 Netflix subscription.

Another crucial variable in this equation is where you stay. Can’t afford a decent place this weekend? Just don’t go... or lower your room-and-board standards a bit. Most people insist on staying somewhere nicer than where they actually live. Rough it a little. Look for discounts. If you're good at packing and planning last minute, you can find great deals on booking sites where other would-be travelers canceled at the last second. Stay at a perfectly decent Airbnb that may or may not have hot water.

Worried about the sleeping conditions? Then you're sleeping too much, which means you're vacationing the wrong way. You’re only sleeping there. What do you want, the Taj Mahal? Want to stay right on the water? How about staying three minutes from the boat ramp and saving two-thirds of the cost instead?

The best way to make this work is to plan your vacations around where your friends live and asking them if you can crash on their couch.

Bring your own food. Have you seen what it costs to eat out? Or even at gas stations? Just send your old lady to the store the day before and pack a cooler.

Take some buddies with you too. Then you can split the cost of lodging and fuel, and you'll have someone to hang out with once you get there.

If you're paying attention, you can afford to do just about whatever you want.