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 Travel & Outdoors | May 2007 
Save, and Keep Trip Fun
 Ross Weingarten & Sarah Bradshaw - Poughkeepsie Journal
| | Many vacation rewards are free. |
You don't need to save hundreds of dollars to have a great time while on vacation. In fact, spending little while on a vacation is often more rewarding than returning home to an empty bank account (plus you'll have money to put toward your next trip if you don't go overboard).
Oftentimes, most of what you need to have a great, relaxing trip is free. In the case of a tropical vacation, the sun, beach and ocean are part of the package. You just need to purchase meals and transportation, and if you know what you are doing, those things can be very affordable.
Journal intern Ross Weingarten and reporter Sarah Bradshaw share first-person accounts on how to go away with only a few hundred dollars in your pocket and come home fully satisfied.
Ross Weingarten
I was all smiles when my plane touched down in Negril, Jamaica, in March. Spring Break could not have come fast enough this year.
Before I embarked on my vacation, my fellow travelers and I sat down to discuss finances on the trip. We agreed to not do anything that would stretch our budgets too much. If it cost too much to get into a club, we would go somewhere else. If a restaurant was too expensive, we'd find something less pricey.
In retrospect, I learned cost-cutting measures on vacation are more easily said than done.
When we landed at the airport, we were hit with the first assault on our bank accounts. The shuttle we had reserved to take us to our hotel had left without us, and now drivers were clamoring for us to get in their vans. Each one wanted to take as many spring-breakers as they could to their hotels, and charge an arm and a leg to do so. Finally, we agreed to pay a driver $30 each for the hour-and-a-half drive. Already, our smiles had turned to frowns as we realized this trip might be a little more expensive than we envisioned.
Nevertheless, I am here to tell you being frugal and having fun on vacation is possible, as the five of us found numerous ways to cut costs.
The first thing we did was load up on snacks for our hotel room, so we did not have to venture out to the hotel restaurant to satisfy our mid-day hunger cravings. Cheap crackers, pretzels and fruit replaced sandwiches that would have cost much more.
Another way we saved money was to find drink specials wherever we could. Many of the bars we frequented had reduced prices at certain times of the day or on certain drinks. Even though you had to drink the cocktail they chose, partaking in these deals was a great way to save cash.
The five of us also went everywhere together, meaning we could split the cost of taxicabs. We quickly learned our drivers charged us based on the distance traveled, not the number of people in the car. Going 10 miles would cost the same for one person as for five. By going places together, we were able to divide the cost of transportation five ways so it was cheaper for all of us.
We even figured out how to save money while getting money. Everyone in my group took out money from a local ATM machine once, at the beginning of the trip, and made it last for the rest of the vacation. While it is risky to take out a lot of money at once, we were able to avoid multiple ATM withdrawal fees that are especially high in foreign countries.
Another way to save money is to avoid costly excursions. We preferred to stay on our beach and soak up the sun instead of paying to go snorkeling, ride jet-skis or go hang-gliding.
While most of these activities looked fun, there was no way to ensure we would get a fair price. The owner could charge whatever he wanted to rent his equipment.
Finally, the single best way to save money on vacation, especially to a Caribbean island, is haggle, haggle, haggle. On virtually everything, people will lower their prices to accommodate you. The vendor who sold me the T-shirt I bought wanted $20. I gave him $10. The taxi driver who took us to the beautiful spot to watch the sunset over the ocean wanted $15, we gave him $8.
If you are going on vacation in the near future with friends or family, set a clear budget and stick to it. Even saving money in little ways will add up over the course of the trip. On the plane ride home, your wallet will be a little heavier, and your smile a little wider.
Sarah Bradshaw
I was going away on vacation this year. Nothing, not even being nearly broke, was going to stop me.
I left for Cancun with $300 to spend in five days, five days that happened to fall during a time when rent was due, car insurance was due, school loans were due, etc. So sticking to my budget was not only a priority, it was a necessity.
Prior to the flight, I packed snacks to avoid having to purchase a meal on the plane, a few old magazines I haven't read cover to cover and my own headphones for the complimentary movie - for a savings of about $20.
Unfortunately, I didn't prepare to be "robbed" at the airport upon arrival, when the taxi drivers wanted $53, or $26 per person since I had a travel companion, for the ride to the hotel. I tried to bargain for a lower price, I asked other companies for their prices, but I had no success, and forked the money over feeling defeated. Later, I was told by a local resident that a van would have cost about $10 per person. So when in doubt at an airport, head for the nearest van.
Feeling my purse was significantly lighter, I set out on foot to explore the area around my hotel, and discovered a grocery store only a few feet away.
There, I purchased bottled water, juice, beer and snacks for less than $30. I opted for Mexican brands because American brands were almost double the price.
These provisions allowed me to avoid expensive breakfasts and lunches at my hotel's eateries because they held my appetite off until dinner. They also permitted me uninterrupted time at the beach because I didn't have to search for food or drinks midday.
Dinners, the only meals I ate out, were inexpensive also. I took advantage of my surroundings, and ordered tacos almost every night. They were delicious and less than $10 per meal, although I did avoid the tap water and splurged on a beverage. Ask for drink specials.
I found Dos Equis, Mexican beer, cost under $2 per bottle. Also, Mexico is a great place for the frugal traveler because most restaurants provide chips and homemade salsa for free.
At night, promoters of "discotechs" (as they are known in Mexico) wanted me to buy a $40 wristband that would allow me to drink for free in three different places, during limited hours. Instead, I found a bar with a restaurant attached.
I ordered ice cream ($3) and they let me into the club without paying the $10 admission. I then ordered a few beers ($15) and went home a few hours later. The night out cost me $18, not $40, and I consider that a major savings.
To make up for the money lost on the taxicab, I swore off cabs the rest of the trip and walked everywhere I needed to go. Luckily, I really only needed to walk a few steps to the white sand and turquoise water, where I spent the majority of my vacation. Also, I had picked a hotel near the restaurants and nightlife, saving me money on cab fare. I suggest you thoroughly research your hotel's location and its proximity to restaurants, the beach, activities and a grocery store.
As far as activities go, I was on vacation to enjoy the beach. I read a book, I took a nap, I went for walks and I photographed the ocean.
I didn't rent jet skis, go parasailing, or go on a boat because I didn't need to do that to have a good time. I just relaxed, because doing nothing in paradise is better than doing nothing in Poughkeepsie.
I did allow myself one luxury. I wanted a day to get out and see Mexico, not just the little strip I could explore by foot.
So I booked a $100 all-inclusive excursion, including transportation and food, to Mayan temples called Tulum and to an ecological water park called Xel-Ha. Both were recommended to me by friends, so I knew my $100 would be well-spent, and it was.
Included in Xel-Ha was snorkeling, tubing, cliff-jumping, a variety of buffet-style restaurants, drinks, towels, lockers, life jackets, bottled water and ice cream. I could have easily spent a fortune there.
I also could have spent a fortune buying gifts for my friends, co-workers, family and myself. But I didn't. I asked myself, do they really need a T-shirt that is going to shrink after one wash or another trinket to sit on the desk and collect dust? No, they don't. I didn't either.
I had a tan and digital photos to remember my trip by. So I avoided buying souvenirs altogether.
When the five days were up, I had succeeded in my goal of staying within the $300 budget with very little effort. In fact, this trip reaffirmed my belief it's better to go away and go without, then to not go away at all. I can't wait to do it again next year.
Reach Sarah Bradshaw at sbradshaw@poughkeepsiejournal.com or 845-437-4811. |
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