It’s 50 degrees outside and it’s hard to believe it will be summertime soon. I am full speed ahead on our vacation planning. As I have written in previous posts I love REAL Simple magazine. I read each issue over and over until I glean every bit of knowledge I can. 

The March issue was full of vacation tips for us budget minded people and I’ve already put a few of them to use.

• www.tripadvisor.com/tankofgas  search from your location to a destination about a tank of gas away. I found several interesting spots I am looking into for us. The site even gives you a list of hotels and attractions.
• Consider renting a house or a condo- this will save for large families, you will have extra space, and a kitchen to prepare quick meals. One site I have checked out homeaway.com
• I have been looking at free activities such as an apple orchard and a glass blowing manufacturer where kids get to blow there own glass. I am also checking out activities with nominal fees.

I will keep you posted when it gets closer to my vacation. Try out a few of these websites to save some money. The more you save the more you can give.

Our family really needs a break and I am trying to plan a vacation within our budget. This is really a challenge. We have frequent flyer miles, but it takes too many for us to go anywhere. I did find out about Allegiant Air and I am looking into this.

We have done the Disney World vacation and if you have too then you know it is not a budget vacation. It is also not a relaxing vacation. There are a couple of destinations that do look promising.

With the size of our family, we need a larger room or suite. I think I may have found a solution to this too. I am checking out time share rentals or condo rentals. This also allows us more space and a kitchen. I’ll keep you posted on my vacation hunting. If you have any tips or know of a good place  leave me a comment. No camping comments please, Bryan doesn’t do camping.