June 2019
Whew! Summer is finally here! If you’re a grad student like me then you probably crave taking a break and going somewhere for the summer but wonder how you’re going to afford it. That’s why I created this blog post “A Prince Vacation on a Pauper’s Budget”. In this blog post, I give you 8 ways to save money while on vacation. I hope this helps you have to have an enjoyable vacation without spending a ton of money!
A Prince Vacation on a Pauper’s Budget
#1 - Pack a cooler. Several years ago we decided to take our kids to California and I was literally pulling jelly out of our cooler, a jar of peanut butter, and bread from a bag to make peanut butter/jelly sandwiches at the Seaworld parking lot in San Diego. I’m sure people thought I was crazy, but my kids did not ask for one food or drink item while in the park which saved us a ton of money. By the way, we stayed from opening until dark.
#2 - Check websites to see if coolers and/or bags of food can be taken inside. I commend so many vacation spots that are starting to allow people to bring in their own food and drink. One year we won free tickets to Schlitterbahn and to save even more money, I decided to take in a bag full of food and drinks. I realized a lot of people did this inside the park. We were able to put some things in a locker as well. I have taken bags into zoos and ballparks as well. Check the website carefully, though, because some places limit you to a specific size bag and almost all places say no to bringing in glass bottles.
#3 - City Pass. Have you heard of City Pass? I love this website! We bought a San Diego Go Pass (same thing) and I have also purchased a Dallas City Pass. City Pass will give you 5 choices of must-see exhibits, usually in a large city, and you get to choose 4. After choosing your 4, you will save at least 40%. In San Diego I was able to use my phone at the ticket booths and skip those long ticket lines. We will use one this summer for Houston because everything we want to see is on the pass. No matter where you’re headed, always check to see if that city has some kind of a city pass before heading out! I promise, you won’t regret it.
#4 - Air BNB. I had heard everybody talking about this website and this year I finally tried it out. Our first experience with Air BNB was simply amazing! We went to Florida this summer and not once did we have to stop and eat out. We packed a cooler, of course, and once we got to our rental house we cooked everything there. We saved so much money by not eating out and by using Air BNB. I think I paid maybe $85 per night and we were just minutes away from Pensacola. It was a great trip and this Air BNB made it an even more enjoyable vacation. The owner was so friendly and had a beautiful backyard with a pool. The kids would have been happy if we had just stayed there the entire trip!
#5 - Plan Ahead. When we went to California several years ago I knew almost down to the penny how much money we would spend. I booked our hotels early, which to me is a must if you want good prices. I calculated the cost of our gas by figuring up the total number of miles it would take to get to our destination and dividing the number of miles our Tahoe can go before needing to be filled up again. We really don’t fly with our kids yet, but I have noticed that prices are significantly different when planning ahead and booking flights early.
#6 - FREE or CHEAP. I love free. Do you love free? I always check Pinterest or Google for free excursions to do while in a certain city. I am always shocked at what I’m able to find for free. I’ve been to a creamery, flight museum, and two presidential museums for free; just to name a few. Make sure and check for coupons related to your excursions and download apps like Groupon. I have also seen paper coupons at local restaurants or on brochures.
#7 - Stay local. There’s nothing wrong with just saying close to home this summer. We have spent many summers at home in the BCS area or driven to Waco, Houston, or Austin. The great thing about these trips is that you don’t have to book a hotel which saves a ton of money. We also don’t have to eat out because….you guessed it...we packed a cooler. My son and I took a Thursday during Christmas break and traveled to Houston. We went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory and got in the Houston Museum of Natural Science for free because it’s opened to the public for free on Thursdays. He still talks about that day trip!
#8 - Mistakes. Don’t plan too far ahead that you overbook hotels. I did that and we were out $200 which made us leave early because we were out of cash. Always read the fine print. I didn’t realize that when you stay in downtown San Diego you have to pay for valet parking which was almost $30 a night. Use cash and a card. So, we have no credit cards, but when we go on vacation we leave some money in the bank and carry some cash. You want to have both available for emergencies. Check menus and estimate prices of food costs. We paid $40 for breakfast for four people at a McDonald’s outside the Grand Canyon. Ouch! Take extra cash!
---Whitney Sparks
Whitney Sparks is a Masters student in the College of Education
A Prince Vacation on a Pauper’s Budget
#1 - Pack a cooler. Several years ago we decided to take our kids to California and I was literally pulling jelly out of our cooler, a jar of peanut butter, and bread from a bag to make peanut butter/jelly sandwiches at the Seaworld parking lot in San Diego. I’m sure people thought I was crazy, but my kids did not ask for one food or drink item while in the park which saved us a ton of money. By the way, we stayed from opening until dark.
#2 - Check websites to see if coolers and/or bags of food can be taken inside. I commend so many vacation spots that are starting to allow people to bring in their own food and drink. One year we won free tickets to Schlitterbahn and to save even more money, I decided to take in a bag full of food and drinks. I realized a lot of people did this inside the park. We were able to put some things in a locker as well. I have taken bags into zoos and ballparks as well. Check the website carefully, though, because some places limit you to a specific size bag and almost all places say no to bringing in glass bottles.
#3 - City Pass. Have you heard of City Pass? I love this website! We bought a San Diego Go Pass (same thing) and I have also purchased a Dallas City Pass. City Pass will give you 5 choices of must-see exhibits, usually in a large city, and you get to choose 4. After choosing your 4, you will save at least 40%. In San Diego I was able to use my phone at the ticket booths and skip those long ticket lines. We will use one this summer for Houston because everything we want to see is on the pass. No matter where you’re headed, always check to see if that city has some kind of a city pass before heading out! I promise, you won’t regret it.
#4 - Air BNB. I had heard everybody talking about this website and this year I finally tried it out. Our first experience with Air BNB was simply amazing! We went to Florida this summer and not once did we have to stop and eat out. We packed a cooler, of course, and once we got to our rental house we cooked everything there. We saved so much money by not eating out and by using Air BNB. I think I paid maybe $85 per night and we were just minutes away from Pensacola. It was a great trip and this Air BNB made it an even more enjoyable vacation. The owner was so friendly and had a beautiful backyard with a pool. The kids would have been happy if we had just stayed there the entire trip!
#5 - Plan Ahead. When we went to California several years ago I knew almost down to the penny how much money we would spend. I booked our hotels early, which to me is a must if you want good prices. I calculated the cost of our gas by figuring up the total number of miles it would take to get to our destination and dividing the number of miles our Tahoe can go before needing to be filled up again. We really don’t fly with our kids yet, but I have noticed that prices are significantly different when planning ahead and booking flights early.
#6 - FREE or CHEAP. I love free. Do you love free? I always check Pinterest or Google for free excursions to do while in a certain city. I am always shocked at what I’m able to find for free. I’ve been to a creamery, flight museum, and two presidential museums for free; just to name a few. Make sure and check for coupons related to your excursions and download apps like Groupon. I have also seen paper coupons at local restaurants or on brochures.
#7 - Stay local. There’s nothing wrong with just saying close to home this summer. We have spent many summers at home in the BCS area or driven to Waco, Houston, or Austin. The great thing about these trips is that you don’t have to book a hotel which saves a ton of money. We also don’t have to eat out because….you guessed it...we packed a cooler. My son and I took a Thursday during Christmas break and traveled to Houston. We went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory and got in the Houston Museum of Natural Science for free because it’s opened to the public for free on Thursdays. He still talks about that day trip!
#8 - Mistakes. Don’t plan too far ahead that you overbook hotels. I did that and we were out $200 which made us leave early because we were out of cash. Always read the fine print. I didn’t realize that when you stay in downtown San Diego you have to pay for valet parking which was almost $30 a night. Use cash and a card. So, we have no credit cards, but when we go on vacation we leave some money in the bank and carry some cash. You want to have both available for emergencies. Check menus and estimate prices of food costs. We paid $40 for breakfast for four people at a McDonald’s outside the Grand Canyon. Ouch! Take extra cash!
---Whitney Sparks
Whitney Sparks is a Masters student in the College of Education