Everyone deserves some time to get away from the stress and everyday hustle and bustle of the world. However, not everyone can afford the expenses that come along with getting away from the worldly stresses. With a bit of creativity and some research, plus flexibility, you can find an affordable vacation that will be just as enjoyable as spending a small fortune to sit on some tropical island.

My wife and I know that we have to get away at least once a year. It never matters where it is, it just needs to be someplace away from home. With having a limited income and raising a child, the finances simply aren’t there when we need them. Our goal is to always find an affordable vacation that won’t leave us with debt that will take years to pay off. What we started to do five years ago, is start stashing money throughout the year. We took a large shoebox, taped it closed, cut a small hole in the top of the box that would allow us to put money in, but not reach into. Whenever we’d have an extra $1 or more, we’d secretly put it into the box. There were weeks that I’d only be able to put a few $1 bills into the box, but at least it was saving something. Once we started to feel the need to be getting away or wanted to look into planning something, we’d open the box to see what we had saved. It is a rule, however, that we only empty the box once a year. There were some years that we’d only collected a few hundred dollars. One year, we managed to save almost $1,000. Any money that we’d stashed was strictly used for our vacation. Plus, whatever money that had been saved allowed us to make any getaway a more affordable vacation.

There were times when our idea of an affordable vacation took us to a cabin in the woods or a campground. The year that we saved close to $1,000, we managed to book a 4 day cruise. When you have the idea in your head that you simply must plan a vacation and spend some time away from home, you can start by looking for an affordable vacation on the internet or asking some friends for suggestions. If you enjoy the outdoors, an affordable vacation is camping. Find a campground that has lots of places to hike and explore and plan on spending some quality time in nature. Depending on the time of the year, a beach trip can make for an affordable vacation. During the peak season, it can be incredibly expensive, but once the season ends, rates drop drastically in some areas. Contact a travel agent and let them know what your budget happens to be. They might be able to guide you in finding something or some place that you can escape too that is within your price range.

Take some time to research an affordable vacation and have some flexibility in where you want to go and when you intend to go. Sometimes, simply waiting an extra week can end up saving you some significant money.