Julie's Adventures In Wanderland

When You Need to Get Away

So, it’s February, it’s freezing cold and and you can hear the beach calling your name. Only problem is, you are dreaming of a tropical paradise but the way your bank account is set up, a two-night stay in your backyard seems to be the only place you can afford. Well, there are some ways for you to get that Vitamin D even if you think that is out of reach. Check out a few recommendations for a warm weather get away without having to sell a kidney (or a carton of eggs).

Airline Vacation Packages

Most airlines have packages they put together where you pay one price for a complete trip. Flights, hotel and rental car can all be purchased together at less cost than if you were to put a trip together yourself with everything reserved separately. We did an airline package for a trip to Puerto Vallarta that included flight and all-inclusive resort and were able to book the “Exclusive Club” floor with all of its’ amenities for less than if we had done a regular room and booked flights separately. Imagine an oceanfront suite on a high floor with wrap-around balcony, exclusive lounge, restaurant and private beach access, for the price of a regular room. If there is an airline that has a hub near your hometown, starting there is a great option. You are able to chose your room type as well as airplane cabin according to the amount you wish to spend.

You Can Hurry Vacation Love

If you are flexible and looking to get away soon, you can search airline sites for “beach” destinations and it will show you options for places that are available to book that can have you beachside within a couple of weeks. Often, there will be specials if an airline has seats available or a resort is looking to fill empty rooms in a hurry. For those who can leave at a moments notice, you may find yourself in a first class seat for close to the price of coach, or in a beachfront room that had been out of reach a few months ago. Yes, you can go from dreaming of the sand to slathering on sunscreen and sipping a tropical drink in the time it would take you to wait for that new snowblower to be delivered. And really, which would you rather be doing?

Net Surfing

Surfing the internet can be your best friend if you are looking to score a holiday deal. There are several sites that have vacation packages at prices you can’t find anywhere else. We have used Cheap Caribbean (http://CheapCaribbean.com )to book travel to several islands at a tremendous savings. They have deals that are better than booking directly with some resorts. You can search based on what you are interested in. They allow you to search based on factors such as adults only, golf, or spa and wellness vacations. Or if you want an a la carte hotel or an all inclusive resort, airline included or not, they have it all from a more basic stay or a more luxurious property. One benefit from Cheap Caribbean is that you have someone you can reach out to in case there are any issues when you are traveling. We even booked our first cruise through them! Other sites such as Kayak( https://www.kayak.com ), Expedia (https://www.expedia.com ), Priceline ( https://www.priceline.com ) also offer packages so that you don’t have to do to much searching to book that getaway.

Flexibility is Your Friend

If you are flexible, you will find there are many options available for a low cost winter escape. If you are willing to go someplace that isn’t quite as popular or stay at a smaller property without quite as many amenities, there are always deals to be had. Traveling when kids are in school, flying mid-week, choosing a room without a view or limiting your alcohol consumption to the two-for-one happy hour cocktail hour are all ways to lower the cost of your trip. With just a little research, paradise is an economy flight away. After all, once you arrive, waves crashing while the the sun sets on the beach is free for everyone!