5 Tips For Budget Beach Trips

By Adam Nettlefold

1. Avoid the weekend crowdEven while you might want to ride down to the beach, most people still need to chip away at their 9-5 gigs. Thursday is likely the earliest day that professionals will skip town to hit the beach, so if you can book your stay that early, then you can take advantage of lower lodging and airfare rates. It’s also important to keep in mind that summer technically stretches into September, so if you’re not bound to a school calendar, it might be a good idea to hit the beach then, when prices tend to be lower, the crowds are fewer and the weather is more mild.

2. Think outside the box

If you happen to have flexibility with your destinations, then you might want to consider booking a hotel room in town or in nearby business districts, as opposed to the beach itself. While you might not be steps from the sand, the distance will mean rates are cheaper. However, it’s important to keep in mind that rooms away from the shoreline tend to be booked up with business travelers during the week, so visit during the weekend, when rates tend to drop alongside business travel. You could also use non-traditional lodging options, such as Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO. !If the price for flights are too high, you might want to consider ground transportation if your destination isn’t too far away. A bus ticket is often much cheaper than a flight, even if it isn’t as glamourous. If you do have to take a flight, the site “Skiplagged” allows you get creative with your airplane route by finding “hidden city tickets”, which occur when a fare from destination A to B to C is cheaper than a regular trip from A to B. For instance, perhaps you’re trying to book a flight from New York to Reykjavik, then the site could find you a cheaper ticket that flies from New York, with a layover in Reykjavik and a final destination of London. You can trick the system and end your flight at Reykjavik and not board the plane to London. While this is a dandy trick, it takes a bit of strategic planning, and you can’t check bags with this type of itinerary, since your bag will be checked at your final destination, and you can’t do round trips if you drop the final leg of your flight.

3. Try to bargainYou only have to ask. Don’t be pushy, simply state your case as to why your rate is better than none at all; there are sometimes unadvertised specials, especially for frequent visitors. So if you play your cards right, while you may not get a lower rate, you could end up getting upgraded.

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4. Show up earlyIf you’re at a crowded destination and are determined to hit key tourist sites, then get there early. Taking the first tour of the day allows you to get the guide who isn’t exhausted from reciting the same script all day. Some top attractions also offer discounted “early bird” tickets for those travelers willing to visit right when the site opens. This same principle applies to bars and lounges: the earlier you arrive, the more likely you’ll avoid cover charges and be able to take advantage of happy hour specials. The early bird, as they say, gets the worm.

5. Be PreparedIf you anticipate your needs in advance, then you can avoid buying new (and often overpriced) bottles of sunscreen, soap, medicine, shampoo and other toiletries. The same rule applies to food and drinks, so pack snacks and water for as many days as you can. With this line of thinking, research free activities before you head out on your trip, searching for festivals and community events, which are often easily found on the city’s tourism site or with a simple Google search. Such events are not just budget-friendly, but also provide instant immersion into local culture.