4 Tips for Couples Trying to Travel
Traveling with a spouse can actually be harder than traveling alone due to the costs and different desires of where to go. It's very important to keep in mind that you have to get away from your home even if it's for one night, so try to work out something with your spouse/partner.
One elementary way to handle the traveling argument is to chose a price range like $300-$500 and each write down 3 places that will fit in that budget. Place them in a hat, shake, chose and start planning. If you cant decide on the amount to spend, place those in a hat or just chose the lowest amount. It might be a welcoming challenge to enjoy Las Vegas under $400 for a week.
Hubby and I have to travel a few times a year or we will never see our family. Our parents and siblings are in Illinois and Virginia, and grandparents, aunts and first cousins are spread out between Philadelphia and Raleigh NC. Not to mention that we have best friends in Michigan. Each September we sit down and plan out our travels for the next 12 months. Our planning covers the holidays, winter months and the following summer. Then we save accordingly. This is what we keep in mind:
*Not getting paid to promote the sites below
1. Chose your travel method.
Planes, trains and automobiles all work, but some ways are cheaper than others. We can get to Illinois on a tank and a half. A trip to see family and friends in Chicago will cost us $160 round-trip. That is also an (cheap) one way ticket to Washington DC to see our family. We know that we have to save $320 all winter for our flights. Spreading out the savings makes it easier on our pockets and allows us to do more. If you have time to spare, the train system can drop you off at a variety of cities. However, be aware of the costs as trains are not cheap. All summer flights will increase around May 25th so get booking!!
2. Know how much you eat.
Food can kill a travel budget. If you are in a new city, you can spend more money than normal buying and tasting regional treats. Hubby and I place a max on our food budget per meal. We spend the least on breakfast (~$25) and the most on dinner (~$45). Due to food allergies, I bring snacks from home that allows us to round out a hotel's continental breakfast, and reboot us between lunch and dinner. This small trick has saved us $20-$40 a day on snacks and 'double' lunches.
3. Put your money toward your main travel objective.
We see family in Virginia every year, but it's not our only objective. Our goal is to also get a vacation and visit new cities that are nearby. An hours drive away from my parent's home places me in DC, Virginia beach or Williamsburg. We pre-price the area's activities a year in advance and add it to our total vacation budget. Check out www.tripadvisor.com Learn about the area's activities and prices from thousands of people that have already visited your desired areas.
4. Sleep on your sleeping arrangements
Don't just chose the first cheap hotel that the discount flight website gives you. Use google maps and pinpoint all the places that you want to visit. Look for hotels or home rentals that are the closest to all of them, in the center of it all or no more than 10 miles from the action. While living in Japan, I noticed that people stayed too far from the action and spent an extra $10, or more a day traveling to the activities. www.airbnb.com is a great way to live like a local, have more than 2 beds and provide access to a full kitchen and washer and dryer.
I hope that these tips will point you to fun this summer. We will report on our travels this summer with the help of something special. Stay tuned!
One elementary way to handle the traveling argument is to chose a price range like $300-$500 and each write down 3 places that will fit in that budget. Place them in a hat, shake, chose and start planning. If you cant decide on the amount to spend, place those in a hat or just chose the lowest amount. It might be a welcoming challenge to enjoy Las Vegas under $400 for a week.
Hubby and I have to travel a few times a year or we will never see our family. Our parents and siblings are in Illinois and Virginia, and grandparents, aunts and first cousins are spread out between Philadelphia and Raleigh NC. Not to mention that we have best friends in Michigan. Each September we sit down and plan out our travels for the next 12 months. Our planning covers the holidays, winter months and the following summer. Then we save accordingly. This is what we keep in mind:
*Not getting paid to promote the sites below
1. Chose your travel method.
Planes, trains and automobiles all work, but some ways are cheaper than others. We can get to Illinois on a tank and a half. A trip to see family and friends in Chicago will cost us $160 round-trip. That is also an (cheap) one way ticket to Washington DC to see our family. We know that we have to save $320 all winter for our flights. Spreading out the savings makes it easier on our pockets and allows us to do more. If you have time to spare, the train system can drop you off at a variety of cities. However, be aware of the costs as trains are not cheap. All summer flights will increase around May 25th so get booking!!
2. Know how much you eat.
Food can kill a travel budget. If you are in a new city, you can spend more money than normal buying and tasting regional treats. Hubby and I place a max on our food budget per meal. We spend the least on breakfast (~$25) and the most on dinner (~$45). Due to food allergies, I bring snacks from home that allows us to round out a hotel's continental breakfast, and reboot us between lunch and dinner. This small trick has saved us $20-$40 a day on snacks and 'double' lunches.
3. Put your money toward your main travel objective.
We see family in Virginia every year, but it's not our only objective. Our goal is to also get a vacation and visit new cities that are nearby. An hours drive away from my parent's home places me in DC, Virginia beach or Williamsburg. We pre-price the area's activities a year in advance and add it to our total vacation budget. Check out www.tripadvisor.com Learn about the area's activities and prices from thousands of people that have already visited your desired areas.
4. Sleep on your sleeping arrangements
Don't just chose the first cheap hotel that the discount flight website gives you. Use google maps and pinpoint all the places that you want to visit. Look for hotels or home rentals that are the closest to all of them, in the center of it all or no more than 10 miles from the action. While living in Japan, I noticed that people stayed too far from the action and spent an extra $10, or more a day traveling to the activities. www.airbnb.com is a great way to live like a local, have more than 2 beds and provide access to a full kitchen and washer and dryer.
I hope that these tips will point you to fun this summer. We will report on our travels this summer with the help of something special. Stay tuned!
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