Budget Friendly Vacation Ideas Affordable Trips
Budget-Friendly Vacation Ideas, Affordable Trips Budget
today. Help save for your next dream trip by .
AARP Travel Center Call: 1.800.675.4318 Search Flights Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Flight 2 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 3 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 4 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 5 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Add Another Flight search Search Hotels Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Room 5 Room 6 Room 7 Room 8 search Search Packages Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date You didn't specify child's age Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Room 1 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 2 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 3 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 4 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 5 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age You have more than 6 people total Please select a trip duration less than 28 days search Search Cars Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search Search Cruises Select a valid location Select a month search Search Things to Do Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search × Let's Go Reset Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Car Rentals offers > See more Travel offers > See more Hotels & Resorts offers > See more Gas & Auto Services offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures
6 Budget-Friendly Travel Ideas
Take a Repositioning Cruise
Hit the high seas on a cruise line that is moving ships seasonally from one region to another (such as the Caribbean to the Mediterranean in the spring, and the reverse in the fall). Since these one-way cruises require more sea days, they’re less popular, and that translates to lower fares. Added bonus: To fill staterooms, lines often sweeten the pot with free upgrades, shipboard credits and other goodies. Shop around on CruiseCompete.com for the best deal.Book Alternative Lodgings
Think outside the traditional hotel room. Airbnb, an online booking site that allows individuals to list short-term lodging rentals, has opened new doors for travelers. With offerings in 65,000 cities and 191 countries, rental options range from spare bedrooms to entire villas and can be cheaper in many markets. Also consider: Couchsurfing.com (this online community skews younger but has a growing number of 50-plus members), 9flats.com (more Eurocentric) and Wimdu.com.Travel With a Nonprofit Organization
Explore and learn with Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel), a group offering experiential tripsfor boomers and older travelers, with costs averaging 20 percent less than comparable commercial all-inclusive trips. It operates in 150 countries, and package prices even include tips and taxes. For an active adventure, the American Cycling Association has fully supported tours (a van totes gear and a caterer provides meals) that cost about half of what a high-end operator would charge. Sample deal: a weeklong guided ride on the Oregon coast for $1,299, with overnights at developed campgrounds.Swap Houses
Remember how Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet swapped homes in The Holiday? You can do the same — for a small membership fee. Among house-swapping models are the simultaneous exchange, which involves owners trading abodes at the same time, and the non-simultaneous swap, which typically involves staying in a vacation home or temporarily vacant space. Some exchange sites award points for opening your home to visitors, which you can redeem for later stays elsewhere. Explore more at Love Home Swap, HomeLink, HomeExchange.com and Intervachange.com.AARP Offer Explore Your World
Explore the ends of the earth with expert advice, tips for vacations and fantastic images.today. Help save for your next dream trip by .
Check Into a State Park
Become one with nature in a state park — without banging in a single tent stake. Many states offer housing accommodations that range from rustic cabins to classic lodges, at surprisingly affordable rates. In high season (summer and October) at Virginia’s Shenandoah River State Park, rent a three-bedroom waterfront cabin for $147 nightly ($173 for nonresidents). In Georgia, 30 parks sport one- to three-bedroom cabins that rent for about $85 to $250 a night, depending on size, location and season. Accommodations range from stone cottages built in the 1930s at F.D. Roosevelt Park to lakeside cabins at Fort Mountain Park.Take Advantage of New Air Routes
Savvy travelers know that when an airline takes flight in a new market, bargains often follow to woo new passengers. Among relative newcomers to the U.S. is low-cost carrier Norwegian Air, whose domestic destinations include Baltimore; Washington; New York; Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Oakland, Calif. The Icelandic low-fare carrier, Wow Air, with flights to Europe via Reykjavik, will add a seventh U.S. city (Pittsburgh) in June. And German discount carrier Condor Airlines is expanding U.S. service from 11 to 15 cities, adding Los Angeles, San Diego, New Orleans and Pittsburgh in coming months.Also of Interest
AARP Travel Center Call: 1.800.675.4318 Search Flights Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Flight 2 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 3 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 4 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 5 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Add Another Flight search Search Hotels Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Room 5 Room 6 Room 7 Room 8 search Search Packages Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date You didn't specify child's age Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Room 1 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 2 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 3 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 4 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 5 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age You have more than 6 people total Please select a trip duration less than 28 days search Search Cars Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search Search Cruises Select a valid location Select a month search Search Things to Do Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search × Let's Go Reset Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Car Rentals offers > See more Travel offers > See more Hotels & Resorts offers > See more Gas & Auto Services offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures