How to Plan and Enjoy Vacation on a Budget

The one thing that single moms need but rarely make time for is a vacation. But it is essential to a balance life and important for your sanity. Keep reading to learn how to plan and enjoy a vacation on a budget.

“But I can’t afford to go on vacation! “, I hear you saying. Is that really true? I’m betting you can afford a vacation but your money is not being allocated for it. You haven’t planned for it and the thought of planning, paying, then taking time off for a vacation feels overwhelming.

I’m overdue for a vacation. I feel like I want to crawl out of my skin, especially in this cold weather (it’s currently winter 2020). Not that I want to stand in the cold naked but I do need to get out of the cold weather and into some heat. So what did I do? At the end of last year I took out my calendar/planner and started entering dates I want to go on vacation.

As a matter of fact I called it a Samantha’s Sabbatical and copied my travel wish list to a Google Spreadsheet. This is how serious I am about vacationing more. I’ve been reading articles about travel that is affordable to interesting places. In the meantime, I hit NYC for the holidays.

New York Vacation on a Budget for the Holidays

To get my travel engines started I went to New York for the holidays. It was my first time there during Christmas so it was wonderful to see the lights, windows, and crowds (in small doses). I got my plane ticket from Delta.com in October when my sister and I had the conversation about it. The ticket was reasonable (under $200 round trip). I got my son’s ticket a month later which was also quite affordable. I stayed with my daughter so I didn’t have to worry about hotel costs which are ridiculously high in NYC.

We got around on the subway ($33 for 7 days of unlimited trips) and took Lyft to and from the airport. Food was the most expensive since we decided to have a special Christmas dinner and opted to eat out or have take out.

The sightseeing was free and, despite the cold, it was fun visiting the Brooklyn Bridge, Tiffany’s, Time Square, and 5th Ave. A trip in the Spring/Summer will allow more sightseeing.

In the meantime, a cruise is calling my name! Getting out of frigid NYC and heading for a beach in the Caribbean (like the ones in the infographic) is just what the doctor ordered!

Cruising for Spring Break in March

The first trip of this year I’ve scheduled is a Caribbean cruise vacation to the Bahamas on Carnival Cruises with my daughter on her Spring Break. It’s been a few years since we have been on a cruise so we are looking forward to it. We found a good deal a nothing down payment plan and paid it off in January. I can’t wait to set sail and I’m counting down the days.

All Girl’s Trip to Puerto Rico in April

I saw tickets to Puerto Rico for an insanely low price a couple weeks ago. I called up my best friend and asked her if she wanted to go. As soon as she said yes I bought the tickets. We are going to enjoy fun in the sun in April (right after Spring Break), visit Old San Juan, and maybe the rain forest. The purpose is to escape the hustle and bustle of life for a few days. I think this trip will do just that.

May in Miami Vacation on a Budget

The next trip is to hot and sunny Miami for my son’s birthday. He’s not going on the cruise so off to Miami we go. We are both needing a beach vacation. I searched for and found tickets on Southwest that were less than $250 for both of us. I snatched them up right then and there. I’ll reserve a hotel or AirBnB soon. My strategy with planning trips is to get the airline ticket a few months in advance then reserve and pay for the rest as the trip gets closer.

Planning is key

I have a couple more trips planned for the year to Cancun and maybe even to Cuba. I might even do another cruise if I find another good deal. I’m also speaking more this year on how to relax and relieve stress. Traveling is one of my ways to rest, relax and release all the stress that has piled up over the past months.

You might be wondering how do I have the time and money to plan all these vacations. Planning is key. That’s it. It’s not elaborate planning but simply a decision that I wanted to travel more this year then putting travel dates and location in my calendar. I have a monthly planner that sat down with at the beginning of the year and entered the places I wanted to visit for every other month.

I think this is why I’ve found the great flight deals. I knew what I wanted so when the opportunity came I jumped on it. This is how it is with life really. Make a plan and watch for the opportunities.

You can start with one big trip and a small trip on a 3-day weekend. You can do a road trip to a place 3-4 hours away. If you don’t plan you will always make excuses about why you can’t take a vacation. It’s really all about priorities and how you decide to live your life.

Where do you want to go? When do you want to go? Start planning now!

Here are a few resources I use to find cheap flights:

Scott’s Cheap Flights – I get daily emails from Scott with cheap flights he’s found. I have a Premium subscription that gets me even more deals that include free bags and other international flights that are super cheap. Use my link to get a 1 month free trial and 10% off the premium subscription.

FareDrop – I get daily emails and text messages about flight deals happening in the moment. I love seeing what city comes up in the daily emails. If you sign up with my link you get two months free there is an annual fee which is totally worth it for cheap flights.

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