UF expert: Summer vacation fun can be less expensive than you think

May 24, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It’s painful to fill your gas tank, the cost of living seems to be inching ever higher, but your paycheck stays the same. And now the family wants a summer vacation.

Despite the sense that your dollar isn’t going as far as it used to, a University of Florida family financial management expert says it’s still possible to take a great summer break without going broke.

The key is spending some extra time on planning and preparation before you leave the house, says Michael Gutter, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Gutter says finding the best deals takes work. Attend a summer camp fair, talk to friends about vacation spots they know, and be prepared to settle in and do some Internet research.

“I think the challenge a lot of people have is they expect the information to be widely available and it’s just not,” he said. “Typically when things are run at a low cost, or available for free, there’s not a lot of advertising going on.”

Your vacation does not have to be a weeklong stay at a giant amusement park to be fun and memorable, he says.

“Kids are generally ecstatic to spend hours and hours in a swimming pool,” he said. “Go to a state park, or spend a few nights at the beach,” he said. “Florida has so many great places to see — the Everglades, the Keys, so many public beaches. You can have as much fun as you want to, at very little cost.”

Another way to save money when traveling is to pick one or two hotel chains to stick with. Each chain usually has some type of valued-customer program that offers discounts for multiple stays, or free nights or meals, he said.

If you have extended family nearby, or if you have friends with children close in age to yours, your options greatly expand, he says. Instead of a hotel, you might rent a beach house for a week, splitting the rent, food costs, cooking and baby-sitting duties.

“With a big group, you can usually get much better accommodations. You may be sharing bathrooms, or the kids may have to bunk together, but I think if everyone’s used to each other, it’s a great idea,” he said.

Become a local tourist, he suggests. Take a “staycation” and take daytrips to local places you’ve never been, like a city park or a small museum off the beaten path.

Even if you can’t afford to go anywhere, you can certainly afford to turn off your smartphone and focus on spending time with your family, he says. Let the kids run through the lawn sprinkler or watch a movie with them — but don’t get them started on an activity and then leave them to enjoy it on their own.

“If we plop them down to watch a movie and then we get up and go clean, we’re not really with them,” he said. “And we’re all guilty of that. Sometimes things have to get done. But when you’re trying to set aside time for them, instead of spending money on them, tell yourself you’re going to spend time. I tend to find that those memories are the ones that are priceless.”

One thing Gutter does suggest you spend money on: A good, quality cooler. It won’t fall apart like the throwaway ones do, and you can almost always save money on family trips when you bring your own drinks and snacks. He also suggests freezing water in clean containers, which thaw much more slowly than store-bought ice.

Whatever kind of trip you take, Gutter advises — if you can at all swing it — taking a “mental health day” before your return to work so that you have time to unpack suitcases, do your laundry and just rest before returning to the work grind.

And finally: Everything in moderation. If you spend a lot on your hotel, bring food with you so you can skip restaurants. If you stay someplace less fancy, maybe you can splurge on other things.

“Come up with a realistic budget,” he says. “Don’t go into debt just to take a vacation — you’ll end up with a bigger headache than when you left.”