While tradition states that the winter holidays are meant to be spent with friends and family close to home—plenty of people prefer to travel! Whether you’re headed south for a sunny vacation on the beach or off to the mountains for a few days hitting the slopes, here’s how to have a fantastic wintertime holiday getaway on a budget.
To keep costs low, it’s important to choose the right destination. Flying to a far-away locale such as Tokyo or Melbourne might be an amazing experience, but it will cost a fortune. That’s why many wintertime travelers in the U.S. choose to vacation closer to home: Miami, Los Angeles, Cancun and the Caribbean are all popular destinations for a holiday getaway in the sun, while Aspen and Whistler draw travelers looking for a snowy winter vacation.
However, because December is the high season in many of these prime holiday destinations, it pays to look beyond the most popular places. Instead of visiting California, try exploring the national parks or hanging out poolside in Arizona. Puerto Vallarta and Playa del Carmen, meanwhile, may offer a cheaper alternative for a sun-and-sand escape south of the border. For skiing, check out options in southern Utah or even New Mexico.
The best time to book flights and accommodation for holiday travel is: as soon as possible. While there are some urban legends floating around online about people who’ve snagged an unbelievable deal by waiting to book until the last minute, in the majority of cases, people who wait to book end up paying more.
When choosing flights, it’s a smart idea to balance budget and time considerations. How much is it worth to you and your family to fly direct? Do you trust a cheaper airline not to cancel your flight at the last minute? Are you already a member of any frequent flier programs? Keep all these questions in mind when deciding how you’ll get to your wintertime holiday destination.
On the other hand, Amtrak has a number of national routes. While train prices can be higher than flying, the trade-off is the experience—not to mention the pleasure of completely avoiding winter holiday traffic at the airport.
The cost of accommodation adds up fast. To stay within budget, take the time to compare a few options. Once upon a time platforms like AirBnB tended to offer lower prices, but with steeper cleaning and service fees, you might find a better deal with a traditional hotel. Also, be sure to look into hostels. Hostels often offer private rooms and sometimes even private apartments for a fraction of what you’d pay at a hotel.
Once you’ve finished all the hard work of booking accommodation and traveling to your chosen destination, it can be tempting to throw caution to the wind and spend, spend, spend. But enjoying an amazing vacation doesn’t have to empty your bank account.
To keep meals low-cost (not to mention delicious and authentic), head to local markets or food trucks, or browse the nearest supermarket. As for activities, many cities offer discount ticket packages to the most popular attractions, specifically designed for tourists. These packages sometimes include public transportation passes as well. Indeed, if possible, forgo the rental car and use local buses or taxis instead. Your final cost is often lower and you won’t have the stress of navigating a new city from behind the wheel.
One common way travelers bust their vacation budget is to buy a lot of items before the trip begins. You might find yourself purchasing a new pair of sneakers because your current ones are a little muddy, or buying a stack of new books at the airport for beachside reading. Be wary of such purchases—especially because you’ll want to save money for souvenir shopping once you reach your destination.