The personal finance section of The Wall Street Journal is stepping out of its standard group of themes and producing some interesting content on issues like frugal vacations these days. With the summer season around the corner, you may be wondering what to do for a fun weekend or even week away from the daily grind that doesn’t dent your wallet too much.
About twelve years ago I had the good fortune of living for year pretty much as an adopted child by a family I didn’t know beforehand. The experience changed my life – imagine a 15 year-old learning to live under new house rules, with different responsibilities, and enjoying some unexpected freedoms. Something we did as a family that I had not ever done before was extended camping. I’m not talking about one or two nights, but a seriously long trip in a van with tents to pitch. Those trips were some of the most memorable of my life.
Amy Hoak writes about the potential for family camping these days — which can be one of the least expensive ways to go on vacation. But before you take my stamp of approval at first glance, consider some of her points:
- Buying a tent and a couple of sleeping bags from a major retailer can come it as just a couple hundred dollars. DebtGoal thought: that’s a good option, but even better is to buy used supplies cheaper off of the Internet or borrow them from a friend or relative for free!
- Plan ahead as much as possible. Check out FreeCampgrounds.com. DebtGoal thought: use the Internet to research well the different sites and options, basing a decision on an optimization of cost and facilities like pools, electricity access, beaches, climate, etc. Even better: if you have your heart set on going far from home, perhaps on a plane, consider camping at your destination instead of spending on a hotel. The savings will be astronomical.
- Check out RV rental options instead of investing through the ownership track. DebtGoal thought: skip the RV altogether and save a bundle. Make it a fun game to brainstorm how little you can spend in total on a family camping trip!
Raj Patel writes for DebtGoal.com, a do-it-yourself system for getting out of debt and lowering your interest costs. DebtGoal.com incorporates all of the techniques discussed in this post and can help users understand and get visibility to and manage their debt finances.
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