Cheap Christmas and Holiday Vacation Ideas

Enjoy the Christmas and holiday season with a vacation. A vacation can be as simple as logging off, ignoring work emails and slowing down enough to enjoy your family and the holiday season. Before you book or plan an expensive holiday vacation, or feel lost at trying to find the money to pay for a holiday vacation, consider these ideas.

Cheap Christmas Vacation Ideas

Do You Need a Rental Car?

When planning your Christmas vacation, compare the cost of a hotel that is the closest to your destination, whether that's a family members home or a major attraction, to the price of a rental car and a cheaper hotel. Spending more on the hotel that is closest to where you want to be may be cheaper than the cost of the rental car.

If you are flying in to see family and have access to one of their cars while you're there, you can skip the rental car. Discuss options ahead of time, to see how feasible it would be for you to borrow the car.

Vacation Entertainment

Even the closest of families need some time to get out of the house and be entertained. Plan one or two activities for the entire family, from skiing to a movie outing, a night of bowling, a day of sledding or ice skating or a picnic at a local park. Consider the ages and budgets of all family members when making entertainment picks.

Look around for free or cheap holiday entertainment ideas. Pick up the local paper and find tree or Menorah lighting ceremonies, free holiday concerts, holiday house tours, breakfast with Santa or arts and crafts fairs.

Meet in the Middle

For families that are scattered across a few small and drivable states, plan to meet at a central location. That location may not be someone's house. Choose a park with cabins to rent, a ski resort, a campground or an inexpensive inn with some holiday ambiance.

Cheap Vacation Ideas

Stay Close to Home

Take a holiday vacation close to home, and you can upgrade everything. When you remove airfare and car rental fees from your holiday budget, you can increase the quality of your hotel stay. With more money you can opt for a bigger and cushier room and take advantage of more amenities. Look for hotels with lush courtyards, indoor heated pools, water parks for kids, four-star in-hotel restaurants and spas.

Staying close to home and using your own vehicle also enables you to pack your own beverages, which can make a serious dent in you vacation budget.

Active vacations close to home may also be cheaper than flying to an exotic location. Look for vacations that keep you active and local. Consider a local white-water rafting trip or a healthy stay at a yoga center.

Off-Season Travel

Beach house rentals that are two to three hours away may have been unaffordable during the summer, but you can snag a good deal during the off-season months. Planning a long weekend or week-long trip to the beach or your favorite lake during the late fall and early winter can save you a bundle. Squeeze the vacation in between summer peak times and peak ski times in your area for the best deals on house rentals, hotels, motels or a quaint bed and breakfast.