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Whether August on Capri or a July jaunt to Corsica, in previous years you could afford to wait till mid-June to decide your summer vacation. Those were also the days when you didn't mind paying out-of-pocket for Business or flexing your Marquis Card for a round trip ticket to paradise. But with the change in times, more and more people are resorting back to their frequent flier miles to negotiate free tickets or even thinking of flying Economy just to be able to afford that summer holiday. That's why now more than ever taking a memorable summer trip in 2010 comes down to planning ahead and changing the way you think about travel starting now.
10. You Can't Afford Not To Go
Your job could be in danger and you fear inciting an interoffice coup or even your own firing by the mere mention of vacation. But with corporate cutbacks and unexpected layoffs, now is the time to use those precious vacation days. A mere getaway will refresh your mind, recharge your relationships and focus on why you work in the first place. In 25-years you will barely be able to remember stock market fluctuations or current business projects, but your spouse or child will likely carry their vacation moments for the rest of their lives.
9. Strategize Your Vacation Days
Nothing says, "Look at me overindulge" more than taking a 14-day getaway during peak August travel season. Sure the kids are off school, water is warm and beach clubs are the most fun. But it's also the time of years when everyone in your office who can't or doesn't take time off will be knee-deep in schadenfreude awaiting your demise. Plan your vacation around weekends and holidays. It's entirely possible to get a 11-day holiday and only miss 5 business days if you take off on the evening of May 21st and the morning of June 1st. Sure you'll miss the Memorial Day barbecues, but while everyone else is sucking on chicken bones your holiday will go mostly unnoticed.
8. Seek-out Affordable Alternatives
You don't have to book into that $20k-per-week East Hampton rental to have a memorable vacation. If you spent the last years in a glamorous summer rental footing the tab for friends or family, maybe it's time to show everyone that you're not above living within a budget. Scout out more affordable vacation home alternatives on websites like VRBO or Owner Direct. These sites enable you to access vacation inventory offered directly by property owners. Photos allow you to sort out the good from the bad with direct links to the owners who negotiate price and availability. With no middleman, the sites can often save you upwards of 30% on a weeklong summer rental.
7. Never been to London? Now is the Time
It's mere mention once incited heartburn with budget travelers who have long cited London as one of the most expensive travel destinations for US travelers. Only a year ago the pound was hovering around 2-1 to the US Dollar making a simple hotel stay even in a 3-star hotel pricey and shopping unimaginable. Today the exchange rate is right around 1.40 with some analysts expecting further dips that could be a once-in-a-generation boon for bargain hunters. The currency correction has yet to translate in local hotel prices, where 5-star rooms at the Haymarket Hotel and Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park can still be found for around 245 British Pounds in early summer.
6. Control Your Social Networking
It became an office tradition to gather around the water cooler after a long summer vacation, sharing every detail of that villa in Tuscany or stay at the Ritz. And while everyone loves a good Facebook slideshow of various summer exploits, if you're sitting at home waiting for your unemployment check you may just get a little annoyed or even resentful. When you return from your vacation, be careful with what you say especially around friends or family that may not be in as fortunate a situation. Play up the personal time you got to spend with family and the bargains you may have found, but skip the perfunctory bragging of your shopping treasures or how much you loved your First Suite on the new Singapore A-380.
5. Vacations in Your Own Backyard
If you lived-up the last few years on jetset European getaways, than maybe it's time to scout out a summer in your own backyard. Reserve America manages the largest catalogue of nature destinations on the web with over 300,000 campsite and cabins in nearly 4,000 destinations. One of our favorites is the Crystal Cove Cottages near Laguna Beach, CA. A selection of 1930s and 1950s beach cottages originally constructed for a Hollywood movie, the chic houses have been recently renovated with historical furnishings and full kitchens perfect for a family getaway.
4. Somewhere It's Actually Low Season
Cheaper, less crowds, better availability. They're just some of the reasons why you should consider visiting your favorite destination during its low season. While a sexy South African safari is best during the warm months of December through March, some of the best animal viewing is actually during the low season in June and July when the weather is coldest and driest. On the other side of the world, a city stay to explore soggy but still spectacular Sydney can be conjoined with a warm getaway to the Great Barrier Reef where idyllic weather comes with an affordable bill in Australian Dollars.
3. Cruising Together
If you're the one paying the bill for a large traveling group, taking a summer cruise is one of your most affordable options available. First, choose a destination that fits your lifestyle. European and Hawaiian destinations attract a younger clientele while Alaska and the Baltic cruises skew more towards retirees. It's also one of the most affordable ways to experience the Mediterranean, where most of your meals will be included in the trip leaving you're currency exposure to Euros strictly to what you buy while on land. And if you're traveling with family, the contained environment of a ship offers more time for bonding and enjoying a mutual travel experience for young and old.
2. Easyjet Adventures
It's replaced backpacking as the most affordable way to see Europe. Easyjet and Ryanair have made it possible to go from Paris to Marrakech, London to Mykonos, Berlin to Barcelona for fares as low as 10-Euro each way plus tax. Recently, some published fares have even been free providing payment for taxes and airport fees. Sure you have to wake-up at 6am and make the journey to some pretty remote city airports like London's Luton, but the frill-free travel experience allows you see Europe cheaper than ever in a new fleet of shiny new aircraft that prove that a tray table is actually an amenity.
1. Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Just Go
Still want that glamorous summer vacation? Just go, but don't tell anyone. It's not a sin to live the good life, but there is a renewed respect for travel modesty that has many repenting for living like it's 2006. The truth is many of your favorite travel destinations like St. Tropez, Sardinia and the Hamptons thrive only because of summer demand and without your patronage that favorite restaurant or hotel or beach shop you've so enjoyed for all these years will likely disappear. While it's not exactly a humanitarian mandate that you must hit Billionaire Nightclub in August, it will take a few brave jetsetters to keep the umbrellas open and champagne flowing at the world's weary luxury travel destinations at least until the economy returns to its peak season luster.
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