 |
|
In the last decade or so we have found ourselves with less and less disposable income. Some of us have done quite well and this is not a problem. But for many millions of us the expense of a major or even a minor vacation is simply too much money. So many of us give up and just don't go on vacations. Or we go on very short weekend vacations. In fact there are alternatives.
You probably won't find any of these alternatives via your friendly travel agent. The reason is that your travel agent depends entirely on commissions from the sale of accommodation and travel and alternative vacations do not have a commission structure as a part of their operations. In short there is no money in it for your travel agent.
The other fact is that alternative vacations are not for everyone. There are a variety of reasons why this might be the case. And forget about "free vacations". Nothing is free and somebody always pays. Some will tell you something is free to attract you but you soon find out that there is a catch to the free offer.
Now lets look at some alternative vacations and soon you will realize that it more of a mind set than an organized vacation. Its a way of approaching the problem of a vacation without the traditional amount of funds that you would need to put out to have one.
Cost Reduction You can reduce your costs many ways for an alternative vacation. In the case of ship travel most ships have repositioning cruises where rates are slashed. You can end up paying half or less than the normal fair. You can also watch for special sales. As an example WestJet sometimes has 24 hour sales where they slash fares by 50% IF you book today. I once purchased a flight pass on Air Canada for two months of unrestricted travel in Canada for less that the price of one full price ticket to my destination on the west coast. It was a fabulous deal. That was about three years ago and they have never had one like it again. West Jet however does have regular deep discount sales. Hotels are the same they all have a prime season and a shoulder season and an off season. Rates are usually adjusted accordingly. So the point here is that by careful shopping and some flexibility in departure times you can still have a traditional vacation at alternative rates. You will need to invest some time and work at it a bit but if it makes the difference between going and not it might be worth it.
Alternative Accommodation There are many ways you can reduce your accommodation costs. Some are obvious some are not. Here are a few:
1. stay with family - you should visit more anyway and usually they will have an extra space to put you up. Kick in for some groceries don't be a mooch and it will be most appreciated
2. stay with friends - again don't be a complete mooch but each night in your friends house should save you the equivalent of one night in a hotel
3. stay in alternative lodgings like university dorms, hostels, monasteries, retreats, cabins, tents, camper vans
4. trade houses -some people will trade houses with another person who wants to visit their area.
5. trade labor -most of us have some skill in something and some of us are highly skilled in certain jobs. The idea here is to trade your labor for what you can get -food and accommodation is nice and sometimes you can get paid too!
6. Tax Savings You might be surprised how many people will arrange business or research or education to allow a vacation at the same time. Talk to your Accountant first but it's done all the time. A tax savings can often reduce the costs of a vacation by 20% or more.
7. House Sitting When you leave your home for any more than a few days you want somebody to look out for it. Some people are away for several weeks or even months at a time. The is the demand. You can be the supply by providing a house sitting service. Its a great way of reducing your shelter expenses when you travel to a vacation area. You are happy and so is the home owner.
Reminder -remember the alternative vacation is really a mindset. If you can't afford hotel accommodations and airline fares and the cost of restaurant food don't give up. There are other less expensive ways to have your vacation and still have fun.
Alternative Transportation
This is a little harder but not impossible.
1. offer to share the driving and even the gas with a stranger to visit down south or across the country. This may seem a bit far fetched but consider for a moment that there is a large population of older folks who still have their cars but feel reluctant to take on a long trip. They would be quite happy to share their vehicle if you helped with the driving. Depending on the situation sharing the gas might not even be necessary
2. offer a vehicle delivery service. Here you drive a truck, motor home or car out to the delivery point the owner pays for the gas and you get free transportation in return for the driving service. There are companies that provide this service and because of this most of the advantages from the deal goes to them for arranging it. In some of these case you may need to pay for a portion of the fuel but there may be situations where you get enough of an advantage that it makes sense. Things you need to consider are insurance coverage, condition of the vehicle and required delivery times. If you are following a truck and it kicks up a rock and breaks your windshield who pays? Good to know before you start.
3. bikes -if you have the time you can cover a surprising amount of territory in a bicycle. You need to be reasonably fit but a few miles a day is nothing when you are. You can combine this with camping for a low priced and very enjoyable and healthy vacation. The bike is an amazingly efficient vehicle for its weight and size and I have heard the claim that it is the most efficient machine ever invented. People (crazy people) have taken them right around the world.
4. small vessels I lived on a sail boat for three years. I love boats. You can cover a lot of territory in a small vessel. There are three main areas that a boat can be used ; blue water cruising on the ocean, coastal cruising on the coasts and inland cruising on lakes and rivers. As an example you can hop into an inexpensive inflatable boat and let the river current take you miles and miles with very little if any effort and minimal cost. Coastal cruising can be done in boats of several sizes if one is careful. Blue water cruising absolutely demands a well found well equipped vessel that will cost you a fair amount (a lot) of money to buy and prepare. But once you have it you can cruise for years over tens of thousands of miles. The message here is that in certain situations you can use a boat often an inexpensive vessel to provide good transportation at very minimal costs. It was not that long ago in historic times when Canadians used canoes to cross Canada and in fact on of the main waterways 300 or 400 years ago is less than a mile from my present location. A European solution to the transportable boat was the klepper kayak which could be carried in a large suitcase. They are quite expensive as are the zodiac inflatable. However they are available on the used market too. A friend took me out to sea for a five mile passage with his 9 foot Zodiac he carried in a (large) suitcase so I know that it can be done. In the right situation that would be an ideal boat for transportation.
Build your own 16' GRAND BANKS DORY Here is a very seaworthy vessel that you can build out of wood in two to three weeks that will last 30 years and provide you with one of the most tested designs on the water. The Grand Banks Dory was used for over a hundred years by fishermen on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and was able to take them safely into the very challenging Atlantic Ocean waters and return with a load of fish. Rows very easily and can also be powered. This is the best set of instructions available to build a Dory and even a novice can do it and end up with a great vessel that will take them anywhere.
Build your own trailered 20 foot Houseboat that can be also used as a trailer and have the best of both worlds a houseboat that can be used on the water and on land! Save thousands over a factory houseboat and have fun with the family building it in the back yard. Much easier to build than you might think and suddenly you have a ticket to explore some of the most attractive areas on the planet. Unlike a standard boat you can also use it as a land yacht too! How cool is that!
5. crew on vessels One problem with blue water cruising is that you need somebody on watch for 24 hours as the boat is at sea all that time. A vessel in the 30 to 45 foot range or thereabouts has a problem if there is only a couple onboard. This is your chance to sign on as crew and depending on the situation you may go for free in return for your labor or you may be asked to pay for a portion of the food. In some cases you will be viewed as a potential revenue stream and the owners will ask for a fare which is often quite reasonable everything considered. You can also crew on cruise ships but that is a different situation where although you do get paid you also are working fairly hard too so it may be more of a job than a vacation. Its something I have always wanted to do but haven't yet. Being an ex small vessel owner I know what expenses are associated with a 56' LOA sail boat and trust me if you can get on a cruise on one for minimal cost you are way ahead of paying what the owner needs to pay to acquire, maintain and operate the vessel. If all you need to pay is your food you are getting a great deal! In the case of very well found owners it may even be possible to get paid a wage! Imagine that crewing on a nice sail or power boat, getting your food and lodging free and a wage too -how lucky would that be!.
Motor Homes For longer trips consider a motor home vacation. We had a rule of thumb when we owned our 26'Winnebago Brave which got about 10mpg. It went like this. If you travel all day and just overnight in a campground its actually cheaper to drive a car and stay in a motel. If you park your motor home the savings start after the second night. Motor homes are completely self contained and you can avoid restaurant meals most of which are not very nutritious anyway. In the USA we noticed that some casinos and Wal-mart stores allowed you to stay overnight with no charges. So in some cases you can park for free although don't count on it. Its better to enjoy the free nights when you can and build in a reasonable amount in your budget for overnight stays in campgrounds.
Here is a good link for RV travel in North America with many free places to stay overnight and lots of good ways of saving money by a person who has actually done this for nine years. And if you don't own an RV yet here is a great guide for buying used RVs that includes secret inspection and appraisal methods used by professional rv dealers.
Here is a good link we found that gives information on European motor home vacations
About.com Europe Travel There is a huge amount of information here in the links be sure to take some notes and try not to get overwhelmed. That's one problem with the internet today - there is so much information that getting it in a concise high quality way is becoming a challenge.
Live in Mexico for pennies on the dollar compared to what it costs here. This guide provides you with all the information you need to know. The bottom line is a that often a pension or small income will only allow you to live in poverty in North America when you can live in comfort in a great climate in Mexico.
Pickup Pal An innovative website where you share rides with another to reduce carbon footprints. Some people will offer to share gas or driving too.
Romantic Camping Create The Perfect, Low-cost Outdoor Experience. Turn Up The Heat In Your Relationship With A Romantic Campout. In This One-of-a-kind Guide, Readers Learn How To Put Together An Adventure They will Never Forget... One That's Sure To Create Lasting Memories.
Books on alternative travel
Canadian Winter Driver's Handbook -The best book published on winter driving in Canada. Shows how a Father and Son team drove a $300 17 year old mini van across Canada in the depths of winter in only 78 hours 53 minutes. Everything you need to know about winter driving and how to do it on a budget too! Clear instructions on how to handle skids, ice, snow, and first hand experience on what to do when you hit a deer. (It was NOT Bambi's mother!) This book could save your life or prevent a serious injury and will make your winter road trips a lot more fun. Print or instant download. Click on book image for order info. (if ordering the print version the economy shipping option is by far the best deal)
Web Design by SuperiorWebs.com
CanadaGooseTravel.com is a Canadian, privately owned family business. Servers are located in the USA with our hosting company BigCanuck.com. Copyright SuperiorWebs.com 2008 Webmaster ron@superiorwebs.com Our group of over 30 websites is here to enlighten, entertain and save you money! Thanks for visiting and please tell your friends!