Although the economy is in the tank, I figure we need to carve out some money for a little vacation once in awhile. I’ve been doing some research into saving money while still having a nice trip. There are a bunch of major travel websites offering nice travel deals to a lot of destinations.
Basically, in addition to finding the best price for airfare, car rental and hotel, it is important that you to use a travel website that has a reputation for providing a trouble-free vacation. I can look for the best prices on airfare and hotel rooms, but if I find a travel destination where I can drive my own car, it might save me even more. One obvious choice is Southern California.
A lot of vacation ideas are provided at the SoCal Vacation Guru site. It presently places most of its attention on Los Angeles and Orange County, with a modest but growing emphasis on San Diego County and San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. But there’s great information at the SoCal Vacation Guru about Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland, the beaches, shopping, dining and other activities.
The SoCal theme parks include Disneyland (with Disney’s California Adventure), Knott’s, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios Hollywood, SeaWorld and Legoland. If you love theme parks, it would be tempting to try and fit all seven into a very busy, and perhaps relatively expensive, vacation trip. You will likely find it possible to obtain some advantageous hotel deals in the slow economy with so many motivated hotel companies, assuming your budget will let you take a vacation.
Theme parks are offering some discounts, and the prices might be a bit lower at museums and other activities as well. Despite increases and fluctuations in gasoline prices, a driving trip to So Cal might well be a cheaper vacation option for many Americans than flying to another vacation destination.