Orlando Vacation Homes INSIDER

The True Cost of a Vacation

June 9th, 2008

Continued…

Did you know at the Glenbrook Resort a 7 bedroom home with a pool, if three couples decided to vacation together, has an average nightly rate (before taxes) of just $65 per couple?  At Windsor Hills, that rate per couple would be about $86 a night. Also many of the homes have private pools and spas so you and your friends can enjoy countless hours of swimming without “pool hours” to adhere to.  If you chose a home with a private recreation room, you could enjoy a relaxing game of pool, hours of Poker, and if it gets late, you can send the children to bed and not even have to hire a babysitter!  Imagine watching the “Big Game” on a 50′ inch flat screen!  How about taking all the kids to the resort’s on-site movie theatre for a movie day?  Eating at home is not only a less expensive alternative, it can also be lots of fun - you could have a ” make your own pizza and tacos night” and if there was a night you just didn’t feel like cooking, you could contact a vacation chef to prepare an incredible meal, like shrimp and artichoke linguine, chicken curry, or a roasted vegetable meatloaf for less than $5.50 per person.

 Orlando has some of the best attractions in the world and I’m certainly not suggesting avoiding them all together, but instead of going to a different attraction every day, choose just one or two, and make them the highlight of the week.  If you have children, have your children contribute to the cost of their ticket before you go on vacation.  Mousavers.com gives some excellent suggestions on how children can help you save for a vacation. One suggestion was, all “found” money goes in a vacation fund which could be a glass jar on little Suzie’s dresser.  If an average attraction ticket is about $70, a child could purchase their own ticket by saving just $12 a month for six months.  How special would that trip to Disney feel for a child who knows the value of hard work and the reward of saving ?

In these hard economic times, yes we have to make changes to our lifestyles and to our way of thinking, but sacrificing a quality vacation isn’t the answer and it certainly won’t bring relief. So, ask yourself?  What is the true cost of a vacation?  It’s not just money, gas, food and tickets - the value isn’t monetary.  In fact, it will cost you not to take one.

Entry Filed under: Theme Park News