My traveling has slacked significantly since I moved to NYC.  Along with having a terminal lack of freed up funds, it’s infinitely hard to find time off here.  As if the expected 50 – 60 hour work weeks aren’t enough of a deterrent, bosses tend to often times try to dictate when you are allowed to take time off.  I guess indenturing yourself to them forty-seven weeks out of the year isn’t enough.

But once you find that coveted time slot and decide on a place to visit, you’re faced with the next dilemma: how do you plan a memorable and interesting vacation without financially strapping yourself for the next six months?  Here are a few ways that I have started planning trips that provide more than the crappy Holiday Inn hotel room and stale continental breakfast.

First, I have three words for you:  Bed.  And.  Breakfast.  The first thing that normally comes to mind when you think about a bed and breakfast are a wad of dollar signs, but that doesn’t have to be the case.  It all depends on where you’re traveling.  A bed and breakfast in NYC — you can bet you’ll pay top dollar.  A bed and breakfast in New Orleans, however can easily run you less than $90 a night in the French Quarter and Fauburg/Marigny areas — and some as low as $40 or $50.

There’s something very homey and warm about staying in a house or townhouse and waking up each morning to a fresh, home cooked breakfast in a sun room.  It makes a vacation seem like a stay with old friends.  And lots of times, the B&B host has great recommendations for sight seeing, activities, and places to eat.  I usually travel alone, and during a recent stay in Montreal, I spent more time hanging out with the host talking and relaxing and reading in the living room than I did going out and visiting the city.  And though some people would consider that to be a waste of time, it was one of the most memorable and relaxing trips I’ve ever taken — the epitome of a great vacation.

Now, let’s talk about getting there.  If there ever was a time to do some air travel, it’s now.  With the vast majority of Americans strapped for cash, if you do happen to have the funds for travel, you can snap up some excellent deals.  I always use kayak for flights, and frequently for car rentals.  I recently booked a trip to Scotland this summer, and found a roundtrip flight for $500.  Car rentals on the travel site can run as low as $20 a day, depending on where you’re renting and what size car you request, making it a perfect solution for an impromptu weekend road trip.

Another smart way to take advantage of the ailing travel industry is to look for cruises.  In 2005, when the economy was shore and the travel industry was booming, many cruise companies ordered up whole fleets of new ships.  Given that cruise ships typically take around three years to manufacture, they arrived at their docks right about the time that — you guessed it — the economy was tanking.  This resulted in a classic case of too much supply for too little demand, thus the emergence of dirt cheap cruise tickets.  Take for instance this gem which has been on the market for quite a while:  A Baja Mexico 4-day Cruise departing San Diego and visiting Catalina Island and Ensenada for only $219 ($261 with taxes).  Considering this includes all onboard entertainment, food, and beverage, you’d be hard pressed to find another deal like this one.

So to be concise, you don’t have to make a fat salary to enjoy a nice, exotic vacation — all you have to do is take some time to research and plan.  And keep in mind that saving up and taking a vacation in this economy can actually save you quite a bundle on your travel expenses.  If you’ve been putting off your dream trip for the past few years, try to save up and take it this year.  With less people hoppin’ on a plane, you’ll be able to finagle the best deal possible.

Photo credit: Zela

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