Many of you may want to take a vacation but aren't sure if you can afford it. There are many appealing vacations out there like Hawaii, going overseas, or taking the kids to Disney World but those vacations are becoming increasingly expensive with rising gas prices. Another option? Stay closer to home. I'm hoping my experience can help save you some money!
This past week I took a vacation. I had two goals in mind 1. Relax 2. Not break the bank. I decided to go to Emerald Isle, NC.
This vacation was a lot different from last year's trip to the Florida Keys which was a very expensive trip. We drove from Charlotte, it took about 12 hours to get to Key Largo and then another 2 hours or so to get to Key West.
Although we wanted to save as much money as possible, it still ended up costing more than $2,000 for two people. That included gas, board, 3 days of scuba diving, dining out, and camping. We tried to save money by camping but it still cost a lot. That was a year ago, before gas prices hit $4 a gallon. I can't imagine what that drive would cost this year!
Needless to say this year we decided to stay closer to Charlotte.
We picked Emerald Isle, because neither of us had been there. It wasn't too far away, about 5 and a half hours from Charlotte, and we could get some good deals. Plus there was some great stuff to see and do.
First we waited until the last minute to book the house. That is always risky because there are slim pickings but it also helped us get a better deal. We didn't need anything big. Instead of renting a two bedroom Condo or beach house. We rented a studio complex. It wasn't great but it was perfect for what we needed. There was just two of us. It had a functional kitchen, a queen size bed, and a couch with a pull out bed. The best part, it was across the street from the beach!
The house cost us $600 for the week. 2 bedroom condos cost $700 to $800 and houses cost anywhere from 1,500 to 5,000.
Second we negotiated. We asked if they could come down on the price. They gave us a $50 gas voucher. It wasn't a lot but it really helped. The whole trip cost $100 in gas. That was round trip plus all the driving we did while on the island. With the voucher the cost of getting there was covered. We just had to pay to get back home.
Third, we saved a lot of money by buying groceries and limiting the amount we ate out. At the beginning of the week, we bought everything we would need for lunch, breakfast, and 5 dinners. On the last night we went out to a nice seafood restaurant. The groceries cost us about $100 but imagine how much it would cost to go out for every breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plus some of it we could take back home with us.
When it came to entertainment there was a lot of fun things to do. We obviously spent a lot of time at the beach, which didn't cost a thing. We were lucky, we had perfect weather. Between the weather and the warm water, it was an easy choice to go to the beach everyday.
On the Island there were the usual things to do, hang out at the beach, play putt putt, see a movie, go shopping, and check out the aquarium. But there were some other really neat things to check out.
Fort Macon was only about ten minutes from where we stayed. It was a U.S. fort used during the Civil War. It was right on the coast and free to get in. People could roam around inside the fort, get on top and check out the view, and see how soldiers would have lived there.
From Morehead City you could take a ferry to a remote island with wild horses. The horses were beautiful and completely wild. They had been there since old shipwrecks. Apparently decades ago many ships would get stuck on the sand bars. The crew would dump the livestock overboard to loosen the load. The horses survived and are still there today. The Ferry ride did cost $25 for an adult to ride. It was less for children.
There was also some ghost tours and museums to check out.
In all it was a good trip and a great way to relax. There was plenty to do. We ended up spending about half of what we spent the year before.
