Help This Reader! How Do YOU Save On A Florida Vacation?
Check out this question from Hip2Save reader, Greer…
My family of three are planning on going to Florida next year. We want to try and save as much money as possible but also enjoy everything Florida has to offer besides the beach. We are trying to decide which beach to go to in Florida, when the best times are to purchase flights, money-saving tips for getting the most out of Florida without breaking the bank and what beaches are the best for families with kiddos. We don’t plan on going to Disneyland but we want to stay someplace close to the beach and rent a car to get around.
Any tips or ideas?
Please share any tips you have below!
Use Amazon Pantry to have snacks/groceries shipped to your hotel! That way you don’t have to worry about hitting the grocery store, and can still enjoy your vacation, but there is still plenty of easy snacks and meals around the hotel to avoid the need to go out to dinner.
I haven’t had any bad experiences on Spirit..every airlines has their issues, some more then others but have flown with Spirit a Ton of times to Florida with no issue.
The absolute best thing we have ever done in Florida is swam with the manatees in Crystal River. If you go in winter months, there are tons of them. But they do tours year round for approx. $60 per person (so worth the money), you get a wetsuit and boat ride to the spring and instruction on how to swim/snorkel with them. There are many groups in town that will take you, we stayed at Plantation hotel and used their tour group. My daughter was 9 at the time and did great.
I also love the Keys, especially Key West. The more family friendly places are near Marathon or Key Largo. The Key beaches are more for snorkeling than sunning, I would suggest Gulf side beaches for sunning/swimming.
Check out staying in Lakeland Fl. One hour to Tampa and one hour to Orlando. Clearwater has a beautiful beach Tampa has some nice water parks, a zoo, and alot of activities for kids.
Anyone have any coupons for car rentals? I’m also taking my son that has chronic migraines for a trip to Florida just to get him out of the house in the last two yrs. renting a car is so expensive for a single mom w all these medical bills! I would appreciate any tips too!
Do you have costco membership? Costcotravel.com have really good rates for renting a car
I do Heather, thanks for that’s tip!!
We look for a motel that has a kitchen in the room. That way we can buy regular groceries and save on eating out. We like Lauderdale by the Sea (close to Fort Lauderdale, but different town). It is an older area, but on the ocean and can usually get a motel for a reasonable rate within walking distance of the beach.