A Luxury Florida Vacation at a Budget Price

By Janice McSherry 

Even in a tight economy you can take your family for a vacation in Florida and stay within your budget. This may sound impossible or difficult but it is possible if you plan your vacation in advance.  I would like to share some of my tips, based on years of experience in Florida. 

Before we begin, I will not be giving tips for a second-class vacation, or one that will leave you thinking that you wished you had had more money to spend. Rather, when you show your photos and recount your experiences you will be satisfied and some of your friends will be envious. 

Let’s start with accommodations, because this is one of the biggest expenses in any vacation budget, as well as one of the factors that will determine your level of comfort and satisfaction. 

Would you like to stay in a fully equipped home with your own pool, rooms for each member of the family and all kinds of other amenities? You can do it if you opt for a rental villa or rental vacation home, rather than staying in a hotel. 

For example, suppose you want to visit Disney World and the other attractions of Orlando. Instead of staying in an expensive hotel you can rent a three-bedroom house with your own private swimming pool, located in a community that is a 15 minute drive from Disney World.   

Your vacation home will have TVs, DVD players, playstations and other amenities, and the best part is that the price for all of this is around $120 per night, depending on where you rent the home and the time of year of your vacation.  During the peak periods the prices are slightly more. 

If you are traveling with your whole family, then the per-person price of his accommodation is quite low, yet you will have ample space for everyone. 

Once you have comfortable and luxurious accommodations, there are other ways to make your vacation budget go farther.  Florida is well known for its state-of-the-art theme parks, and while you are there you will have to visit them.  However, some of the attractions are expensive and if you visit these locations, non-stop, then your total bill will be high. 

A solution to the high cost of theme parks and similar attractions is to balance your vacation with visits to wonderful, but low-cost and even free attractions.  What am I talking about?  Florida is endowed by Mother Nature with incredible natural beauty.  Spend some time in the state and national parks of Florida and you will be able to enjoy yourself without breaking the budget. 

For example, right in Orlando itself, take some time to visit the Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake. This is a beautiful 300 acre facility that is open year round, seven-days a week and features a number of outdoor activities as well as good camping facilities.  

Beaches, museums, botanical gardens, hiking and camping sites are just some of the places and activities that you can mix in with the more expensive attractions. Who knows, when you complete your trip some of these outings may rank in your top ten? 

So, don’t let the economy get you down, plan your vacation in Florida now and be prepared for the time of your life.