The unstable economy and high fuel costs are not necessarily reasons to forego your family vacation.
A little more planning and a few changes to your traditional vacation plans will let you stretch out your dollar a little further.
The biggest expense to your vacations is the cost of lodging and food.
Hotels and all-inclusive resorts are costly per night, so opt for a vacation rental and forego the costly hotel rooms and resorts prices.
Vacation rental properties will save you hundreds of dollars a night, especially when travelling with children that require additional rooms.
Not only will you save a few bucks, you will find that a vacation rental will leave you with a lot more room.
A rental property will also give you access to a kitchen, where you can cook some of your own meals, saving you more money.
Vacation rentals are readily available these days, with thousands of property owners looking to rent.
The internet has also made it easy for you to search down rental properties and directly connect you to property owners.
You can save hundreds a night by choosing a vacation rental property over a hotel.
The key to finding the right rental property is to do your homework.
Ask lots of questions and ask for photos.
Research the area and get the address of the property that you are interested in.
Once you have the address, you can Google earth it, so that you know exactly where it's located and what's located around it.
Check the references if provided, as many sites will allow vacationers to leave feedback on properties they have stayed at.