Florida Guide > Hints and Tips
Money Saving Tips for Planning your Vacation
When we first visited Orlando we had a package holiday that included a charter flight and stay at a hotel. I must admit for first time visitors this is a great way initially of getting to know Florida and Disney. However after this until we bought our own villa we arranged our own flights and booked a villa directly with an owner.
I know there are bargains to be had with last minute flights but you also have to be careful that prices do not increase the nearer you get to your required flight date. Cheaper flights can usually be had if you are going in late November early December March and April in the weeks that are not near Easter. Flight sales seem to happen in January and November and sometimes in May. Consider indirect flights I know they take longer but you can stretch you legs and perhaps even have something to eat. If an airline has an airmiles option join this you never know what your miles might buy you in future.
If you travel with Virgin airlines you can pre-order duty free items and they are delivered to you on the plane. I find the cigarettes in particular are much cheaper if bought this way.
When you rent a car if you are a large party it might be worth considering renting a large people carrier rather than two small cars. This will give you a saving but I know it can restrict the versatility of outings.
Look carefully at your car rental options it is sometimes cheaper to rent a car and pay for the fuel at the airport than rent a car with the fuel included in the rental price.
Consider renting a villa you would be surprised how economical these are for families. Just divide the weekly rental cost by 7 to get a daily rate then divide again by the number in your party it is amazing what a small amount per person per night will cost you.
There are many advantages of renting your own villa. Firstly not only do you have bedrooms as you do in a hotel or motel but you have lounges ( most villas have two) a dining room as well as another dining area that is located in a fully equipped kitchen. If some of your party are in bed, small children, you do not have to sit in your hotel bedroom with the TV turned down you have all the facilities of the villa to enjoy whilst they sleep.
You can also make considerable savings by eating in your villa instead of going out for all your meals. Publix Wal-Mart and Target are all great Supermarkets pick up their leaflets to see their special offers. All these do great steak and fish both of which are often on offer. Many restaurants will deliver take-aways to your home again you save on the dine-in prices. If you are in during the day you can have snacks bought in bulk in your kitchen rather than having to buy them as single items. We tend to buy a lot of fruit the oranges are fantastic and the girls sit with a plate of this as only food will tempt them out of the pool.
You will get hours of fun in the villa’s pool and do not always have to pay to go to the Water Parks. Some families have been known to say that going to the Parks was interrupting the children’s fun in the pool!
These are just a few suggestions for planning your holiday.
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