Ensure your December vacation travel cost will be low by planning to vacation in your own city. Vacations that don't require airfare are reduced in cost considerably, as are vacations not requiring a rental car or lots of gasoline to get you to your destination. This way you can spend your money on doing things and enjoying amenities instead of buying gas or spending time in a plane or airport. So hole up at a nearby hotel and make your vacation a staycation with perks, ordering room service and taking advantage of nearby restaurants, fitness centers, museums and concerts in your own area.
It may seem awful to take advantage of a disaster, but visiting a place in need can offer you a change of scenery and a chance to change lives. Stay abreast of news reports regarding natural disasters and consider making those locations your potential vacation site for the December month. Your local Red Cross organization or church can offer legitimate ways to participate in relief efforts. But start checking the airline rates in October, when holiday airfares go on sale.
One of the most inexpensive vacations you can take is to a camp site. You can purchase groceries for the trip and haul your personal cooler, cookware and portable camping stove, further reducing expenses normally incurred by eating out. Entertainment won't cost anything either, if you choose physical exercise like day hikes and breathtaking views. Travel to and from the camping ground will be your largest expenditure, along with any entrance fees charged.
In the spirit of the holiday, since everyone is wanting to get together anyway, plan a family vacation in which all your siblings, parents and relatives can join in -- and help pay. Splitting the cost of a large beach house, like those on the Outer Banks of the Carolina coast line or Destin, Fla. would be prohibitive for a single family (as much as $10,000 per week in some cases) but not for four families or more, especially during December's off-season rate discounts.
