3 Tips to Help You Save for Your Next Beach Vacation

How to Start Saving for Your Vacation

Life can be stressful, which is why you deserve to treat yourself to a nice vacation. There are plenty of mental and physical health benefits of taking a vacation, including decreasing burnout and increasing your mental power. Planning your dream vacation can be exciting, but as we know, it can also be expensive if you’re not prepared.

Many families avoid taking vacations because they believe that they won’t be able to afford to take one. However, if you start saving and organizing your trip now, your plan to take a vacation could come true.

Here are some of our tips to help you start saving for your next beach vacation:

Creating a Budget

One of the first steps to planning a successful vacation is to create a budget. If you don’t establish a budget of how much money you’re willing to spend on your trip, it can be difficult to follow a savings plan. You may want to keep track of how much money you spend each month on bills, groceries, and other expenses on your budget.

Once you establish your budget, you can focus on cutting expenses, finding a way to accumulate a second source of income, and allocating your money towards a savings goal.

Start Saving Your Money

Between flights, reservations, and setting aside money for food and activities, you can expect a vacation to cost anywhere between a few hundred to a couple of thousands of dollars, depending on where you want to go. Although your vacation’s initial cost can look intimidating, it can be an achievable goal as long as you take the right steps and give yourself enough time to save. 

Many families have found that opening a separate savings account and naming it can be great motivation!

Planning Your Airfare and When You Want to Travel

When you’re taking a vacation, there are times during the year that are more expensive to travel than others. For example, early June or late August is typically a great time to travel because not all students are on summer vacation. However, you’ll notice that holidays and weekends are more expensive times to travel. Do your research and plan accordingly! 

Are you looking for the perfect place to relax? Stay with us at Sands by the Sea! Located in York Beach, ME, we are proud to be one of York Beach’s most beloved motels. Contact us today to start planning your visit! 

Benefits of Staying at a Motel

When traveling there are many different options to choose from to book your accommodations. The key factors which determine where most people stay are usually comfort and value. People want the best option that costs the least amount of money. If you are looking for a deal, chances are a motel is your best bet.

Here are the benefits of booking your accommodations with a motel:

Save Money: Booking accommodations at a hotel can come with a high-priced mark-up, especially when booking through different travel websites. The advantage of booking at a locally owned motel is that you can book directly through their website or front-desk service which can help save money and time. Travelling can already become very expensive, so there is no reason to spend money unnecessarily. Almost always, if you see a price online with Booking.com or Expedia you can just call the motel and ask them to match that price or give you a better one. When you get the price you want it’s much easier to deal with the motel directly after that point instead of a 3rd party travel website that just delays solutions and enhances wait times and frustrations. If there are any questions, concerns or requests, you won’t have to deal with an answering service that sends your call overseas to a call center that will, in the end, just be calling the motel anyways. The motel itself will always offer superior and more efficient solutions.

Better Service: Oftentimes, chain motels have many different people coming and going with staff that can be less than pleasant. A smaller, locally owned motel has the advantage that they are able to provide a more personal service to their patrons with repeat and seasoned staff. Quite often the staff has been there at the motel for many years and the style within which they train their newer housekeepers is second nature and always the same. This will certainly provide a more consistent, refreshing and even cleaner experience!

Parking: Larger hotels have high-priced parking which can put a damper on your vacation fund. Some hotels will charge hundreds for their parking just for a short stay. Most motels have free or discounted parking. This is very helpful for road trip vacations. The parking is also much closer which makes it easier to access your vehicle whenever you need to.

Local knowledge: A motel can offer a personalized experience for many patrons. The front desk and concierge can provide a knowledgeable history of the location you are visiting and the best places, restaurants and sights to see.

Uniqueness: Many “big name” hotels are meant to be the same and if you’ve stayed at one, you’ve stayed at them all. With a local motel, you get the uniqueness of staying at a one-of-a-kind accommodation. Each motel has its own way of doing things. Each motel has its own style and history. These natural elements tend to be beneficial to the guests that stay there. Nothing can replace a unique experience.

Motel Myths: Quite often people think that a motel is a one trick pony, but many motels not only offer standard accommodations at good prices but oftentimes they will even offer family suites, connecting rooms, cottages or even luxury condominiums. These units tend to be much larger and accompanied with more amenities such as a kitchen, additional bathrooms, extra parking or even a private outdoor deck. With the growing needs of today’s savvy customers, the personal expectations of the ownership usually grows with those needs. When you contact your motel just ask them about the range of their accommodations and you could be pleasantly surprised. Remember that not all motels will have such choices, but some most certainly do and that can make all the difference between a good vacation and a truly memorable and enjoyable one.

Planning a trip to Maine? Book your accommodations with Sands by The Sea Motel! Our locally owned and operated motel is the ideal place to start your trip to Maine. Check rates & accommodations here!