This post may rub against the grain, but that’s my point. The August Mid-Atlantic beach vacation is one of my strongest pet peeves because it offers so little bang for the buck. Many TDM friends are either currently at or just back from East Coast beach vacations, specifically Rehoboth, Delaware south to Hilton Head, SC. While this year they got lucky and missed the hurricane action that has ruined many a vacation, the Delaware coast still got close to 7 inches of rain this past weekend. I challenge you to think a little differently for Summer 2013, and I challenge you to start now.
Instead of just renting the beach house in the Outer Banks because it’s what you do every summer and it’s too expensive to fly anywhere, I challenge you to look at the other options before succumbing to the boring beach rental. I challenge you to challenge your assumptions with a real information. Here’s how the Deal Family went on 5 trips this summer, spending a total of $2124 for 24 nights of vacation!
I helped a friend find a two bedroom beach townhouse in August and the grand total was $2,231.00 for 8 nights, or $279 a night including taxes, cleaning, and fees. Remember to add all fees to whatever you see to compare apples to apples. Since I found it I know that it was about the best deal out there! So our 24 nights cost less than their 8.
Tomorrow the Deal Kids and I leave for Montreal and Quebec City for a total cost of $660 for four nights, or $165 a night including air, hotel, and car. I accomplished this using a last minute flash sale, Marriott promotion, and Starwood points.
Two weeks ago, the Deal Family drove to Glade Springs Resort and spent a total of $344 for four nights, or $86 a night, using a package I bought over the Spring on Family Getaway.
In July, I spent 12 days in 3 cities in Europe for a total of $873, or $72.75 a night, including air, hotel, and car. Deal Dad and the Deal Kids went to see their Grandparents for free using United Miles via the Chase Ultimate Rewards card.
And we didn’t miss out on beach time, either. Over Memorial Day, we went to Hampton, VA and the Chesapeake Bay for $38 a night on Priority Club pointbreaks.
To sum up, we spent a total of $2124, pretty close to the amount our friends spent for 8 nights in a beach condo. However, we got 24 nights of vacation…almost an entire month over the summer!
How’s that beach condo looking again?
I’m not against traditions, just stagnation. If you wish your family could do something else but think you can’t afford it, just think a little harder. I’m challenging you to stretch your limits and just consider the possibilities before rejecting a seemingly crazy idea out of hand.
Who’s with me?
Original publish date: August 27, 2012.
