Taking a vacation doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg – if you take the time to plan ahead, use coupons, and keep an eye out for vacation specials, you can save a lot. Road guides usually have many coupons for hotels and discount coupons for places to visit. Last trip we had a Days Inn ad book and used a lot of the free or hefty discount coupons they offer. A senior card can offer you a discount of 10% or more at many hotel chains. Many hotels and restaurants offer discounts to seniors just by asking.

If you travel by car, with a 10% discount you can get $ 200 on a $ 2000 mini vacation. That buys a lot of gas. We decided last summer to take a seven-day trip to New England to just go sightseeing and visit some of its beaches. We arrived in Dennis, Massachusetts on a Monday morning with beautiful sunshine and warm 80-degree temperatures. Having never been there before, we took a room at the first sign of vacancy. The summer months are very busy and not having a place to sleep can ruin a great day.

After checking in we decided to go to the beach and spend the day. Its beaches are quite different from ours in that they have pebbles or stones and not so much sand. Beautiful crystal clear waters, uncrowded beach areas, easy parking, and no trash. There is nothing better than that. We stay on the beach until about three o’clock and then return to the hotel to shower and get dressed for dinner. There is a fantastic place called Yarmouth House that serves bacon wrapped scallops that are out of this world. My mouth is watering. Great decor and great service to boot.

We visit various local shops and then return to the hotel around nine. They had a great pool and a huge spa. Unfortunately they were closed. Since it was too late to venture out again, we went to his living room where we met a couple from New Jersey. When striking up a conversation, they said they had found a much better place to stay a mile away called Gull Wing Suites. We decided to look at ourselves in the morning. The next morning we took a short trip and found the place easily. Three-room suites, huge indoor and outdoor pools, and a spa for about twenty people at a time. Best part? Its price was almost half of what the first hotel charged and the facilities were open twenty-four hours a day. Easy decision to go back and collect our bags and move.

We spent time visiting Cape Cod with all its shops, but almost everywhere you go there are things to do and see. Reserve a day to visit Martha’s Vineyard safely. The ferry ride on a clear day is well worth it. If you’re a seafood lover, Massachusetts offers a wide variety of lobster, clams, mussels, scallops, and other delicacies prepared in a million ways.

We found that most, if not all places, offered special dinners or lunches between certain times of the day that were up to 50% off the regular price. So you eat at 4:00 pm instead of 5. Not a big deal and the added savings are well worth the adjustment. My wife kept an excellent daily log of money spent showing both the total price and the price we paid. Between rooms, meals and gas, we would have spent full price, $ 1,360. Our discounts came to $ 231. That meant we actually spent $ 1,129 total for seven days or just $ 161 per day inclusive.

Try and plan a mini-vacation close to home using all the discount coupons and special offers you can find and see how much you can save. We have not spared an iota and we will surely do it again this year.

Pete ackerson

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