There are a lot of things that are hard in life, but planning a great vacation shouldn’t be one of them! A vacation also shouldn’t break the bank. A beach vacation is a big investment for most families, but finding a family-friendly and budget-friendly vacation destination shouldn’t be hard. Ocean Isle Beach is the perfect place to have a wonderful time filled with great activities on beautiful sun drenched beaches, all for an affordable price! This week we have all the best ways to have a fabulous beach vacation without busting the family budget.

Why Pay for a Hotel When You Can Have a House or Condo?

Hotels have their purpose, but they aren’t great for the budget. Besides, who wants to stay in a noisy cramped hotel room during their vacation? We have an island full of beautiful vacation rentals to choose from and Williamson Realty Vacations offers one of thelargest selections of rentalson Ocean Isle Beach.

Once you’ve decided on your lodging budget, let us know how many will be vacationing in your party and tell us about the amenities you’re looking for and our friendly reservationists will do their magic to find the perfect match for you.

A vacation rental home is economical for many reasons. They can typically house more people than a hotel. Often, it’s cheaper to rent an entire house than just a hotel room. Also, because you will have a living area, deck space, a kitchen, and there is plenty of reason to just hang out… you don’t even need to leave your home away from home. Your family can have game night, movie night, grill out, or walk out the front door to the beach. You can’t do all that at a hotel.

Bring Your Own Beach Gear and Toys

Beaches always seem to have tons of shops where you can buy things like snorkel gear, bathing suits, sunscreen, and the like. Plan ahead and shop at your local discount retailers or even online and save money by bringing your own snorkels, sand castle making gear, and sunscreen. Many beachside shops have an enormous mark up on products that will cost you two to three times what you can buy it for in other locations.

Eating in Is a Great Way to Stay on Budget

Eating out while on vacation is the easiest way to bust a family budget. By doing a little extra meal planning you can quickly save a few bucks. Forget all those gas stations snacks and instead pack a cooler before you leave home with plenty of road trip friendly snacks. Limiting the number of times you eat out while traveling will save money big time! If you have items to make sandwiches, fruit, pre-sliced veggies, crackers & cheese, pop-tarts or granola bars, drinks (don’t forget the water), yogurt, etc… you will be able to eat most meals on the go. Stopping at a rest area for a picnic is another great option.

Once you arrive at you vacation rental, take a quick inventory of your well-appointed kitchen and head to the grocery store. Plan meals that will produce leftovers and be sure to grab plenty of lunch supplies! Does your vacation rental have a barbecue grill? Then be sure to pick up plenty of seafood, meat, and vegetables to cook on the grill.

No different than at home, dining in is one sure way to stay budget friendly!

A Little Planning Can Add Up to Big Savings

There are a lot of ways to save on a vacation. We mentioned a few of them above, however the biggest thing you need to do is to plan. Take some time to discuss your family’s expectations. Plan what activities you’re going to do as a family. Discuss what souvenirs you might buy and how many times you plan on eating out. The reality is, expenses come when you do things spur of the moment. Having a reasonable budget will reduce stress and still allow your family to have an awesome time at Ocean Isle Beach.