So, do not fall victim to the cost cutting strategies of going off season, etc. as this will significantly diminish the value of your vacation. Instead, look for ways that you can cut the cost of the vacation and still get the same value from it as you would paying full price. When you use a buy one get one free ticket to the movies, is the movie less enjoyable then it would have been if you have paid full price? No, so make sure you take the same approach to vacationing. While saving money is great, at what cost? If you think that you have to sacrifice the quality of the trip in order to reduce the cost, your approach to cutting cost of travel is flawed.

There are some great ways you can take your family on wonderful family vacations without paying full price, and without giving up the benefits of a family vacation. One quick example: If you were to take your family to Disneyland, and pay at the gate for entrance, you would pay about $94 for an adult, and about $59 for a child for a one day pass. If you take the time to go online before your trip, and check out the classifieds, Craigslist, etc. you will likely be able to find someone with a day or two left on their Park hopper tickets, that they would be willing to sell you for a reduced price. So, you would still get one day at Disneyland, but instead of $94 for the adults, you might pay $41-$60. Same experience, lower price.

The idea is to find tricks and tips to cut the costs of things you will do regardless, thus you still get the ideal vacation, but you get to do it for less.

Many times you can combine the activities you do for a lower cost. You can purchase a Southern California Pass that gets you into many of the biggest attractions in Southern California for one price, (About $250). This is going to cost far less than paying per event individually. For example, a Southern California City Pass might get you into Knotts Berry Farms, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, and Disneyland for 3 days. This gives you at least a 30% savings, compared to purchasing at the gate. That 30% can be put in your cash reserve.

Cut the cost of your travel, not the quality of experience, and save the difference. The next few articles you will receive will give you some great ideas for how you can still take great vacations, but pay less for them.