Choosing To Stay With Friends And Family At Their Place For Vacation
In today's economy it's tempting to stay with someone you know or take advantage of an offer to vacation with them at their vacation home. In order to manage this type of vacation you need to consider whether you and your friends or family can navigate this type of vacation successfully. Use the guidelines below before trying to save money on your vacation by staying with someone else at their place for your vacation destination.
Consider the feelings of anyone you're traveling with. Ask your spouse or children about what they think of your plan. Never discourage communication by threatening that there will be no vacation if they don't agree to the family/friend option.
If you vacation and stay with someone else at their home or vacation home the other person is really not on vacation. While a beach house or mountain retreat is a vacation for you because you are a visitor, it is not a vacation for the homeowner. You'll have to decide whether visiting with your hosts is a priority for you or whether you really want to take advantage of a specific locale before agreeing to the vacation. If you are more interested in the location than visiting, you should consider an alternative place to stay.
Budget how much you're willing to pay to stay at a family member or friend's place. Gratitude can end up costing a lot of money if you find yourself treating to all restaurant meals because you're grateful for their hospitality.
Make sure you have your own transportation so that you have the ability to drive yourself places. This will help avoid negative feelings on both your end for being dependent on your hosts and on their end in terms of feeling like chauffeurs.
Try to plan each day of your vacation and communicate with your hosts about your plans before making the trip. If you sense unhappiness, disappointment or annoyance about the difference in what they imagined and what you imagine for your vacation then you should cancel the plans rather than assume you'll work it out when you get there.
Determine how much cleaning up after yourself you're willing to do. If your host is very conscientious about tidying up you might not want to feel obliged to scrub down the shower after every use.
If your host is messy and you don't want to spend your vacation time cleaning just to make yourself feel comfortable in their environment perhaps you should consider an alternative vacation plan.
If your friend or family member lives with another person or has children of their own decide whether all the personalities will get along. Whether you are with cousins or a parent or even a spouse, prickly parts of people's personalities can make visiting a nightmare. Your goal is to enjoy your vacation and avoid ruining a relationship in your life.
Saving money by staying with someone you know can be a way to vacation but it is not right for many people. Use the tips above before scheduling a vacation where you'll be staying with a family member or friend at their place as your vacation spot.
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