| Most travelers look for bargains to go to far-away | | | | tell them you are a local and they will give you more |
| exotic places around the world. If they really do | | | | attention ;-) |
| travel to those far away exotic places, they realize | | | | 7. The local travel agency can give you the run down |
| that the local residents in those "exotic places" are | | | | on all the interesting places you can go to within 50 |
| eager to travel to far away places too, and | | | | or 100 miles surrounding your town. They may be |
| sometimes, that far-way place may be your | | | | able to arrange your trip, but you will save money by |
| backyard! | | | | arranging this on your own. |
| What is exotic to one traveler may be common | | | | 8. Local schools usually take children to fun places on |
| place to another. It is all in our attitude. As families | | | | "excursions". Find out more about these places and |
| get larger and our expenses expand to huge | | | | see if you can take the family there to spend the |
| proportions, many people decide that they just | | | | day. |
| cannot afford any vacations! | | | | 9. Look for off peak tourist season when most of |
| Our family almost decided on "we cannot afford to | | | | the attractions are hurting for business. You can |
| take any more vacations until the children graduate | | | | choose to go on a day when the weather |
| from college" mode when an advertisement on the | | | | cooperates and be able to enjoy the rides or sights |
| internet website caught my attention. It was offering | | | | without a lot of crowds. |
| "fantastic getaways in the pristine mountain ranges" | | | | 10. Using your own car helps save the cost of |
| right in the middle of my town! Oh well, I thought, if | | | | transportation. If you are traveling by train or bus, |
| there are people willing to try these mountains in my | | | | you may not have to use your vehicle. You can also |
| backyard for thousands of dollars, let me try to get | | | | bike to the mountains, climb up the mountains, hike |
| a nice deal and go see for ourselves what all the fuss | | | | along the valleys, or prepare a picnic for the family |
| was about! Maybe there is something up there that | | | | which you can enjoy in any park in your area. |
| we didn't know about. | | | | 11. Let the internet tell you what your country is |
| And it was wonderful! And the best part was that | | | | famous for. Go to any site like and on the left panel, |
| we accomplished it for 1/20th of the "fantastic | | | | click on your continent or country. Narrow down as |
| bargain" that the websites were offering it for! Now | | | | much as you can and look at all the tour that are |
| that's an amazing vacation! | | | | offered for thousands of dollars! Amazing, isn't it? |
| So here are some tips to find that fantastic bargain | | | | That a tour in your backyard can cost that much! |
| right in your backyard: | | | | Yup, tourists are willing to spend that much to come |
| 1. Look for advertisements in the local newspapers. | | | | and see your country, while you go to foreign |
| Usually there are more advertisements on Thursday | | | | countries paying thousands of dollars! J Get the drift? |
| and Friday as well as pages and pages of ads in the | | | | 12. You can take some camping equipment and go |
| Sunday Travel section. There are ads for cabins in | | | | sleep overnight under the stars. Eating by the fire, |
| local parks, RV rentals, hiking trips, meditation | | | | singing songs, dancing around the fire, telling each |
| retreats up in the pristine mountains. | | | | other stories in the dark. These are some of the |
| 2. Get a map of your town (or your country if your | | | | ways in which families can get together and get |
| town is too small). Look through the maps for | | | | some "quality time". Some of my neighbors allow |
| national parks, waterfalls, streams, gorges, mountain | | | | their children to pitch tents in their backyard and |
| ranges with lots of hiking trails, underground caves, | | | | pretend that they are camping out in the wilderness. |
| etc. | | | | If you go on day trips, you can save the money on |
| 3. Go to the local train station and see if they have | | | | accommodation. If you would prefer to stay |
| tours that take you around the city, town or to | | | | overnight at these destinations, make sure that you |
| neighboring towns. Sometimes, the neighboring towns | | | | get the local citizen discounts. You are already paying |
| have local fairs, market days, crafts shows, drama | | | | taxes for the upkeep of these tourist attractions |
| theatre, movie theaters, competitions, etc that would | | | | anyway! |
| be enjoyable to your or your children. The local | | | | You can also gather some of your relatives and |
| cross-country train trip in our area is supposed to be | | | | friends and make it a group vacation which can later |
| the best in the world. We are planning to go on that | | | | become a regular monthly or yearly ritual. If you rent |
| trip in the Fall season when the foliage puts up a | | | | a larger vehicle, you can go to many of our country's |
| grand show. | | | | sacred sites and monuments while teaching your |
| 4. Go the local bus station and see what they offer. | | | | children about their heritage and instilling in them a |
| They may even give you some coupons to use at | | | | sense of pride in their own culture. |
| various tourist stops in the way. Some of the bus | | | | In our haste to go rushing off to "exotic" places, we |
| rides are roller coasters for the children. | | | | forget that we all probably live in amazing places. A |
| 5. The local museums are a wonderful resource for | | | | desert is a beautiful place to people who live in a |
| tourists. There again, you may find information on | | | | place covered with ice and the ocean is a beautiful |
| other tourist spots in your town. | | | | place for people who live in the mountains. |
| 6. Your tourist office or "visitor center" is another | | | | Visiting our own monuments and sites helps to put |
| source of information. Usually there are agents sitting | | | | more money into our land as well as helping us to |
| there who can give you coupon books, detailed | | | | spend wisely for our vacation. This way, you, your |
| maps, tips on what sites you can see, the timings | | | | family and your country gain from this experience! |
| and information on the fees if any to be paid. Don't | | | | |