always do a day trip vacation at the beach. Pack a picnic, beach towel and a beach umbrella and you can have a day at the beach for the price of train fare or beach parking and gasoline in most cases. The trick is to get up early, beat the crowds and stake your claim to your piece of the beach. When I was broke and living in New York City, my little peace of mind and sanity happened every Saturday during the summer when I caught an early train to Jones Beach on Long Island to soak up the sun. I’d arrive by 10am and stay until about 2pm when the beach started to get crowded. On the West Coast, I recently discovered Paradise Cove for a PHOTO CREDIT: PIXABY taste of the private beaches in swanky Malibu. You can park your car for $25 for the day and either bring your own beach chairs, umbrella, etc. or you can rent a grass hut with two chaise lounge chairs for $75 for the day. They also rent beds on the beach for $50 per day and chaise lounges for $25 each for the day. They’re located right by the Beach Café that has amazing food and is also reasonably priced. For about $150, you can have a fantastic day at the beach in Malibu and you’ll probably see dolphins frolicking offshore as well. On a warm beautiful day though, keep in mind you do have to be there by 10am to secure your piece of Paradise Cove. [Note: You can rent cabanas starting at $250 for the day during the week. It’s a little pricey in my book. But for a day at the beach where I’m not fighting the public beach crowds, this is a very nice little find (outside of booking a night at one of the few hotels that are right on the beach in Malibu)]. The cheap vacations version: bring your own beach “camp” and go to Zuma beach or Manhattan Beach (my two favorite beaches in the L.A. area). Mini-Vacations and Weekend Getaways. When budgets are tight, but you need cheap vacation ideas, a mini-vacation or weekend getaway is the next best thing to an entire week off from work. Mini-Vacations are just that: a three-or-four-day trip versus seven days. You'll save a bundle in hotels and food since you cut the trip in half. I’ll never forget one weekend getaway while I was living in New York. A friend of a friend organized renting two vans to drive to Cape Cod for the weekend and then he booked us into a bed and breakfast in an old sea captain’s house. There were thirteen of us, but by splitting van rental, gasoline, rooms, etc. I think I may have spent a total of $200 maximum for the weekend. I hung out at the beach with my friends, we went on a whale watch, had lobster for dinner and so much more. We left on Friday night after work and returned late Sunday, but it was such a break from the city that it felt like we’d been gone for an entire week. There are lots of great getaways wherever you are that can give you that same sort of mini-vacation experience so that you come back refreshed. Short duration trips are great cheap vacations. You can always find great deals online for hotels and eat out at some of the local places instead of expensive restaurants but do treat yourself to one fabulous meal. Walk the city and find out what you can do for free or next to nothing. Most major cities have free museums, art galleries, parks and even the national parks can be a good travel deal. Camping. My idea of camping is sleeping with the windows open. I’m not a fan of camping, but if you are a big fan of the great outdoors, it can be a great vacation. By the time you get equipment and pay for campground fees these days, I’d rather stay in a clean motel or get a great travel deal online before I'd go camping to save money as cheap vacation ideas. If you do go camping, enjoy yourself and don’t forget the insect repellent. Mini-Cruises. You may think cruises are expensive, but you can take a short cruise (where you’ll get some great travel deals like I’ve taken cruises for $99). If you’re within driving distance of a port, then this can be one of the best cheap vacation ideas ever since you
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