Research shows that people often feel better about spending money on experiences rather than “stuff,” and what better experience to have than an amazing summer vacation?

While most of us love a great vacation, they’re undoubtedly expensive. If you add up the cost of airline tickets, hotel rooms, dining, activities and everything else, you’re almost always going to wind up spending thousands of dollars at a minimum.

This doesn’t necessarily work for everyone’s budget, but you can enjoy an incredible experience without spending your life savings, with tips like the ones below.

Rent an RV

If you haven’t considered renting an RV, you might want to now. First, RVs have gotten a lot more luxurious than you might envision. Also, while you have to pay the costs of renting it, it can actually save you a lot of money overall.

You won’t have to pay for airline tickets because you can drive to your destination. You can avoid hotel or resort costs, RV parks are cheap and easy to book and you can choose an RV with a full kitchen so you can stock up on groceries and supplies rather than eating out every meal.

Plus, you can visit places like National Parks, where the excursions and activities are often free or low-cost.

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Go For Off-Season Locales

By going places during their off-season, you can save a lot of money on pretty much everything.

For example, consider visiting a ski resort in the summer. It’s ideal because these places tend to be beautiful when the weather is warmer, and you can do things like hiking and biking, plus you’ll save on hotel stays, food, and general costs.

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You won’t have to worry about beating the crowds either.

Many Carribean islands also have their low season in the summer, so you might be able to have a tropical getaway for a fraction of what it would cost during the winter holiday season.

Membership Discounts

There are professional organizations and membership groups that offer discounts on a range of travel purchases. For example, members of AAA often get up to 15% off many hotel chains, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Make sure you’re taking advantage of all the discounts available to you.

Be Flexible

If it’s at all possible for you to be flexible when planning your trip, try to be. You can save a lot of money whether it’s on flights or hotels if you can travel on a Tuesday versus a Friday for example. The weekends and holidays obviously tend to be most expensive, so use a site that lets you enter a general time frame for booking your trip without having specific dates.

Then, you can compare and see how much you can save traveling during one window of time versus another.

Finally, think outside the box when it comes to your destinations. Obviously going somewhere like New York City or Paris is going to be more expensive than let’s say visiting a national park or going to a foreign country like Croatia. Do some research and explore locations where there are fewer travelers, and you’ll not only find some amazing hidden gems, but you can also save money.