Budget March Destinations

Spring Break will be here before you know it and taking a trip during that time can be quite expensive. If you want to avoid the big budget splurges, but still get big fun and awesome out of your Spring vacation, there are great ways to do it. 

Spring is a great time to travel, because the weather is warm, but not too warm and most kids are still in school, so the crowds are small if you avoid typical Spring Break destinations like Miami and Cancun.

Set your budget

Here's a thought. Instead of picking a place and planning your trip around it, decide on your budget and work around that. You may find that there are places you hadn't thought of before, but are just as awesome (or better) than where you first thought you might go. 

• Scour deals on Groupon, Living Social and other daily sites for affordable vacations that might work for your time off. 
• Use Kayak's Explore feature to find destinations that fit within your budget for the month/season of your choice.
• Look at BookIt's promos for vacation packages that are awesome and budget-friendly.

Travel to less-popular beaches

Some destinations just draw college kids. You can avoid those large crowds so you can at least get a little strip of sand for yourself and not have to fight people to get to the bar for a drink.

• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
• Daytona, Florida (the small size makes it perfect for those looking for a bit of quiet)
• Puerto Rico (cheap accommodations and dining)
• Myrtle Beach (rent a condo for as little as $50)
• Costa Rica (stay way from the touristy spots)
• St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (no passport required!)
• Willemstad Curacao (stick to the all-inclusives here)

Look at true budget-friendly cities

Some destinations are just cheaper at certain times of the year. Here are a few that you may want to look a little more closely at, because prices in the month of March are their lowest.

• Nashville - whether you're into music, nightlife, food or history, Nashville has everything you could want
• San Diego - "America's Finest City" can definitely be spendy if you aren't careful, but there are a lot of ways to save and there are lots of cheap and free activities. 
• Montego Bay, Jamaica - with many direct flights from major cities, flying into Montego Bay can be pretty affordable, not only that, but the weather in March is lovely and there are lots of hotels in all price ranges. 
• Mexico City - it's not the touristy beach cities that will be packed this time of year, but Mexico City is metropolitan, safe and full of sightseeing adventures.
• Cairo, Egypt - Find 3- and 4-star hotels for under $70/night and avoid the oppressive summer heat, which will make your outdoor sightseeing much more pleasant and fun.

Some destinations don't really change in price no matter the time of year, which makes it really easy to plan a trip there, because there are no surprises. It just matters when the popular times are, but March is generally a low time for most non-beach cities, so you're usually pretty safe.

• Washington, DC
• Phoenix/Tempe
• Palm Springs
• Austin, Texas
• Los Angeles
• New York City
• Quebec, Montreal (has a great European feel, with a much lower price tag)

I hope this is helpful in planning a last-minute Spring Break or March getaway. Any time of year can be great for certain destinations. You just need to know when and where.

What's your ideal Spring Break destination?

Introducing Swag IQ! (US Only)

Want to earn money while answering fun trivia questions? SwagIQ (available for iPhone and Android) is a live, multiplayer trivia game show you play from your phone! 

Each weekday, Swag IQ broadcasts a live game. Simply tune-in at the appointed time by launching the SwagIQ app and log-in with your Swagbucks account credentials. If you don't have a Swagbucks account, you can sign up for one here and then download the app!

Our game show host will then ask a series of multiple-choice trivia questions. You’ll have 10 seconds to answer each one. Get it right; you get SB and move on. Answer them all correctly and you can win a grand prize! If more than one player wins, the winners split the grand prize.  

Get it wrong; still play along. Some questions have an SB award attached to them. If you answer those questions correctly, you get those SB, even if you’re out of the running for the big money. And, if you’re in a groove but miss a question, you’ll have the option to rejoin a game by redeeming a few SB.  

The first public game is today at 4PM Eastern Time/1PM Pacific Time. So, tune-in then win up to $1000 playing SwagIQ. The host will review how to play before the game starts!

The Beauty of Food Trucks

Last weekend Eric and I tried the brand new food truck pod near our house. It's no secret that Portland is the King of food truck culture. We have quite a few pods where 6 or more trucks are parked, making it super easy to choose something to eat. Food trucks are awesome, because they often have restaurant-quality food, but at lower prices. That makes stretching your travel dollars easier when you're on vacation. 

Our new cart pod has a wonderful family feel, but not in a way that makes you stay away because it's teeming with kids. It will eventually have a beer counter and dogs are, obviously, welcome. There's a patch of astroturf for the humans and another for the pups. 

Dining at traditional restaurants can really add up quickly, and if you're tired of your kids eating the same five things (pizza, mac and cheese, hamburger, chicken nuggets, PB&J), splitting entrees with your companions or ordering the least expensive options, then food trucks are where you need to be headed. You can experience some of the best food in the city for less, because you aren't paying for all the overhead (wait staff, tables, rental space). Unless there's a tip jar, you don't even have to think about adding extra to your bill. The truth is that even some of the spendiest items on a food cart menu are still less than plates at a normal restaurant. 

Food carts are the new gourmet dining 

Food trucks are all the rage. They are booming the world over. Lucky for me, I live in the number one food cart destination on the globe (as named by Travel + Leisure) and can eat cuisine from all over the world everywhere I go within Portland. From ice cream to Lebanese to Cuban, there is something for everyone, including this delicious waffle cart that makes a dough for their waffles and then tops them with all kinds of yummy combinations. Within the same block, we can have hot dogs, Hawaiian, Thai, Mexican, dumplings and Mediterranean. That’s not even all the choices! Each truck specializes in their few menu items, so you know it’s the best it can be.

More choices

How can this be when food carts are so small? Where there’s one food cart/truck, there are usually others. It’s unlikely for several of the same cuisine carts to gather in the same place, which means you have a choice of different kinds of food. This is great for those traveling with kids who are picky and never seem to want the same thing you are eating. Don’t like the dessert one cart is serving? Go check out what the others have to offer!

Mobile dining 

Not only is your restaurant mobile, but you can also take your food with you. Either eat nearby or enjoy your meal on your way through the city. It’s a great way to burn calories and save time when you want to get more sightseeing done.