WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderYour Money: Affordable Getaways

Your Money: Affordable Getaways

By Dave Rivelli

Cutting your budget doesn't mean you have to put your vacation plans on hold. You just need to know when and where to look.

A few things over the past year made Michele Gorham and her family realize they needed a vacation together. "Life is too short to be sitting around worrying about what you should do with you money rather than enjoying the time you have with your kids," said Gorham.

She bought an all inclusive vacation to Disney World, a convenient way to plan a trip. "You know I don't have to go out and figure out everything its all done," said Gorham.

Paying for everything up front was cheaper and kept the family away from debt. "We weren't going to come back with massive credit card bills and that's what we wanted," said Gorham.

Travel agent Veronika Markgraf says traveling off peak season rather than traveling during the holidays can be the difference between going and staying at home, especially if you fly. "People are already booking for next Christmas that's how far off they book," said Markgraf.

Markgraf says some of the travel prices are based on school breaks, so arranging your trips outside of those windows is also a good idea."Well the kids are all out of school so everyone wants to go. So everything sells out quickly," said Markgraf.

Gorham didn't wait, she took her daughters out of school in October for their trip. "I think you have to know your kids you have to know your family you have to know what they are capable of," said Gorham.

Gorham says she looks forward to taking another trip in the future.

To the left of this story we have linked up to a couple of websites where you can find affordable weekend getaways.