Check out this Infographic scaling Sin City’s crazy tourism industry:

Some vacations are no brainers. Rome, a cruise, Las Vegas… all romantic as they get. And, expensive.

Other vacations are as cheap as you want to make them. And if your idea of romance is pitching a tent in a public park ten miles from town, then go for it, you can cover both bases.

But if both objectives drive your vacation planning, then be prepared to invest a little research time, creative thought and personal paradigm busting. They’re out there, but they’re not always obvious.

Here are five ideas that, depending on your budget and tastes, may allow you to check off both boxes. But remember, cost is relative, and romance is in the eye of the beholder and your partner. If digging clams in the rain isn’t her thing, the best ocean view on the planet won’t get you out of the romantic doghouse if that’s the lead attraction.

The Stay-cation

There’s nothing cheaper than staying at home. And, without a plan, nothing less romantic. The key to a successful stay-cation – one in which you actually set aside the real world and engage in fun and relaxation activities that are outside of your normal choices – is the degree to which you are willing to get outside your little comfortable box and try new things, especially when it’s just on the other side of town.

Plan each day of your stay-cation. Go to museums. Dig up attractions. Visit something historical in your area. Shop in unusual places. Eat out. Get massages and facials. Breakfast in bed. Go on a hike. Rent some movies, bring in theater popcorn. Send the kids away and hide the phone.

The best rule: no work, no household chores, nothing normal. And, the more you add your personal frosting of things romantic to the setting and activities, the more it’ll seem like you’re in Maui for a second honeymoon. Make a commitment that this is special time.

If you can fill each day or your stay-cation with something unexpected and deliciously self-serving for the two you, romance will naturally ensue. And you’ll save a bundle on gas, air, hotels and, if you pick some little out-of-the-way places, even food.

Consider a Last Minute Cruise

One of the few benefits of these tough times is the desperation of businesses who sell fun. Cruise ships are setting sail half-empty lately, which means the lines are offering last minute deals for as little as 25 cents on the dollar.

Yes, you can grab a Mexican or Carribean cruise for week on a great ship for as low as $300 to $400. Of course you have to get there, but overall a cruise has never been this affordable if you can manage to do it with a last-minute booking through an online source.

And of course, the romance onboard is as warm and fuzzy as it ever was.

The Thematic Vacation

Assuming you can leverage the times to snare some cheap travel and lodging, consider building your trip around a theme.

Go to Disneyland or one of the other major amusement parks with resorts. Rent a small camper/trailer and stay in their mobile park for a fraction of the cost of their hotel, or one nearby.

Drive to the next big town and go discount shopping. Hit all the factory outlets, eat and chain restaurants, pretend you’re on a reality show.

Visit relatives. Lodging is free, the food pretty good, and only you know the price of your pride or patience in this equation. As for romance, hold hand in the car and have some sizzling “quiet time” in the guest bedroom. They’ll never know.

Consider Camping

Seriously. Tents, sleeping bags, a cooler and a bag of sandwiches from Subway and you’re good to go. Drive far, drive near, bring marshmallows, hiking shoes and stuff to build a fire.

The romance part, that’s up to you. But it’s quiet out here, and nobody will know you.

Go Online

With the exception of gas, virtually every element of a trip you can think of is available online at a steep discount. From the occasional airfare to rental cars, hotels, meals and attractions, if you begin your planning early and are willing to dig through the search engines for deals, you’ll be surprised how far you can go on how little.

The romance part… well, like any aspect of romance, this is composed of choices you make and what you make of the moments that ensue from them. When you composite a vacation full of online discounts, the romance resides in the adventure and the unexpected, and the compensation thought that, if you get there and the place isn’t what you expect, at least you have each other.

“But everyone is going!” Sound familiar? Seven other girls in my daughter’s third-grade class are booked to go to sleepover camp in a few weeks. Six nights of sleeping in a cabin with no phone, chat or IM access allowed.

That means I can’t even speak to her for six nights and seven days while she roams the woods, probably forgetting her bug spray and SPF while being followed by the Florida gators that will be lurking everywhere.

When I grilled the camp director about the gators, his response left a lot to be desired. It was something like, “You know, every parent asks me about the gators, but they never ask about the snakes.”

Snakes?

According to Summer Camps and Trips, a website that offers no-fee camp referrals, “Research has found that the overnight camp experience promotes and enhances a child’s self-esteem, self-confidence and social skills.” The site goes on to say that these “three traits are deemed essential by experts in order for a child to become a healthy, productive adult.”

Let’s face it, summer camp can be fun! Kids are together, outside in nature, running, swimming, fishing, making crafts, roasting marshmallows and learning some key life skills like how to get along with others and how to be without their parents. And all the while making some lifelong friendships along the way.

 If you’re facing the sleepaway camp dilemma too, here’s what you can do first:

1.  Ask questions: Visit SummerCamp.org for a comprehensive list of questions you should ask yourself, your child and the camps before you make a decision. You’ll need to know about the food, safety, size of the camp, ages and qualifications of the counselors, activities, rules on bullying, opposite-sex mingling and what can and can’t be sent to the campers.

2.  Know the facts: Find out all you can by talking to the camp directors, counselors, other parents, and the kids themselves. Then search the camp on Google and the Better Business Bureau. Knowledge really is power. And it can be comforting too, especially when night three hits and you’re eyeing that bottle of wine or bottle of Valium. You can go back to your research and reread your notes on how everyone loved it and the counselors are the super-duper “bestest” ever.

3.  Dry Run: Start prepping your camper (and yourself) a few months before camp begins. Talk often about the rules of the camp, what you’ll need to pack and what to do in certain situations like feeling homesick or not liking the food. Depending on the age of your campers, practice things like heading to the shower alone, getting out clothes for the day and even making sure to brush those knots that will grow if left alone for a week or more! A prepared kid will be happier camper.

Take baby steps and do a few searches online, talk to some friends and then take a big breath and dive into the overnight-camp experience. You’ll be glad you did.

Note from Frugal Dad: We recently faced the dilemma of picking and choosing from a couple different summer camp options. It just isn’t possible to say yes to all of them, because they have become quite expensive. If your kids are like mine, and will be home most of the summer, here’s a list of 14 summer activities for kids - guaranteed to keep your kids from saying “I’m bored” for at least two weeks! Well…maybe.

I may be a wee bit travel-obsessed. I devour travel books and magazines and spend hours on tripadvisor.com looking at hotels in Suriname and Morocco that I will probably never visit. So when a friend of mine recently mentioned that she is a veteran home swapper, my interest was greatly piqued.

Simply put, a home exchange is when two parties agree to trade homes for a pre-determined interval. There are many types of agreements, including simultaneous and non-simultaneous exchanges, hospitality exchanges, and exchanges with a vehicle option.

Home swappers normally pay a fee to join a home exchange service, but there is no charge for accommodations once a swap is agreed to by both parties.

The concept of home exchange has been around for a long time, but dedicated websites have taken the home exchange concept to a new level. There are many websites dedicated to introducing prospective home swappers to each other. Some have huge databases of potential exchanges, while others focus on niche markets such as luxury homes or home swaps for singles.

The Upside

• Cha-Ching! Your family can visit countless destinations and pay nothing for accommodations, beyond the nominal fees charged by the exchange service.

• Local Flavor: You can live like a local by drawing on your exchange family for tips on cultural events, restaurants, shopping, and attractions.

• No Hotel Hassles: You will be immersed in a community rather than being warehoused in a bleak hotel with impersonal service.

• Free Wheels? You may be able to negotiate the use of the exchange family’s car, avoiding pricey rental car fees.

• Convenience: When you stay in someone’s home, you will have use of the kitchen, computer, laundry room, DVD player, toys and games, bookshelf, etc. Cooking and washing at home are huge money savers and all the other items are gravy.

• Camaraderie: You may develop personal connections and long-lasting friendships with other home exchange families.

• Safety: In many cases it is safer to have visitors in your home rather than leave it unoccupied during your vacation. Home exchangers can alert you to any problems that arise during your absence (e.g., leaky roof) and their presence will serve as a deterrent to burglars.

• Free Pet-sitting: Your exchange family may be willing to babysit your pooch while you are on vacation saving you expensive kennel fees.

The Downside

• Time Suck: It can be difficult and time-consuming to find a suitable exchange property. The sheer volume of listings can be overwhelming, and factors such as location, party size, travel dates, and home amenities and quality can make finding an appropriate exchange a chore.

• Ick Factor: It might give you the heebie-jeebies to have a stranger in your house or to stay in the home of a stranger.

• False Advertising: Inaccurate property descriptions are said to be uncommon, but are always a possibility.

• Tough Sell: Homes in resort or tourist destinations are obviously easier to trade. If your home is in the middle of a wheat field, you might have a harder time attracting potential swap partners.

Other Considerations

Normally homeowner’s policies remain in force during a home exchange. This is because visitors are considered guests as opposed to renters, since no money changes hands during a home exchange. Likewise, car insurance normally covers drivers that are using your car with your express permission.

It’s a good idea to check the details of your specific homeowner’s or auto policy or speak to your insurance agent before committing to an exchange. It’s also acceptable to include parameters for the use of the vehicle such as mileage or travel restrictions and minimum age for drivers.

Most swaps are simultaneous, meaning the two parties occupy each other’s homes over the same time period. However, there are also plenty of non-simultaneous swaps available, especially since many people use their vacation homes for exchanges.

A hospitality swap is when you visit another party’s residence, while they are home—essentially as their houseguests. The type of swap you arrange depends on many factors, including the flexibility of your travel dates, your preferred destination, and personal preferences.

Trust, but Verify

The entire principle of home exchange is based on trust: trust that the homes will be as advertised, that both parties will adhere to the stated timeframes and conditions, and that the properties will be cared for responsibly during the stay. Most veteran home exchangers report that the degree of mutual trust and respect is quite high, and negative experiences are rare.

The most important factors in ensuring a positive home exchange experience are good communication and thorough research. Exchanging details about the properties and researching the area to be visited will keep surprises to a minimum and leave both parties satisfied.

Where to Start

There are loads of home exchange sites on the Internet, but a few popular sites are:

• homeexchange.com
• ivhe.com
• homeforexchange.com
• digsville.com
• homebase-hols.com

For newbies like me, it’s also helpful to get advice and tips from experienced exchangers. There are numerous blogs on home swapping, such as homeexchangeguru.com, which provides valuable insights and information.

Now for the hard part—deciding between an apartment in Amsterdam and a cottage in Scotland…

This article was written by contributing author Laurel Gray.

Editor’s note: I found this to be a very useful list as it filters ticket-buying sites and focuses more on ways to save once you arrive at your destination. This is especially helpful to someone like me who absolutely hates to fly, and is more interested in discounts on attractions and hotels than airline tickets.

1. Discover America

For a limited time (every weekday from April 11 – May 13, 2011), this website offers different vacation packages and deals every day.  Previous expired offers included things like a night a Country Inn and Suites for $56 (April 21st, 2011) or a pass to Sea World for $39 (April 12th, 2011).

Each day you’ll need to be fast to have your chance to get in on these highly discounted offers.

FYI – Those who purchase with an American Express card save an extra 10%.

2. Groupon and Living Social

Yes, most of us have already heard of Groupon and Living Social.

However, before heading on vacation, you should set your accounts to show you deals for your vacation destination city.  I’ve noticed that most Groupon type offers tend to be entertainment related, so this could be a great way to save extra cash on vacation.

3. Yapta

Depending on the airline that you used to buy your plane tickets, you might be eligible for a refund if the price goes down.  This is where Yapta enters the picture.  Yapta allows you the chance to track the cost of tickets between two destinations.  If the ticket purchase price goes down and your tickets are eligible for a refund, you can get money back from your plane tickets.

4. CityPass

There are only a limited number of eligible cities that offer CityPasses, but if you happen to be going to one of these cities for vacation, you’ll find that your family can get in on a lot of cool activities for a great price.

Here’s a sample of the price and activities included in the San Francisco CityPass.

For $69 for adults and $39 for kids, you can get a Muni & Cable Car 7-Day passport.  Additionally, you can get admission to the California Academy of Sciences, Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise, Aquarium of the Bay, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), and de Young Museum or Exploratorium.

5. Entertainment Book

This might be a stretch since it is not actually a website (though you can buy the book from their website).

The Entertainment Book is a money saving book that it packed full of coupons.  With hundreds of 2 for 1 coupons, you can really minimize your vacation cost by keeping one of these in your rental car or backpack when you’re seeing the sights.

6.  Restaurants.com

If you are the type of person who likes to plan every detail of your vacation, you might be able to use restaurants.com to help you plan out your meals for vacation.  With Restaurants.com, you buy discounted gift cards for different restaurants.  You can easily save $25 per meal.

7. To and From the Airport

If you are traveling to a destination that does not have a shuttle, you can check out this website and be sure you’ll be able to find the most economical way to get from the airport to your destination.

What websites do you use to help you save money on your vacations?

Leverage the Internet

By now, most people are familiar with sites like Expedia and Travelocity for comparing airfares. But comparing fares doesn’t help much if all of the prices are still out of reach. In order to pinpoint the cheapest fare, try an airfare monitoring site such as Airfarewatchdog.com or Yapta.com.

These sites will track your desired itinerary and send you an email alert when the fare dips. Always select the “flexible dates” option to find the combination of departure and arrival dates that results in the lowest fare. Yapta presents the information in a grid which makes it easy to see how fares fluctuate from day to day.

Let’s Hear It for Wednesday

According to Farecompare.com, Wednesday is historically the cheapest day to travel domestically. The next best choices are Tuesdays and Saturdays. We all dread those early morning departures, but leaving on the first flight of the day (or on a red-eye, if available) will also keep your costs down.

Be Flexible

Be flexible not only in your travel dates and times, but also in your destination itself. Airfarewatchdog.com has a function that allows you to find all low fares from your starting point to a variety of domestic or international locations. $455 RT from Philly to London anyone? Using this function is a great way to liven up your travel planning—you might start off expecting Orlando and wind up in Barbados.

Book a Package

Many online travel sites offer superb deals when you book your hotel along with your room. On a trip to Thailand, I got three super-cheap nights in a swank Mandarin Oriental plus airport transfers that I used on arrival and departure. It was convenient, inexpensive, and gave me the chance to stay in a hotel that normally would have been out of my price range.

Sacrifice Convenience

If there are multiple airports in your area, check fares from all airports. Sometimes you can save a bundle by driving an hour or two out of your way (for example opting for MDW instead of ORD or BWI instead of DCA). You can also sometimes save by choosing an itinerary with multiple stops instead of a direct flight.

You will lose some convenience with both choices, but the airfare savings may be too good to pass up. These tips and more can be found on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement’s website.

Stay on the Case

Did you know that if you book your tickets and the price of the same itinerary drops after your purchase, that in many cases you can obtain a refund? It’s not a myth! After I purchased tickets for a coast-to-coast trip, I continued to monitor the airline ticket price and found that it dropped by almost $100. I called the airline directly and they honored the lower fare.

Travel in a Pack

It can be difficult to make travel arrangements for a group of friends or family due to conflicting work and school schedules, but if you can manage it, the benefits can be huge. My family has perfected the art of pack-travel, sometimes migrating in groups of up to 30 people of all ages. There are several advantages to this type of travel: saving on lodging, saving on meals, privacy, and companionship.

For example, on numerous occasions we have rented houses for our travels instead of a block of hotel rooms. Each family’s share of the house works out to be much less than a hotel room for the same number of nights. Having a kitchen at our disposal allows us to eat in and reduce or eliminate trips to expensive tourist restaurants and also to prepare foods for those in the group with special dietary needs. Lastly, having a house to ourselves affords privacy (at least from strangers) and allows us to share a new adventure with familiar faces.

Most rental houses are not residences and can be booked online like regular hotels. But today more and more people are renting their homes on craigslist.com and other sites, especially when there is a big local event, such as the Master’s Tournament in Augusta, Ga. Some states and municipalities restrict the renting of private residences, so check carefully to ensure the rental is legal before committing.

Groups may qualify for discounts on transportation, meals, park or museum fees, souvenirs, and more, further reducing costs.

Travel Off-Peak

Sure, April in Paris sounds grand, but you might wind up paying through the nose if you elect to travel at times of peak demand. For example, hotels in Costa Rica normally have three room rates: green (low) season, high season, and peak season (Dec 15 to Jan 15). Rates for high season are typically 50% higher than green season, and peak season rates can be more than double the low season rates. Weather during most of the green season is glorious, so it doesn’t make much sense to book during high season, much less during peak.

Airfares, like hotel rates, are also subject to peaks and valleys depending on demand. You may be aware that Fridays and Sundays are the most expensive days to travel domestically, but did you know that Wednesdays are cheapest? When you are researching fares online, be flexible, and always try out several departure and return dates to capture the combination that results in the lowest fare.

Dare to (Gasp!) Skip Disney

I know it borders on heretical, but consider skipping Disney for your family’s big vacation. Disney World and Disney Land and all the Disney-related parks do an amazing job on the collective consciousness of the American public, making us nearly powerless to say “no thanks” to their relentlessly marketed attractions. Children have a near-universal expectation that they will be taken to Disney at some point, and peer pressure reinforces this expectation.

Once, and with great dread and foreboding, I caved in and took my children to Orlando. I found it to be overpriced, overcrowded, and full of unhealthy food—in short a poor value for the money. I know the Magic Kingdom is dear to many hearts, but for my family one visit was more than enough.

Instead of shelling out money for steep entrance fees, expensive hotels, and bad food in Orlando, we now opt for an amusement park (Kings Dominion) that is closer to friends and family in our home state of Virginia. The entrance fees are a fraction of the cost of the Florida theme parks, the rides are as good or better, and the lines are much shorter, especially in the afternoon and evening hours.

By watching out for special deals online, we were able to snag deeply discounted tickets last year. We stay with friends and family and turn the trip into a mini-reunion. What is really nice is that my children (now 8 and 10) understand the value of this choice, and even feel empowered by it. They frequently make comments about how “our park” is better than Disney.

Editor’s note: I have to agree with Laurel about Disney World. Our family went last year and it was fun, but been there done that! If you decide to go, be sure to check out our list of Disney savings tips and lessons learned. Lots of good reader tips in the comments there, too.

Vacation Locally

Rather than fly to an exotic vacation destination, investigate local options that you can reach by car. Many of us are guilty of never visiting the major attractions that are in our own backyards. Sometimes these less-frequented spots provide the most memorable vacations. For example, the Lost Sea in Tennessee is an impressive cavern system with the largest underground lake in the United States.

There are thousands of similar attractions all over the United States and Canada. Go to state tourism board websites or local Chamber of Commerce sites to find visitor info for your state and neighboring states. Many of these sites also have special packages and discounts that will make planning a local vacation even easier on your wallet.

This article was written by contributing author Laurel Gray.

Naturally, I had several questions for them, and after trading emails a couple times I realized they were natural frugalists – mostly because they had to be! Lainie and Miro agreed to answer a few questions and share more of their experience here.

Which country have you found to be the cheapest to live, comfortably?

Ah, this is a very interesting question. I think living cheap and comfortable are separate concepts and I will answer them separately here. Living cheaply in another country is different than living frugally in the United States. However, we take a budget of what would equate to living frugally in the States and have the opportunity to live richly by experiencing different cultures.

I am traveling with my son on an eight-year around the world adventure. We live on a small budget and have several strategies to keep our expenses down.

Our combined budget for living and traveling for both of us is around $1000 a month, sometimes less, and in all honestly a few months we have spent more. However, this is a budget not possible in the United States. We do live frugally based on American standards, and have managed to maintain that in every country we have visited, so far.

However the description of living frugally is not really an accurate one because the economic standards are very different compared to the United States, and different in each country we visit. So far, we have been traveling through Latin America – for the first year and a half we were in Central America and now, we find ourselves in South America.

Living comfortably is a different concept altogether, and if we address standards of living (sometimes equating to products and conveniences) to the United States, you will not be able to reasonably compare. Apples to apples, oranges to oranges. So, what we have done, is adapted to travel with a long term plan which allows us to live in a country as close as possible to living as a visiting local.

What we don’t do is visit a country like a typical American tourist. We do not stay in expensive hotels or condos built for foreigners, dine at expensive restaurants, or take the exclusive tourist excursions. Yes, we may be missing some part of the experience, but we are traveling around the world in order to experience the culture, not something you can do if you only opt for the tourist experience.

We found both Nicaragua and Guatemala to be two favorites, so far, both economical. There were differences between both experiences and both places, however we lived in both long(er) term, one for three months and the other for eight months. In both instances we lived in a quaint colonial towns, with lovely pastel buildings and a wealth of history.

In  Nicaragua we lived in Granada, and in Guatemala we lived in Antigua. Both places offered a pretty good infrastructure for us, including internet (for the location-independent worker), modern supermarkets, gyms, and good public transportation. Also, both had a large population of Westerners living both within the city proper and the surrounding areas.

In Nicaragua, my son and I shared a large private bed room with each other with a private bath in a hacienda style house with 8 bedrooms total. The house was a typical Spanish-style house with all the rooms surrounding  an open garden in the center of the house. The home had many shared living areas from a front sitting room, garden area with hammocks, two dining rooms and two kitchens.  Our monthly rent was $200, but did not include internet or laundry.

In Guatemala, we rented a large 3 bedroom house near the city center.

The house shared 3 walls with the neighboring tenants. Our house was two levels, had a small open-air garden, a big beautiful kitchen, a main living room, washer/dryer, and cable and internet for $650 a month.

During the seven months we lived there, we  rented out one the two extra bedrooms on weekly or monthly basis which left our portion of the rent to be on average around $350 – $400 a month.

There are definitely differences though between the countries and our living experience. For one, Nicaragua is much hotter and the quality of life for the general population was tougher due to the heat. There is fruit readily available on trees through the city which many people eat.

There are class divisions for sure in Nicaragua. In the neighboring capital of Managua, you have a few very wealthy, but the majority lives in poverty. We found the food was generally bland, a lot of gallo-pinto which was rice and bean, fried fish, and an abundance of chicken and pork was available. There was a low selection of fruit; we still haven’t taking a liking to things like sour star fruit, jamaica, and granadas, to name a few.

Interestingly though, none of the fruits were very sweet and neither Miro nor myself grew a fondness for them during our stay. Fresh vegetables were not very abundant other than tomatoes and potatoes. Nicaragua did have a rich history and people especially in the city we lived in were highly politicized and passionate about improving their lives. Overall, our stay there was comfortable, economical, the weather was hot and the people were passionate and helpful. We would absolutely spend time there again.

Guatemala has two distinct populations, the indigenous or people of Mayan decent and the people with a majority of lineage of Spanish decent. The indigenous still lived in villages. The women still wore the traditional costumes and the community functioned much the same way it did hundreds of years ago. They did not integrate into modern culture with the exception of mingling for commerce. The Mayans are farmers and from my observation, tend to work well together.

In comparison to Nicaragua, which has no current indigenous culture, the Mayans in Guatemala filled the markets with exotic  fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, rice and spices all for pennies, by American standards.

A trip to the market where I’d purchase produce for the week (we tend to cook vegetarian at home) would cost me about $10 a week. I would buy a large pineapple, and a large papaya to  make juice (liquidados) , strawberries, and black berries. Also included in in $10 a week budget would be tomatoes, spinach lettuce, onions, potatoes, green onions, squash, green beans and black beans and rice. Eating on a budget and healthy in Guatemala was easy to do.

Your son is getting a great education by expanding his world view, but how do you keep up with the formal educational requirements?

We have opted not to follow formal education, thus making the formal educational requirements not a focus. We are “world schooling” or “radically unschooling,” a formal name given to many in this movement.

However, traveling is not a requirement of unschooling, but it  just happens to be how we are experiencing it.

We actually did a podcast episode talking all about unschooling, even spoke with another single mom who’s raising her son the same way. It’s an interesting conversation.

How do you receive (snail) mail?

We don’t. On the rare occasion I need to have something snail mailed to us, I have a family member accept it on my behalf. Part of our goal preparing for our trip was to radically disconnect from all traditional ties. I have no credit cards, therefore I have no credit card statements. I do still have an American bank account, however, my account is set to the ‘paperless’ option. All of my other correspondences are digital, sent to my email account. I do still have a California telephone number through Vonage  and am notified of messages via email.

What’s your favorite cuisine? Your son’s favorite?

We have only traveled so far through Latin American countries so I’ll answer this question based on our travels. I love all the fresh fruits and vegetables available in Guatemala. However, as I write this here from Colombia, I have since discovered many new fruits that are absolutely amazing.

I fell in love with nispero, which kind of looks like a potato, but it tastes like a cross between a pear and a date. I also love uchuvas, which are tiny orange-like grapes which are sweet and sour at the same time. So easy to keep popping then in my mouth. Also love zapote which is related to the nispero, but is orange and fleshy inside. Of course, the papayas always excite me and my son has become a mora (blackberry) addict.

I learned how to make traditional black beans in Guatemala, taught to me by one of our friend’s mom, and I love fresh black beans with rice and chili. Also, I learned how to make arapas in Colombia which are white corn pancakes fried with cheese. Also, in Panama, I love all the fresh ceviche. I have been told to expect amazing ceviche once we get to Peru, so I’ll check back in and report my findings.

Miro’s all time favorite food is an El Salvadorian special called pupusas. Like the arapas, they are a corn pancake, but they are somewhere between a tortilla and a pancake. We would go to a pupusaria in Guatemala, that offered pupusas stuffed with everything from mushrooms, chicken, chorizo, onions, bean and cheese. Wow, just writing this make our mouths water.

Read: Miro’s blog post about his favorite foods

The key to staying on a tight budget is eating local, eating as the locals do and buying local. There are those occasions where we’ll shell out the ridiculously outrageous price to by a jar of imported peanut butter, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. If we wanted all the regular foods from the States we would be better off staying in the States.

Tell us more about couch surfing. Any particular concerns/lessons learned for parents looking to doing this with kids?

We absolutely love the couch surfing project.

Couch Surfing is a community of people, not to be confused with simply a free accommodation. It is true that one of the many benefits of Couch Surfing is that it can make your travels more affordable, however the most meaningful benefit is the connection you make with other Couch Surfers. We have experienced cultural exchanges that help us experience the world as a safe place to live and travel.

In our opinion, The Couch Surfing project helps to raise the collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate greater cultural understandings. All that, by opening up one’s personal spaces, hosting & being hosted and sharing what it means to be a global citizen.

We have been involved in Couch Surfing since 2007, when we hosted our first guest in our Los Angles loft. We continued to host many people over the year before we left the country, somewhere around 30 guests over that period of time. After that, we Couch Surfed in Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, until finally settling in Antigua, Guatemala for 7 months where they became one of the only couches available and ended up hosting well over 50 travelers during that period of time.

Lainie and Miro were even featured in an article on CouchSurfing.org.

Without a steady income (or steady expenses), how do you handle budgeting?

When you don’t have a lot of money, it’s easy to be frugal.  We walk a lot, take local buses, eat locally and volunteer.

We live as if it’s a privilege to be in the countries we visit. With that attitude, it’s easy to give back, either by helping out how ever we can, volunteering or being of service some other way. As locals invite us into their homes, we are always in a state of gratitude and the exchange is never about money, it’s about sharing our unique cultures with one another.

I cook a lot for our hosts, play with children and even help out with English lessons. Our attitude is never about what can we get, it’s about what can we give, and since money isn’t an option for us, we’ve become more creative with our giving.

It’s simple to live mindfully, frugally, and in a state of grace with that concept.

The funny thing is, even when our money gets tight, we always seem to have exactly what we need.

I do work freelance design from the road to support us, however my goal is to phase that out entirely. We have started to generate a little ad revenue from our web site and travel podcast at RaisingMiro.com. Also, we receive donations from our listeners, who are inspired by our journey and have become inspired to support us.

How do you move (both locally and country to country) without wiping out savings?

We travel by bus and have actually come to love bus travel. I tend to sleep like a baby on buses and because of my small stature, I don’t usually have problems with cramped seats. Local buses are the cheapest, but there long distance bus companies that offer direct routes. It depends if we’ve decided to travel to our next destination or desire to explore the smaller villages along the way. That will determine how we travel.

There have been a few occasions when we have flown, but only if there is no other option. We never book our flights through American website outlets, as they are always more expensive. If we do fly, we research the countries local airlines, then try to book through their web sites. Sometime that requires asking for help from a native speaker is an English version of the web site is not available. Making mistakes on flights can be an expensive mistake.

Some will argue that a “nomadic lifestyle” does not provide a stable environment for kids. How do you respond to that?

I suppose one could argue living a mainstream lifestyle consisting of waste, mindless consumption  and fear is not a healthy or stable way to raise a child either. Stability is simply a man-made concept and we can perceive our lifestyle as being more stable because of the life preparation my son is receiving.

In my mind, raising my son with the world as his classroom, real-life learning as his teacher and hands on experiences cannot compare with the a traditional life back in the States. We slow travel, therefore we immerse ourselves in the communities we visit.

Will this adventure eventually stop, and if so, are you scouting a place to settle down?

Eventually I suppose it will. Or perhaps it will not. I assume though after my son turns 18 he will no longer desire the company of his mom. He has the best attitude though. He says he wants to experience every country in the world in order to know exactly where he wants to live.

If I had to make a guess now about his life path, (which could change) I would guess he’ll do something like join the peace corps and combine his love for travel and service. Only time will tell. But I am certain of one thing, the  education he is receiving from both a humanitarian perspective and with a true understanding of how local economies work, he will do great things with his life and for the world.

Thanks again to Lainie and Miro for taking time to address these questions. Always enjoy reading new perspectives from others with experiences vastly different than my own. Another personal finance blogger, Baker from ManvsDebt.com, has chosen to take a similar path, and is currently traveling for a year (domestically) by RV with his wife and young daughter.

10 Disney Vacation Tips (and a Few Lessons Learned for Next Time)

1. Fast passes rock, if you can get them. We didn’t really get into the Fast Pass system until the second day, but wished we had figured it out sooner. Basically, with Fast Pass you can get a ticket for each member of your party at a particular ride and return during the time window on your ticket to be ushered past the people in line and right up to your ride. We didn’t spend more than 10 minutes waiting on rides for which we had a Fast Pass.

Couple important notes. All members of your party must be inside the park for your park tickets to dispense a Fast Pass. I learned this the hard way when I got up early to get Fast Passes for the ride Soarin’.  After waiting for the park to open, and nearly sprinting with hundreds of others to the Soarin’ ride, I found out Fast Passes cannot be redeemed unless the owner of the park ticket has entered the park that day. Bummer.

Fast passes go quickly for the most popular rides. Pick one or two rides you really want to get to in each park and try to get a Fast Pass, else you’ll be waiting an average of 90 minutes in line to ride.

2. Rides dump you out at gift shops, hold on to your wallet! Walt Disney World has marketing down to a science. It was no surprise that most major rides dump you out in a gift shop. While we did spring for a magnet or two, and even a family picture on one of the roller coasters, most times we tried to make our way out as fast as possible!

They should give the following post-ride instructions to frugal folks, “When exiting the ride and entering the gift shop, hold on to your wallets, keep your heads down, hands in your pockets and run!”

3. Be ready to walk, and walk, and walk. I forgot to pack my pedometer for the trip, and refused to buy another, but I’m guessing we easily walked five miles a day looping around the parks, walking to and from shuttle pickups, hotels, etc.

One excellent tip a friend shared from their Disney vacation was to catch a few sit-down shows in the various theaters, even if you don’t think you’d be interested. The theaters are air conditioned, have comfortable seating, and offer a 15-20 minute break from standing and walking. We particularly enjoyed “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” in Animal Kingdom and the Monsters Inc “Laugh Floor” in Magic Kingdom.

4. Bring something to occupy kids while in lines. This counts as a lesson learned, because it isn’t something we prepared for ahead of time. Disney involves a lot of waiting. Waiting for rides, waiting for food, etc. Consider letting kids take along a portable game system (Nintendo DS, for example), music player, book, etc. Boredom is highly contagious while waiting 70 minutes for a ride.

5. Consider purchasing the Disney dining plan. I did not keep meticulous receipts from our meals (after all, we were on vacation), but I am convinced our decision to purchase the Disney Dining plan was a good one. With my mother-in-law included, our family of five would have had to pay around $65 for quick service meals, and close to $200 for buffets and restaurant meals.

6. Make reservations at sit-down restaurants, unless you enjoy burgers, chicken fingers, and mini carrot cake desserts every meal. Speaking of restaurants, we quickly grew tired of the quick-serve menus. Sure, burgers and fries, or chicken fingers, make for a decent lunch on the run, but after a while they get hard to stomach.

We only made reservations for three or four meals, and I wished we had done more. We enjoyed the Beirgarten in Epcot’s Germany section, Ragland Road Irish Pub in Downtown Disney, and Tutto Italia, also in Epcot (now this was authentic Italian food – delicious!).

The Rainforest Cafe, just outside of Animal Kingdom, offered the most unique dining experience (this wasn’t on the Disney plan, but served as our “splurge meal”). While it didn’t require reservations, Pizza Planet was a big hit for lunch with the kids in Hollywood Studios (Toy Story fans will recognize this one).

7. Staying inside the park may not be worth the premium price. When I visited Disney as a child, my mom and I stayed outside the park. However, when planning for our family’s first trip, many people told us how nice it is to stay inside the park. Sure, logistically it was nice to be close to the park entrances (we stayed at the Beach Club, a five minute walk from Epcot), but it came at a premium.

The inside-the-park resorts are very expensive, and we found that our family of four plus my mother-in-law were too wiped out to enjoy any “Magic Hours” when Disney resort guests could stay past regular closing hours. If we go back to Disney, we’ll look for somewhere to stay outside the park with a more frugal price tag.

8. Watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks show at least once. The fireworks show over the castle was one of the highlights of our trip. If you want to get close to the castle, arrive early. However, there is an advantage to viewing from afar – as soon as they are over, you’ll be closer to the exit when thousands of visitors make their way for the gates.

We made the mistake of camping out right next to the castle, which was nice for the show, but it took forever to work our way through the crowds to the exit. And it got very claustrophobic for my son (6) who doesn’t like being “squished” as he calls it.

9. Bring along disposable ponchos and a hat. Even though we left in February, there were a couple days where the temperatures climbed well into the 70s. I wished I had thought to bring along a hat, but fortunately we did pick up a few disposable ponchos before we left for those afternoon Orlando thundershowers.

10. Consider visiting in early spring or early fall. Both times of the year are cooler than summer months, and early fall was often cited as the best time to visit – right after older kids go back to school in September.

Bonus Tip: Disney World allows visitors to bring along a backpack. All bags are searched upon entry for security. We packed bottled water and a few snacks, ponchos, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, a small first aid kit (pain medicine, band-aids, etc.), a copy of The Unofficial Guide to Disney World 2010 (this was by far the best book we read on all things Disney). This pack served as our bug out bag while at Disney.

Additional Resources:

• Disney – Hopper Tickets – Free Shipping, Discounted
• Disney on a Budget?
• Free Disney iPhone App – Wait Times & Maps

For those of you who have visited before, what favorite Disney vacation tips can you share with fellow readers?

Photo courtesy of aw101101

Stay Inside or Outside the Park?

At first glance, it seems finding a hotel or other lodging outside of the park seems to make the most sense. However, there are advantages to staying inside the park, too. I’ve taken particular interest to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but it’s pricey with rates starting at $240 a night (and even higher with “savannah views”).

If we decide to stay five or six nights that could add up to over $1,000 pretty quickly. Then again, since we’ve never been to Disney World, and likely won’t go back for a while, it might be worth the splurge (I can’t believe I just typed that!). Anyone have experience with staying inside or outside the park? Advantages and disadvantages? Any tips savings tips for the Disney resorts?

Finding a Deal On Park Tickets

I noticed at the Disney World website you can purchase a package deal through their “Price Your Dream Vacation” widget. Out of curiosity, I scheduled a six-night stay inside the park with a “5-Day Magic Your Way Ticket with Park Hopper®” pass. We would like to take at least one day off from Disney to visit Sea World. Depending on different room configurations, it looked like the package would cost around $3,500, or $580 a day. Ouch!

Is it cheaper to buy the Disney Park Hopper Pass separately? Are there discounts for those with retired or active military in their family?

Meal Plan or Wing It?

According to the Disney World site there are various meal plans available. I’ve heard horror stories about the meal prices at Disney World, and since I’m normally a dollar-menu kind of guy, the thought of spending tons of money on food hurts. Is the meal plan really a great deal, or do you do better to try to live off snack foods and bottled water (which I think you can take into the park, correct?).

Over time, I plan to compile another post with some of your tips and I’ll be sure to give you credit. And of course after our trip I’ll hopefully have some frugal Disney vacation tips to pass along to all of you. However, at this point in my plans I’m counting on readers to steer me in a frugal direction. Thanks for any travel tips!

Additional Resources:

• Disney – Hopper Tickets – Free Shipping, Discounted
• Disney on a Budget?
• Free Disney iPhone App – Wait Times & Maps

For those of you who have visited before, what favorite Disney vacation tips can you share with fellow readers?