How to Vacation on the Emerald Coast (Or Anywhere) For Cheap

 Most of you that know me in real life know that I just came back from an amazing trip to Destin, FL. Me, my best friend, and her 2 year old daughter spent 3 wonderful days relaxing on its white sand beaches and swimming in the emerald colored waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It was a trip I’ll never forget! Destin is located on the Emerald Coast and is by far the most beautiful place I’ve been thus far, plus there’s so much to do there! The only downside is that Destin can be VERY expensive. As a married college student, expensive just isn’t in my vocabulary. Here’s how I took an incredible trip to the Emerald Coast on the cheap and how you can do the same anywhere!

1.)    Do Your Research

Whenever I’m going on a trip anywhere I research it relentlessly. It’s kind of an annoying process, but it can save you so much money in the end. Make sure to check out what the weather will be like, read through blogs and travel reviews of the area to check for affordable places mentioned, and get a feel for what the area is like. Specifically for Destin I researched hotels, public beaches, where Walmart was, which gas station had the cheapest prices, fun things to do within walking distance of our hotel, etc. I just wanted to make sure I knew the cheapest option for anything we would be doing, that way we didn’t get stuck overpaying because we were uninformed. 

2.)    Check the Reviews

Before booking anything I always look it up and pore through all the reviews. This is the most important thing I do. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve saved more than $100 on a hotel by discovering that the reviews for a $50/night hotel were better than the reviews for a $200/night hotel. Of course this isn’t always the case, but going through the reviews, especially of hotels, ensures that you get the best one possible for the lowest price. I also like to preplan which restaurants I’ll want to eat at while on vacation and check reviews for those too. If the customer service is awful or the food is subpar I’d rather spend my money elsewhere for a better experience. 

3.)    Try to Eat Most of Your Meals at the Hotel (or Beach)

I know this seems super boring and restrictive, but I swear it’s really not that bad! Eating out for every meal on vacation can quickly add up and eat away at your spending money. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather use that money towards something fun versus an overpriced lunch. Most hotels already offer a complimentary breakfast so there’s absolutely no reason to grab a $6 breakfast from the McDonald’s drive-thru while on vacation. Most hotels also usually have a mini-fridge and microwave in the room so once you get to your destination I would take a trip to the local Walmart or other budget friendly grocery store. Depending on how long you’ll be there you should stock up on snacks you typically eat at home like granola bars, chips, crackers, cheese sticks, etc. and lunch/dinner stuff. We tried to stick to freezer meals and sandwich stuff, but you’d be surprised how many easy meals you can make with just a mini-fridge and a microwave! You don’t have to eat every single meal in your hotel, but if you did the research in step one than you should know which restaurants you don’t want to leave without eating at. We had 3 restaurants that we really wanted to go to on our trip and the rest of the meals we either ate at the hotel or packed them in a cooler and ate at the beach.  I can’t overstate how much money this saved us!! And I really don’t feel like we missed out on anything because we still went to the restaurants we wanted to. My last tip in this section is to eat lunch rather than dinner at the restaurant. This will save you atleast a few bucks since the dinner prices are always more expensive.

4.)    Shop for Souvenirs at Walmart or Discount Souvenir Stores

I know what you’re thinking, Walmart?! But yes, I’m dead serious. Every time I visit somewhere new I check Walmart for souvenirs before I check any overpriced souvenir stores. Most touristy vacation towns have an entire section of souvenirs at the local Walmart and they’re often just as good (if not the exact same) as ones in pricey stores. For example, I bought my sister a Destin t-shirt at Walmart for $7.99 and later saw the EXACT same t-shirt at a boutique souvenir shop for $23.99. That’s so crazy to me, it’s literally the same t-shirt! Also check online for souvenir stores that often have clearance or BoGo sales. Along the Emerald Coast there’s a chain of stores called Alvin’s Island which are AMAZING! I wish we had them on the West Coast because their normal prices are SO cheap and then on top of that they have insane clearance sales. I got a $20 shirt there on sale for $1.99! You will never regret checking Walmart and discount stores for your souvenirs.

5.)    Check sites like Groupon and RetailMeNot

Before we went to Destin I had researched my little heart out on fun stuff to do there and I was not disappointed! There’s dolphin tours, swimming with dolphins, a water park, Crab Island, pontoon rentals, Jet Ski rentals, paddle board rentals, scuba diving, snorkeling, etc. Honestly there’s an endless supply of fun activities! We were traveling with a 2 year old and no babysitter so we decided to skip those activities in favor of kid friendly ones, but if you’re planning a trip to Destin with no kiddos or you’re taking your babysitter than I highly suggest checking Groupon! There were so many deals on every activity I listed above for ½ price, BoGo, $50 off, etc. Also, make sure you check RetailMeNot for restaurant savings at the places you preplanned for your vacation meals. They often have deals for “Receive a $50 giftcard at (insert restaurant here) for $25” or similar. That’s a great deal, especially if you’re already planning to go there! 

Hopefully this post will help you while you're planning your next vacation! I am a firm believer in traveling and seeing as many places as possible, but I'm also a college student with a car payment so I try to make everything as budget friendly as possible. Plus, why spend more money when you can get the same experience for less with a little planning! 

Xoxo,

Ashley

(Bonus: My favorite places in Destin were Joe's Crab Shack (delicious and affordable), Fudpuckers (feed alligators or hold a baby one!),  The Village of Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin (expensive area, but very fun atmosphere to walk around and take pictures), Alvin's Island stores (very budget friendly), Harborwalk Village, the pier (costs $2, but you can sometimes see dolphins or sharks), and obviously the BEACH! Destin honestly has the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen!