5 Tips for Your Next Beach Vacation

If you don't have the money for a big Bahamas vacation, but still need a bit of sun and sand in your summer, consider staying local! Shoestring budget vacations are kind of "my thing"! Saving money gives me a big thrill and I always enjoy the planning that goes into making the trip special.

Since I'm not particularly snobby about beaches (as I rarely get into the water), I'm more than satisfied with visiting Ocean City or (my preference) Rehoboth Beach. You have plenty of options between Deleware, Virginia, and North Carolina. Take your pick!

Here are 5 tips for your next beach vacation!

Our breakfast of cereal, fruit, muffin, and a morning cocktail!

• To save money, pack enough breakfast and lunch items for each day including bottled water and juice. This often saves me close to (and sometimes more than) $100 on meals and snacks. My fiance once packed an entire mini bar (and our blender) into a suitcase for one of our trips (unbeknownst to me!). This probably saved us another $60 or so in fancy cocktails! 

• Consider purchasing your own beach blanket, chairs, and umbrella before your trip. I use the same one for all of our trips and it has paid for itself at this point. In Ocean City, my family and I once paid $20 to rent a beach umbrella! Imagine if we visited the beach three times -- that's $60 down the drain! Hindsight is truly 20/20!

• Curate a beach playlist! This is something my fiance did a while ago that added to our trip exponentially! He had fun creating the playlist, and we both enjoyed listening to it on the beach. The music really added a lot to our experience! Even surrounding beachgoers end up singing along.  I'd also suggest you scoop up a $5 Bluetooth speaker from Five Below if you don't already have one.

• Always do your research! I often take my first beach vacation of the year in early May because it is before the busy season. If you are traveling solo or with your significant other, and are open to traveling in the Spring, there will be fewer crowds, better hotel rates (and amenities), and likely more space at the beach. This may be more difficult to plan if you have children (as they won't be out for summer vacation yet), but the savings just might be worth it!

• Check out deal sites like Groupon before you start to plan our your activities! You may be surprised to see that you can find guided tours, museum exhibitions, and other experiences for a fraction of the price!  For example, I decided to search for dolphin watching tours in Cape May and found the three experiences listed above. Always read the terms and conditions and be sure to follow the instructions for redemption.

Share your beach vacation travel tips for saving guap in the comments below! Also, which songs would you add to your beach playlist?