It doesn’t take a large investment of cash to have a great family vacation this summer. You can find many destinations a short car trip away to pitch a tent and enjoy low or no cost activities like hiking, biking, swimming and fishing packed with family fun. ReserveAmerica.com is a great place to explore campgrounds in your own backyard with a variety of amenities starting at less than $10 per night. Once you have booked your site, here are five tips to keep your vacation budget on track:

1. Share the cost-Many campgrounds allow 4-6 people and 2 vehicles on a campsite. Team up with another couple of campers and divide the dollars. Splitting the bill will not only decrease your expenses, it will increase your good times.

2. Bring your own firewood-With a bundle of wood averaging 5 to 6 dollars, and a dusk to quiet hours fire consuming 2-3 bundles, the cost of lighting up the night can easily exceed the cost of your campsite. Scouting for downed wood at the campground and/or saving wood throughout the year to bring with you on your summer excursions can all but eliminate this expense. Word of caution: make sure your DIY firewood is properly seasoned or you will end up with more smoke than fire on your site.

3. Ice-This most critical of camping necessities pretty much doubles in cost once you reach the boundaries of the campground. You can buy 25 pounds of ice for under 3 bucks at a wholesale club the night before you leave, or pay a dollar a pound at the camp store on arrival. Do the math. For the most frugal of campers, start filling bags in your freezer a week or 2 ahead of time for a cost free way to chill out.

4. Keep the cost of gear under control-You can find all of your camping essentials for a fraction of the cost on eBay. Auctions almost guarantee you’ll pay the lowest price. A little patience can help you score both new in box and gently used gear for less than half the retail price. Word of caution: make sure to research the current retail rate at a site like Amazon to avoid over-bidding.

5. Firestarters-Sometimes the best things in life really are free. DIY fire starters are a great example. You can make these bad boys from remnants around the house that would otherwise be tossed, and they are more effective than the costlier version for sale in the camp store. My snappy camper secret recipe: take a handful of dryer lint, place on a piece of wax paper, pour melted candle wax over the lint, place in a paper sandwich bag and voilà, you have the world’s best fire starter.

A little creativity on the spending side can save you some green without compromising your good times!

Homemade fire starters will have your campfire roaring in no time at no cost.

Merriam-Webster recently announced their new words for 2009. In addition to many tech-related words such as vlog and webisode, one of the new words added to this year’s version of the dictionary is staycation.

stay·ca·tion
Pronunciation: \ˈstā-ˈkā-shən\
Function: noun
Etymology: blend of stay and vacation
Date: 2005
: a vacation spent at home or nearby
— stay·ca·tion·er \ˈstā-ˈkā-sh(ə-)nər\ noun

While the word may be new, the concept is an old one. Not to date myself, but when I was a kid, air travel seemed like a luxury–we even dressed up to fly! Most of our “vacations” consisted of driving to a relative’s or friend’s house for the day (which I guess is now being called a “daycation”; however, that word hasn’t made the dictionary yet!)

Staycation is a buzz word right now because people are stretched financially. But no matter what the economy is like, I think there are a lot of benefits to exploring your own backyard. Every state has things worth exploring and we tend to take them for granted. Would you believe that I lived in Arizona for eight years before ever visiting the Grand Canyon!?!

If you haven’t taken a good look around lately, visit the local Chamber of Commerce or Visitors Bureau to find out about free or low-cost entertainment and activities. You may be surprised to discover museums, community concerts, annual festivals, art exhibits, fairs and craft shows to enhance your summer without breaking your budget. Or consider some free “old-fashioned” fun like fishing, hiking, or biking.

This week, we’re talking travel!

I recently went on what was supposed to be an inexpensive trip. Being a first time cruiser, I wasn’t fully aware of the costs associated with sea travel. As a communicator, I should have recognized the fact that the deal sounded too good to be true; however, my desire to travel overpowered my common sense. Here are some examples of the “too good to be true” sales pitches that had me packing my bags and blowing my budget.

What they said: “All meals are included.”
What they meant: There will be food available while you are on the boat.
When you get off the boat (and believe me, you will want to get off the boat!), you are on your own. Lunch and snacks in tourist towns can be really costly. In one port, I paid $3 for a bottle of water. Also, be sure you know what is included in the all-inclusive meal plan—many ships charge for “extras” like alcoholic beverages, soda, and even ice cream.

What they said: “You can see a lot in a short period of time.”
What they meant: You can get to a lot of places in a short period of time.
To actually see a lot, you will pay a lot. On my trip, the average shore excursion was around $60 per person; more elaborate excursions cost well over $100 per person. We found out the hard way that venturing out on our own was harder and no cheaper.

What they said: “We are equipped with the latest in communication technology.”
What they meant: Good luck trying to get online.
I paid $60 for an hour of Internet service. During my 60 minutes, the connection dropped four times. During many portions of the trip, there was no service at all (I’m sure some people found that relaxing—I am not one of those people!) I was able to use my cell phone occasionally; however, I used it sparingly to avoid international roaming charges.

What they said: “Enjoy our first-class service.”
What they meant: You are expected to tip well for everything.
When I went to pay the final bill, I found that they had added automatically added $15 gratuity per day for me and another $12 gratuity per day for my children. The tip was split among people who worked in many areas of the ship where we never once set foot. I visited the office to have the amounts adjusted more appropriately. While the total amount of the tip did not decrease (and the $200+ really impacted our overall cost of the cruise), I was happy to be able to give our very patient evening waiter his fair share.

What they said: “We have some great last-minute deals.”
What they meant: The cost of the cruise may be affordable; however, getting to the ship is another story.
We booked the cruise before booking the plane tickets and that turned out to be a costly mistake. There are some great last minute deals on sea travel, but last minute air travel is expensive.

Don’t get me wrong, the trip was amazing (except for the missed flight—but I’ll save that story for another day!) My only advice is to take your time and consider the total cost of the trip so you don’t go overboard and sink into debt (sorry, I couldn’t resist!)