One obvious way to take the frugal route is to plan your RV travel during the “shoulder seasons” – before and after prime travel time – when discounts are often offered at various campgrounds and attractions.

Here are 5 cost-cutting RV travel tips that are good any time of the year:

1. RV Travel On One Tank of Gas

Remember the ending to The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy says she doesn’t have to look any further than her own backyard to find her heart’s desire? Well, we’re not suggesting camping out right outside the house, but think about going to places not too far away that you’ve always meant to check out.

You’ll be surprised at how many new and interesting destinations are just one tank of gas away. A lot of territory can be covered in just a few hundred miles, and you’re bound to discover exciting locations you never knew existed so close to home.

Tip: Your neighborhood library is a terrific resource for researching local and state information and attractions – and most of it is free!

2. Put Your RV On A Diet And Get Better Gas-Mileage

It’s a simple fact that the less your RV weighs, the more mileage you’ll get on the road. Look around for places in your rig where you can institute a “less is more” policy.

For example, you don’t have to set out with a full, fresh water tank for your RV excursion. Take what you need for the first day’s travel, plus a small reserve, and fill up once you’ve reached your day’s destination.

Forget that bulky, economy-sized can of coffee: empty a smaller amount into an airtight plastic container that you can refill later. (One place not to cut back, though, is tire inflation: riding on fully inflated tires is a sure way to increase your gas mileage.)

Tip: When buying food staples, consider dehydrated items like soup and dried fruit, and transfer cereal and pasta from bulky boxes into heavy-duty plastic bags – not only do they take up less space, you can reuse them once they’re empty!

3. Plastic not Paper Dinnerware – A More Economical Approach Overall

Sure, the eat-and-toss approach of paper plates and cups is the easy way to go – and might even seem economical when you buy in bulk. But lightweight, inexpensive plastic dishes are easy to find, and while they might not last forever, they’ll certainly see you through the duration of a long-distance RV excursion.

Choosing plastic over a big stack of paper goods is also another way to save on weight, especially when you’re starting out on your RV trip.

Tip: Buy your plastic ware in a mix-and-match variety of vibrant colors, and these snazzy dishes will brighten up even the simplest road fare!

4. Drive Less, Stay More – Save on Gas AND Get Campsite Discounts

When creating your RV travel itinerary, consider making fewer stops and spending more time at each destination. This will save on fuel and campsites costs as most of them offer discounts for lengthier stays.

By driving less and staying more, you’ll receive an additional benefit: It’s much more relaxing to know that once you’ve turned off the ignition you’re settling in for a while. Also, by spending more time in one place, you’ll be able to do some more in-depth exploring of the area.

Tip: Look online at the local newspaper for the area you’ll be visiting. Check for listings of events that you might not hear about otherwise … and don’t forget to look in the classifieds for yard sales and flea markets, too!

5. Stop and Shop – At Local Discount or Dollar Stores

When you need to refill on groceries avoid supermarkets and convenience stores where prices are at a premium. Instead, look for local discount and dollar stores and roadside fruit and vegetable stands — depending on the season. You might not save much money there, but there’s nothing better than freshly picked produce.

Keep an eye open for discount outlets in the area. And stop at flea markets and yard sales where you might find a one-of-a-kind treasure. Not only do these unconventional choices offer the opportunity to find unusual items, it’s a great way to get to know the local neighborhoods and people.

Tip: Keep your birthday and holiday gift list handy – you might spot the perfect knickknack for a family member at someone’s yard sale!

Some Final Frugal RV Travel Tips:

- Make use of the cheaper parks, like state parks

- Join Good Sam Club for 10% discount at their parks

- Subscribe to RV magazines for great ideas on RV travel

- Shop around for best prices on camping stuff like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, GI Joes – instead of RV stores

- Avoid buying your RV “supplies” – like toilet paper – that claim to be for RVs/motorhomes. Save money and buy the cheap stuff.

- Save money and cook all your meals in the RV; don’t eat out. You can even make dishes ahead and store in your RV’s refrigerator

- Ask for senior discounts everywhere you go

- If members of AAA, see if any campgrounds give discounts. Look at a “Trailer Life Campground Directory” at your local library to compare camping fees.

- Plan!!

How much does professional photography cost for your wedding? Learn how to set a realistic photography budget with this guide to wedding photography prices and rates.

The Going Rate for Professional Photography

When determining your wedding photography budget, keep in mind that you get what you pay for. You should expect to spend at least $1000 on having a professional wedding photographer document your wedding (not including the actual prints and other extras). Rates, of course, will vary depending on skill level, experience and geographic region (metro areas are usually considerably higher). The size of your wedding can also affect the photography cost, as additional guests may increase the amount of time that the photographer must spend at your event. For instance, for an event of less than 100 guests, a wedding photographer will typically dedicate four-six hours of time. For a larger wedding of 300 or more guests, a photographer may have to spend eight-ten hours on the job.

Comparing Photographer Rates

Most wedding photographers will give general pricing information over the phone or on their websites, so you can use an initial online search or phone call as your first step towards finding a photographer that suits your budget. In comparing photography costs, remember that different photographers offer different packages – so initial rates can be misleading. Some rates only include the photographer’s time, while prints and albums are extra. Other photography packages may include proofs, a set number of prints and an album. Determine what services and options you want first, then compare photographers’ rates for providing those specific options to determine which professional works within your wedding photography budget. This article offers even more tips on comparing professional photography services.

Creative Ways to Save on Wedding Photography Prices

If you simply must have a certain photographer who commands higher rates, consider these ways to save on your photography budget:

• Buy a more basic wedding photography package with less prints and albums
• Negotiate and switch out an engagement portrait for an additional parent’s album

Get even more ways to save on wedding photography prices.

Photography Contract Points

When reviewing your contract with a potential photographer, make sure that it is specifically clear in what it covers. Consider these questions:

• Do you need to make a deposit?
• What is the cancellation policy? Will you get anything back?
• Is any travel time considered an extra or included in the bill?
• Are you entitled to final prints only, or can you obtain all of the proofs?

Now that you’re an expert on photography costs and budgeting skills, this complete guide to wedding photography will take you the rest of the way towards hiring and working with a photographer and planning your wedding day shots.

Selecting the season and destination are the two key things for travel. They also have a huge impact on the cost of your vacation. Don’t ignore the importance of considering these two factors.

Your budget level mainly depends on the season and the time of the year. Some vacation destinations will be very cheap at some times of the year.

If you want to travel to a popular destination in peak times, you never find it cheap. For instance, planning to stay at luxurious hotel in a party city on New Year’s Eve is not expected to exist as budget holiday, while travel to an established summer resort over New Year’s may be extremely a different story.

The most important thing that you need to realize is that low seasons cost low for a reason. A typical example of this is hurricane season in the Florida and Caribbean. Other low seasons that vary include – very hot regions such as Egypt in summer months, excess heat makes the holiday less enjoyable.

Summer resorts are usually very quiet in low season. This can be the best for recoil, but once it comes to a violent nightlife you may be disappointed.

Travel destinations for the specific season at a low cost:

Winter:

Winter is very interesting time of the year for travelling. Before Christmas, most of the people are trying to do final shopping trips. So, after the festival, most individuals are dealing with the bills of credit cards so that, holidays on far off beaches are often incredibly cheap during the winter period.

Asia is a great destination for winter months. Probably the flight costs will decrease and they offer various discounts. In Asia weather varies greatly in winter season. The climate in Asia is surrounded by snow in just one minute and then suddenly you will see glorious sunshine. These conditions make lot of visitors cancel their trips. Hence there are some exceptional bargains for those who want to take the risk.

Shoulder season:

This season is a perfect time to travel for those individuals who want to get a glad medium among low and peak seasons. Recognizing where is in shoulder season when you like travelling or when your preferred destination is in shoulder season can save you hundred of dollars.

Take a glance at guided books. Even they don’t tell you when the shoulder season is, just they inform you when low and peak seasons are. The time in between is referred to as shoulder season.

The best travel destinations in shoulder season are Caribbean in late spring and Europe in the fall.

Fall:

Fall is the best season to travel to Europe. You will find flight tickets for many Europe popular destinations at a cheaper cost. From October onwards you will get tickets at low cost. Temperature is also perfectly pleasant until the mid of November. So, take a trip yourself for fall in Europe.

Summer:

It is very hard to find discount in summer. Americans, Europeans, and Japanese are all on the move. This is a peak time for weddings, thus honeymoon destinations are also in great deal of demand.

In early summer days, i.e. in between June and July, you will get a good deal for Caribbean destinations. It is better to book before Europeans begin to flood during the school holidays at the end of July.

Also, the period between June and September is a good option. Safari holidays are good choice for this period. During the summer months, you will get the flight deals at a reasonable cost in Southeast Asia. But, during this period the climate will be very hot. So, it is better to avoid this destination during summer season.

Finally, you knew which season is best for travelling to the specific destinations. You can choose the destination depending on the season and at a reasonable cost. Visit Travelers Zone

Let’s start with luxury and comfort. I have always said, “You don’t cram together in one or two rooms at home, so why do it on your vacation?” The vacation homes in the Orlando area range from two bedroom condominiums right up to seven bedroom villas. You will not be limited to one or two rooms rather you will have an entire home to enjoy.

The homes are all fully furnished and well equipped with amenities that you probably do not have in your own home. All the homes have full air-conditioning and heating, TV with cable connections, DVD, furnishing and fully equipped kitchens. Many of the vacation homes have private pools, spas, game rooms and additional TVs in each room.
Think about what this means when you are on vacation. You can give your children their own room or rooms and they can sleep soundly. You can come back from a park or attraction and enjoy a leisurely barbeque right beside your own private swimming pool. You combine all the comfort of home with the pleasures of resort living.

If you are worried about location, then I have good news for you. These vacation homes are located within minutes of Disney World and other key attractions of the Orlando area. You won’t have to spend a lot of time in your car and you can be more flexible. Go out to Disney World in the morning, come back “home” to rest and relax, go back to the parks in the afternoon. When you are within ten or fifteen minutes of Disney World, then all of this is possible.

I am leaving the best part to last. Let’s talk about price. If you think you have to pay through the nose to get your own luxury vacation home or villa with a next-to-Disney location, then you will be happy to know that you are wrong. How much would you pay for 1500 square feet and three bedrooms if you were staying in a hotel? You would certainly pay a lot more than $130 per night, which is the starting price for a three bedroom vacation rental 15 minutes from Disney World.

With prices like this the Orlando vacation homes provide extraordinary possibilities for saving money. In addition, if you combine your vacation with friends or relatives then the savings are increased. For example you can get a luxury eight bedroom villa starting at $500 per night. Get your calculator out and you will see that if you have between 8-14 people in your party the per-person costs are truly attractive.

So, take a look at Orlando vacation homes featured on this website and reserve the home that is best for you.

The Going Rate for Professional Photography

When determining your wedding photography budget, keep in mind that you get what you pay for. You should expect to spend at least $1000 on having a professional wedding photographer document your wedding (not including the actual prints and other extras). Rates, of course, will vary depending on skill level, experience and geographic region (metro areas are usually considerably higher). The size of your wedding can also affect the photography cost, as additional guests may increase the amount of time that the photographer must spend at your event. For instance, for an event of less than 100 guests, a wedding photographer will typically dedicate four-six hours of time. For a larger wedding of 300 or more guests, a photographer may have to spend eight-ten hours on the job.

Comparing Photographer Rates

Most wedding photographers will give general pricing information over the phone or on their websites, so you can use an initial online search or phone call as your first step towards finding a photographer that suits your budget. In comparing photography costs, remember that different photographers offer different packages – so initial rates can be misleading. Some rates only include the photographer’s time, while prints and albums are extra. Other photography packages may include proofs, a set number of prints and an album. Determine what services and options you want first, then compare photographers’ rates for providing those specific options to determine which professional works within your wedding photography budget. This article offers even more tips on comparing professional photography services.

Creative Ways to Save on Wedding Photography Prices

If you simply must have a certain photographer who commands higher rates, consider these ways to save on your photography budget:

• Buy a more basic wedding photography package with less prints and albums
• Negotiate and switch out an engagement portrait for an additional parent’s album

Get even more ways to save on wedding photography prices.

Photography Contract Points

When reviewing your contract with a potential photographer, make sure that it is specifically clear in what it covers. Consider these questions:

• Do you need to make a deposit?
• What is the cancellation policy? Will you get anything back?
• Is any travel time considered an extra or included in the bill?
• Are you entitled to final prints only, or can you obtain all of the proofs?

Now that you’re an expert on photography costs and budgeting skills, this complete guide to wedding photography will take you the rest of the way towards hiring and working with a photographer and planning your wedding day shots.