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I recently spent four nights in San Juan, Puerto Rico and had a great time. An even bigger highlight of the trip was the cost.

I never thought I would be able to afford a nice vacation to the Caribbean. I always thought the cost of a trip like that would run a few thousand dollars and I was just not willing to part with that kind of money.

I found a company online that was offering airfare and hotel deals to the Caribbean. The numbers were unbelievable and it seemed like it may have been a bait and switch deal. I discussed it with my other buddies that were going on the trip and we decided to go for it.

I'm happy to say that everything was excellent and we had no problems at all. We flew directly from Atlanta to San Juan on a direct flight via Airtran. Once we got to San Juan, our hotel reservation was at The Ritz Carlton - San Juan.

How much did we pay per person for a round-trip flight and 4 nights at the Ritz? How about an amazing $465 per person!!! I checked with the hotel front desk when we checked out and the regular nightly rate for the hotel is $329 per night.

How much did I spend in total on my trip?

• Hotel/Airfare - $465.00
• Food/Drinks - $275.00
• Taxis - $80.00
• Souvenirs - $100.00
• Tips/Misc - $75.00
• Total Trip Cost - $995.00

My 4 days in paradise cost less than $1000. I think we were able to get such a good deal because we traveled in the off season and the travel industry is hurting because of the slow economy. I think I will start taking a yearly vacation around this time of year.

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This post is part of the M-Network group writing project on vacations.

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It's that time of year again. The kids are getting out of school, the weather is warm and it's time for the summer family vacation. If you haven't properly planned out your finances to cover the trip, you could find yourself accumulating additional debt. Taking your family on a vacation away from home can be expensive. You have travel expenses, lodging expenses, food and entertainment. If you plan on driving far from home, fuel costs could possibly be a big chunk of your vacation budget.

How can you make the family vacation easier on your wallet? Plan ahead and estimate how much your family trip will cost you. You can then save the funds in a special savings account. Keep this account separate from your other savings accounts and make sure the only funds you keep in this account are for your vacation. This way, you can easily tell how close you are to your target amount.

Once you decide on the when, where and how of your vacation; follow these 3 simple steps to make your vacation easy on your wallet.

1. Get the best price. Using websites like Expedia and Travelocity can help you save money by booking your flight, hotel and rental cars online thru their website. These travel sites also offer numerous package deals to help you save money.

2. Start Saving. If you haven't already saved for your vacation, you should start ASAP. If your vacation is going to cost you $3000 and you will take the vacation in 3 months, simple math tells you that you will need to save $1000 a month, if you haven't saved anything already, in order to have the funds you need to pay for your vacation in cash. If you can't afford to save $1000 a month, you may need to modify your plans to fit your budget.

3. Budget. If you've carefully planned out your vacation and have the funds saved to pay for your trip. Make sure you make and stick to a budget to be sure you don't spend more than you'd planned to spend. When you are planning how much to save, don't forget to add for unexpected expenses.

You've taken alot of time to arrange and plan your family vacation so be sure you enjoy it and make the best of the time you are spending with your family.

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Image Credit: Kossy