Now that it’s almost Christmas, wanna hear what I was up to over Thanksgiving?

The short answer is I was traveling. The long answer is I’m going to tell you all about the fun and the ways I made it more affordable over the next couple of weeks.

Today we’ll cover a basic overview of where I went, how I got there, and how I paid for accommodations.

Thanksgiving at the Beach

This year, Thanksgiving happened at the beach. Fort Meyers Beach, Florida, to be exact. It was absolutely gorgeous. The water was warm. The sand was white. The beaches weren’t crowded, and there wasn’t a hurricane in sight.

On the way home, we made a stop in Orlando to visit Disney World again, but we’ll get to that in another post.

My money lessons from last time we went to Disney can be found here.

Finding the Cheapest Car Rental

As I was trying to decide what the most cost-effective way of traveling would be this time around, I did some math and decided driving would be cheaper than plane tickets. The only problem? We didn’t have a vehicle big enough to get everyone and everything down there. So I started looking for a car rental.

I scoured plenty of sites. Renting a car is an expensive venture, but it was still going to be cheaper than plane tickets. After getting pretty much the same results everywhere, I finally found a booking site that got me in the door for over $100 less: AutoEurope.

The way it worked for our trip was like this:

First, I went to AutoEurope and did a search.

Then, they showed me the best options for my needs and dates of travel, connecting me with a bunch of local rental places. The best option ended up being with Budget. Budget had been listed on the other sites I searched, but at a much higher price.

I looked into my affiliate network, and AutoEurope was on the list. I was fortunate in this way. They ended up giving me a coupon, making the rental even cheaper than it already was.

We ended up getting a Ford Explorer, which had room for all the people and things. It was an easy vehicle to drive and had all the bells and whistles we needed (and some we didn’t!)

Gas

Gas was another added cost of getting down there. Luckily for us, the further down the East Coast you go the cheaper gas gets. You can actually follow along with the lowering of gas prices and then watch them as they rise as we go back by following me on Instagram. In between, I’m featuring photos of the beautiful things we got to experience while it was snowing back home.

Accommodations

Getting to Florida was more than a one-day drive. We needed convenient places to stay overnight. Because I had Airbnb credits, I was able to book two amazing places that were right off the highway in super safe neighborhoods. One was an entire house, and the other was a basement suite inside someone’s house with a backyard fully accessible to us. It was so much better than staying in a hotel, and with the credits, I only spent $30/night total.

If you want to get started on earning Airbnb credits, too, this referral link will get you $40 off your first stay.

Accommodations at Fort Meyers Beach

Because we were visiting during the off-season, accommodations at the beach were crazy cheap. Like 50% off what you would spend at peak season. Plus, I got 10x points through a promotion Hotels.com is running with one of my credit card carriers.

Hotels.com also gives you one free night after ten paid nights. I’ve almost reached that point, so I’ll be getting a free stay sometime soon.

Accommodations in Orlando

I’m super lucky and have a family member who has a time share in Orlando. Like the last time we visited, they were gracious enough to gift us a week stay there. I’m so, so grateful. Because of them, we were able to stay for free.

What did I do in Florida?

So much. I’m excited to tell you about the funnest parts in the coming weeks. Be sure to check back or subscribe to the newsletter to receive notifications!