8 Great Tips to Plan an Orlando Vacation on a budget

Orlando is home to many world famous theme parks and is one of those destinations where everyone feels like a kid at heart. There is so much to do, so many theme parks and attractions to visit that is easy to feel the pinch in your wallet. It may appear to be impossible but there are ways to plan a great vacation on a budget. Here are 8 tips to accomplish that.

1. Look for a vacation package: It is most of the time wise to purchase a vacation package rather than buying separate tickets for airfare, accommodation, park passes and other stuff. Theme parks like Disney and Universal also offer vacation packages including airfare, hotel accommodation, ground transportation, theme park admissions and meals. Look online for reputable companies offering good packages.

2. Keep your travel dates flexible: If you really want to save money and also have a great vacation, just keep your vacation schedule flexible. Orlando enjoys great weather throughout the year and hence if you can plan your vacation during off- peak times then you can get great deals on admissions to attractions and accommodation.

3. Cheap airfare: You can check for some hot airfare deals which airlines offer from time to time and some websites also let you name your price too.

4. Look for the best deal on accommodation: Pick your accommodations based on the travel plan and what attractions you are planning to visit.

5. Rent a villa or vacation home for a big family: If you are looking for accommodation for a big family it might be a good idea to check out the Vacation Homes for rent or Villas. They offer excellent amenities and they often have 4 to 5 bedrooms or more. This way you can accommodate a big family for one price per night and save on luxury hotel rentals.

6. Check park websites and look for extras in tickets: Whenever you plan for trip to the theme parks, always check park's website for updated information. You can get some highly discounted Orlando vacation package or some special deal. Often parks are associated with other area attractions, tourism groups, hotel association or other groups and they offer discounted tickets and passes also.

7. Dining out: If you have a stove/microwave and refrigerator where you stay, it will be a good idea to eat out a couple of days and cook your own meal the rest of the days. Cooking your own is always cheaper and you can plan some simple microwave recipes. There are many discount coupon books available at all major locations that offer great savings. You can also check out breakfast buffet places like Ponderosa Steak House.

8. Just ask: One great tip that I can give while making a reservation in person/ email or phone is to Just Ask. "Is that the best you can do?" This simple question has saved us a bundle. Give that a try and let me know.

Have a cool   on a budget.

Technorati Tags: disney vacation homes, orlando florida property

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Florida residents may see an increase in their property insurance as results of a new bill passed at the end of March 2008.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and other destructive storms, getting affordable property insurance hasn't been easy. Many private insurers shed high risk clients after storms in 2004-2005, and raised assessments for others. For those who could no longer afford private insurance (or who were declared insurable by private insurers), state insurer Citizens Property Insurance Corp is the last resort. Over the last year, the state has been attempting to keep property insurance rates low for those who are insured with CPIC. According to critics of the latest property insurance changes, however, Florida residents who are insured by private companies will end up paying more so that the rates can stay low for those insured by the state-owned company. The last week of March saw the Florida Senate approve some changes to property insurance that might end up increasing property insurance rates by around 3%.

The bill was backed by Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and approved by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee. The intended effect is to reduce Florida's Hurricane Catastrophe Fund by $3 billion. This means the state can reduce its investment in CPIC and therefore reduce its risk. At the same time, however, the state has also voted to freeze CPIC insurance rates through to the end of 2009. CPIC insures more than 1.3 Florida residents, and the rate freeze that occurred last year was done to avoid an increase that could have seen rates up by as much as 29%.

The problem is, according to critics, that CPIC's premiums aren't high enough, and that the company won't have enough cash reserves to be able to pay out claims if a major storm hits. This is why the $3 billion reduction in the Hurricane Catastrophe Fund is significant. The Catastrophe Fund is a sort of safety net that can kick into action when Florida is hit by a major hurricane, and is intended to reimburse private insurers a portion of the money they pay out in claims. However, with the fund now reduced by $3 billion, the deficit is likely to be made up by rate increases for homeowners.

Last year, the state actually increased the Catastrophe Fund by $12 billion, but this year has been reduced by $3 billion. The fund was increased last year to reduce costs for insurers, and indirectly for homeowners. However, by increasing the Catastrophe Fund, the state of Florida was also increasing its own level of risk.

The state now wants to start decreasing its investment in the fund to reduce its risk. The net effect, however, will likely be the opposite of that which it originally intended. With private insurers taking on more risk relative to last year, the end result is more than likely going to be increased property insurance rates. The estimate is around 3% overall, with a slightly higher increase possible for Southern Florida residents. Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink admits that an increase in rates is possible, but also says that if insurers try to increase rates to an unreasonable level, the state will step in.

Calum MacKenzie is the Broker/Owner of Real Living Southern Homes a residential real estate brokerage located in Wesley Chapel, Florida and serving the Tampa Florida real estate and Land O' Lakes real estate markets.

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