Florida continued

SAVE MONEY ON A FLORIDA VACATION

If you want to save money on your Florida vacation you can! by cutting out the middle man and planning it yourself. If you live in the UK a family of 4 can spend 2 weeks in a 4bedroom villa with pool, plus 4 nights in a hotel, with a 8 seater Chevrolet and flights from Heathrow with travel insurance for under 2,500 pounds. We did this last year and it was the best holiday ever! Shop around for flights, a family of 4 can fly from 800-1300 pounds, villas are 350-450 per week and Hotels can cost 20-40 pounds per night for the whole family, 8 seater vehicle hire with CWD insurance for nearly 3wks cost around 500 pounds - interested then try this, click the links below:

Flights Hotel CarHire Travel Insurance Villas

Advice - it is better to fly to Florida a few days before your villa booking, this will allow you to familiarise yourself with the area, super markets, parks etc, also there is so much to see when you get there a 3week stay is advisable.

When you arrive and collect your hire vehicle, ensure you have some dollars on you as some roads are Toll roads, the costs varies 1-2dollars, when you see the Toll booths ahead, slow down and look for the ones that give change, some booths are for regular users and have electronic sensors, so take it slow. Being unfamiliar with the roads can be dangerous so don't speed, overtaking is allowed in any lane and the right hand lane usually ends up being the slip road off the highway so it can be best staying in the second lane unless you want that slip road. Keep watching the overhead signs for the road you want and ensure you move over in good time without hiting the vehicle on your right.

Eating is very cheap, breakfast can usually fill you up well into the afternoon. You pay before you eat, usually $22 for 4 people, and you can eat as much as you want, seconds and thirds are normal. If you are eating out at night it is advisable for the driver not to drink alcohol, 1 pint can land you in jail, so wait until you get back to where you are staying.

Parks open early around 8.30am, because of the crowds you need to be up 7am sharp and out by 7.45am. Find the Park entrance before you intend visiting, this ensures you don't waste time getting lost. Getting around the parks can be very tiring especially in June/July as temperatures can be well into the nineties, the other tip is take a packed lunch and plenty to drink, once you are in a park it can be expensive - bottled water can be $3-4, a tip is to buy your water at a Wall Mart or Publix super market, freeze a plastic bottle of water the night before this will keep your food cool and also give you ice cold water as it thaws. It's usually Dad's job carrying all this stuff around so get a good rucksack. When you park your vehicle make a note where it is as the car parks hold up to 10,000, you will find a name at the end of your row eg: at Universal studios - Jaws or King Cong.

Supermarkets - Wall Mart and Publix are some of the largest around, in Wall Mart ( ASDA UK ) there is everything you will need and it is cheap.