When you think about vacations to Florida beaches, one of the first places that comes to mind is Daytona Beach.  But a hidden treasure is not too far away.  Just 20 miles south of Daytona along I-95 is New Smyrna Beach, a lesser known beach community that offers a terrific destination for a beach vacation for families and people looking for a quieter vacation experience.

New Smyrna Beach – The Beach

New Smyrna Beach is one of my favorite Florida beaches.  The sand is white and soft and the ocean is great for body surfing (or regular surfing).  You’ll find the waters teeming with kids and adults, surfers and fishermen, as well as dolphins and manatees on the right day.

Oh.  And sharks.  But just don’t think about that.

The best way to experience New Smyrna Beach is to pull your vehicle right up on the sand.  You can drive along the packed sand in designated areas from 8 am to 7 pm all spring and summer long.  Pack a cooler in the back and enjoy an entire day with drinks and snacks and towels that are sand free when you’re ready to head home.  There’s a $5 per vehicle fee to drive onto the beach.

New Smyrna Beach – Food and Drink

You can find restaurants all over the town of New Smyrna, but the most popular eateries are right on the beach.  Restaurants like Chase’s on the Beach and Breakers provide a unique experience that I have yet to see perfectly imitated anywhere else.  You can literally walk up to the restaurant from steps on the beach.  Throw on a pair of flip flops and a cover up and you’re ready to go.  Enjoy your meal in the open air and breathe in the authentic beach atmosphere.

New Smyrna also offers a small boardwalk area with more restaurants, beach shops and an old fashioned ice cream stand.  It’s nostalgic and charming and a great area to spend a few hours walking around when you want a break from the sand and surf.  There’s also a dynamite BBQ diner down there with picnic tables, plastic plates and silverware, and rolls of paper towels for napkins that I highly recommend.  The name, as far as I can tell from the signage, is BBQ.  Helpful, I know.

New Smyrna Beach – Where To Stay

Of course there are hotels in New Smyrna Beach.  You can stay beach side, or save a little money by booking a room a few miles inland.  If you have a rental car, it might be worth the savings because of the option to drive onto the beach and stay the day without the need to go back and forth to your hotel room.  Although, you can’t beat the early morning view of the sun coming up over the water.

You can also rent houses along the beach.  This is a great option for large groups or families who like to set up a real home base when on vacation.

New Smyrna Beach – Other Things To Do

Although the beach is definitely the main attraction in New Smyrna Beach, you’ll find plenty of other options for things to do in the area.

If you like to fish, go deep sea fishing out of Ponce Inlet, Florida.  I highly recommend Critter Fleet Charters for the most bang for your buck and deep sea experience.  (Even my fishing challenged, bad juju husband managed to catch fish on this boat – for only $45 for a four hour trip.)

Daytona is a short drive and offers flea market shopping, the Daytona International Speedway, and a boardwalk of their own.  You’ll discover plenty of things to do in Daytona Beach if you find yourself rained off the beach during your vacation.

New Smyrna Beach doesn’t offer the flash or notoriety of Daytona Beach.  It’s one of those hidden gems that locals relish and experienced travelers come back to over and over again when they’re looking to really get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life for a relaxing vacation.

I may have mentioned once or twice here that I am cheap.  I take road trips to save money.  I almost always name my own price for a hotel on Priceline.  I’ll stay on a couch whenever I can.

I love to travel and I’m not a Rockefeller.  I have had to master the art of cheap vacations.

It’s because of this budget consciousness that I avoid souvenir shops like the plague.  I abhor the idea of spending $20 on a T-Shirt that I’m never going to wear again simply because it bears the name of some city I was in on it.  I refuse to bring my children plastic trinkets from my travels, because I know will end up in pieces under someone’s bed.

But even I, frugal as I might be, understand the joy of having a memento of your vacations.  It’s nice to have something you can look at later that will transport you back to the happiness of a great trip.  It’s also nice, I’ve been told, to have a traveler bring you something back as a sign that they were thinking of you while they were away.

How can you reconcile traveling on a budget with the need for souvenirs?

4 Budget Travel Tips For Cheap Souvenirs

1. Buy something you’d buy (and use) anyway.

My husband says that I use this as an excuse to go shopping while I’m on vacation.  Clearly he does not appreciate my frugal nature.

I bought this purse for $35 in New York City.  I love it.  I use it constantly.  And every time I do I remember my trip to New York City in October of 2008.  I get a heck of a lot more use out of it than I would a mini replica of the Empire State building.

The other thing I love about buying things I’ll use when I’m on vacation is that it gives me opportunities to share that trip with other people in the future.  Every time I carry this purse and someone asks me where I got it, I end up telling them how crazy Canal Street is and about taking the subway in New York City.

The same thing goes for the gorgeous cocktail ring I bought on River Street in Savannah.  Or the cute scarf I picked up in Charleston, South Carolina.  Or the red stiletto slides I got in Las Vegas on my anniversary trip.  See how frugal I am?

2. Pictures make the best souvenirs – yours or someone else’s.

Remember that the point of souvenirs is to have something you can remember your vacation by later.

While I was looking through my own collection of vacation pictures on FlickR, I found myself reliving adventure after adventure as I flipped through the pictures.  Even the fuzzy shots had the power to transport me.

Of course, everyone takes pictures on vacation.  Turn them into souvenirs by printing out your favorites and framing them.  Hang them on a wall or set them on an end table – but put them out where you can enjoy them.  They’ll make much more interesting decor than the tacky plastic memorabilia you can pick up at a gift shop.

And if you don’t manage to capture the city skyline or ocean view just right – buy yourself a postcard.  For about $2.00 you can have frame worthy memories that really capture the feeling of the place you enjoyed so much.

3. Bring back pieces of the scenery.

For the love of God do not buy sand in a bottle.  Sand?  Is free.  Pick some up and put it in a baggy that you can put in a mason jar when you get home.  And while you’re at it, pick up some sea shells that you can stick in that jar along with the sand and Voila!, you’ve got yourself a pretty neat, homemade souvenir.

But what if you’re not taking a beach vacation?

Look for things in the environment around you that are unique and representative of that location.  Maybe you’ll pick up some branches from the Redwoods in the Pacific Northwest.  Or bring home some of that famous red clay of Georgia.  Pick up a few of the fall colored leaves that you can press and display as art.

4. Shop flea markets and local markets or fairs.

Whenever I have guests visit us in Florida, I make sure to take them to a flea market before they leave.  I give them strict instructions not to buy any souvenirs until they’ve hit the flea market.

My most recent house guests walked away with t-shirts fo $1.88.  And a scarf for $3.00 (see tip number 1!).  And a Daytona Beach picture frame for $6 (to put tip number 3 to good use!).  While flea markets aren’t immune to overpriced junk, they also offer a lot of great finds at rock bottom prices.

Of course, not every city has open air flea markets available year round.  But the locals shop somewhere.  Find the markets and shopping districts that don’t cater to tourists and you’ll find your best bargains for souvenirs to bring home.  You’ll also find an opportunity to experience places off the beaten path and see new cities through the eyes of the people who actually live there.

Some experts will tell you that if you have to worry about money when you’re traveling, it’s just not worth it.  But I think that anyone who has a desire to see the world should find a way to do just that.  And it is possible to have a great vacation on a budget if you’re creative!

Just stay out of the gift shops.

Road trips are like childbirth.  Done right, they can be the adventure of a lifetime.  Done wrong, and you’re screaming for someone’s head on a platter and demanding to know WHOSE BRILLIANT IDEA WAS THIS?!?!

I am a cheap traveler with a quest to see the world while hanging on to as much of my cash as possible.  Needless to say, I’ve taken my share of vacations by car in an attempt to save money.  Here’s a few road trip planning tips I’ve picked up along the way.

18 Road Trip Planning Survival Tips

1. Get the oil changed and your fluids checked before you leave.

I’ve owned a few beater cars in my life.  I’ve taken more than one road trip in a lemon.  And I’ve been stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere more times than I care to admit.  Be ye not so stupid.

Make sure your vehicle is road trip ready before you leave.  Have the oil changed, fill up on windshield wiper fluid and make sure you have your license, registration and insurance up to date – and actually in the car with you.

(Because apparently “Officer, I SWEAR I have an insurance card that is not expired sitting on my kitchen counter right now” is not a viable defense in some states.)

2.  Go with someone you love.  Or like.  A lot.

Good companionship can make all the difference on a road trip.  The longer the trip, the more compatible you better be with the person you plan to be confined in a car with for hours on end.

Of course, a long road trip in the car can be a great opportunity to get to know someone better.  But if you’re thinking of tagging along with people who normally irritate the crap out of you just to save a little dough – think about flying instead.

3.  Take turns driving.

As a woman, I’ve never understood those couples where the man is the only who does the driving.  This is especially true when driving long distances.  If you can manage to get yourself around town by yourself, you can handle a turn at the wheel for a road trip.

It’s nice to get a break from the driving.  It’s also nice to get a break from just sitting and watching out the window and trying really, really hard not to say anything when the other driver gets really, really close to the car in front of him.  I mean, you know, for example.  Don’t be afraid to do some of the driving.

4.  Bring your own music.

Do you remember in the 80s when you had mixed tapes for everything?  First Date Mix.  Prom Night Mix.  Ode To My Love For You Mix.  A road trip is the perfect excuse to revive the mix (although it will probably take the form of a burned CD or a playlist on your iPod).

Prepare yourself for inevitable stereo static with ample back up music.  Bring twice as much as you think you’ll listen to.  My playlists (because I am an iSnob) are crammed with cheesy songs I know the words to, musical soundtracks and nostalgic favorites.

Don’t be afraid to turn it up and sing along at the top of your lungs.  The chances of you ever seeing that driver who’s giving you funny looks from the car beside you again are slim to none.  Unless you happen to stop at the same rest stop.

5. Bring sunglasses and sunscreen.

Maybe I’m the only person to ever get sunburned through a car window – but I doubt it.  And I know for a fact that I’m not the only person in my marriage who has had to stop at a convenient store to buy sunglasses because they didn’t think about having to stare into the sun for hours on end.

Sunglasses will prevent squinting and eye strain.  Sunscreen will prevent an embarrassing sunburn on one half of your body.  And cancer.

6.  Avoid stupid traffic tickets.

You know what’s not fun when you’re on vacation?  Getting arrested.  You know what’s also not fun and probably a more likely scenario?  Having to spend hundreds of dollars from your travel budget on a speeding or seat belt ticket.

Wear your seat belt.  Use your turn signal.  Don’t speed (or if you do, at least go with the flow of traffic).  You’re going to get stuck in the exact same traffic jam due to construction as everyone else a few miles down the road anyway.  (And the fines are double there.)

7.  Bring your own food and drinks.

I don’t get why some people don’t pack a cooler and snacks when they take a road trip.  Are you surprised to learn that your body requires food and water?  Or are you just hoping to find something deliciously nutritious at a gas station?

Yeah.  I don’t think so.  Convenient store food is fine up to a point, but if you’re going to be spending hours (or days) in a vehicle, plan ahead and bring food that doesn’t suck.  I load up on water bottles, cans of pop, juice boxes, crackers, pre-made sandwiches, fruit and other travel friendly snacks.

When I’m traveling with kids, I try to bring as many individually packed snacks as possible to avoid the need for sharing.  I’ll teach them manners when I’m not stuck in a car with them.

8. Bring garbage bags.

If you’re going to be in the car for hours, chances are you’re going to be eating in the car.  And drinking in the car.  And chewing gum that comes in itty bitty gum wrappers in the car.

Stay on top of the mess as you make it with a small garbage bag.  This might sound like a silly detail, but riding in your own filth is.. well.. gross.  And an ever rising mound of wrappers and empty bottles rising on your floorboards will make your car feel infinitely smaller than it actually is.  A well organized, decluttered road trip is a happy road trip.

9.  Get gas before you’re on E.

My husband and I drove 1400 miles once in 24 hours.  We had this brilliant idea to keep driving until we were just about out of gas in order to save time and get more driving done between pit stops.  We came >this< close to being stranded on the side of a back road in Illinois in the middle of the night, miles from a gas station or signs of civilization.

Learn from our foolishness.

If you get out your pencil and paper and do the math, you’ll see that you aren’t saving any gas, money or time by driving until you’re on fumes.  When you’re driving in unfamiliar territory, you never know when the next gas station will come up – or whether or not it will be open.  Start looking for your next pit stop when you hit the 3/4 tank mark to avoid any long walks by the side of the road with the little red gas can.

10. Use the bathroom every time you stop.

I would think this would be a no brainer.  But I’ve traveled with children, so I know not everyone understands the wisdom of “just try, you don’t know when you’ll be able to go again”.

Whether you’re stopping for food (I told you so!) or to fill up with gas, spend the extra few minutes to hit the restroom.  If you don’t, you’re pretty much guaranteed to find yourself having to pee about 15 minutes after you’re back on the road.  At least, you will if you’re me.

Seriously.  Just try!  You don’t know when you’ll be able to go again!

11.  For Pete’s sake, just pull over and let the woman pee.

Now, if someone happens to announce that they have to use the restroom not long after you’ve made your most recent pit stop, for the love of all things holy just stop and let her – er, them - go.

A good road trip isn’t a race.  Tacking on 10 minutes at the next exit is not going to ruin your vacation or cause you to lose some Awesome Travel Time Trophy.  And it will make your traveling companion much more pleasant to ride with.  Believe me.

12. Plan time for unexpected stops.

Speaking of extra time… there really is no trophy that I have ever heard of for making good time.  The best road trips are just as much about the journey as the destination.

Allow yourself extra time for unexpected detours when you’re planning your trip.  Pull over and check out that massive ball of twine.  Stop and take pictures in front of those really cool bluffs.  Some of the coolest places I’ve been have been on the way to where I was going.  So says Confucius.

13. Sleep.

When it’s not your turn to drive, don’t be afraid to get some sleep.  This is especially important if you’re driving through the night or plan to spend more than 8 hours on the road.

Of course, sleeping in the car isn’t exactly comfortable.  I highly recommend bringing pillows (and a blanket, if there’s room!) or a good travel pillow.  It’s not a night at The Ritz, but it will help.  A well rested driver is a safer driver.  And a well rested passenger is a less irritable and more enjoyable passenger.

14. Avoid rush hour traffic.

It’s one thing to tack on time on your road trip for an interesting roadside attraction.  It’s another thing entirely to loose hours sitting in rush hour traffic because you ended up in Chicago at 5pm.

If at all possible, plan your route so that you hit major cities outside of peak driving times.  If that’s not possible, look for bypasses and alternate routes.  The miles you loose driving around the city will be worth the time and gas you save by not idling in bumper to bumper commuter traffic.  Remember that you might be on vacation, but the rest of the world still has to work during the week – and they have to drive to get there.

15. Bring a map.  A real, actual, paper map that does not talk to you.

I love GPS.  In fact, love is probably not a strong enough word for the affection I have for a dashboard device that tells me where to go and when to turn.  But even the best navigation system in the world makes mistakes.

Bring a map and double check your computer generated route.  It’s also nice to have a map on hand if you find yourself having to detour around a city, or looking for the best route to that big ball of twine you’re stopping to see.

16. Pack games for the kids.

One of the main reasons I end up vacationing road trip style is because I have kids.  Airplane tickets for a family of four are surprisingly more expensive than an airplane ticket for one.  Go figure.

A backseat full of bored kids can ruin the shortest card ride.  It can make a long road trip unbearable for everyone.  Plan ahead.  Bring a variety of road trip friendly activities to keep the young travelers occupied.  Some of our family favorites include coloring books, crossword puzzles, puzzle books, and travel versions of board games.  And of course, you can always fall back on a rousing game of I Spy.

17. Wear flip flops.

I loathe flip flops as a fashion option.  I’m kind of a snob like that.  But for road trips, a slip on/slip off footwear choice is a must.

Every single person in my family takes off their shoes if they’re in the car for too long.  That means every single person in my family has to put their shoes back on every single time we stop.  For food.  For bathroom breaks.  For staring at that dang ball of twine.  It can take 15 minutes to find shoes, find socks, put back on socks and shoes, lace up shoes and finally get out of the dang car.  If you’re taking a road trip as a family, flip flops are your friend.

18.  Have fun!

No, really.  Ultimately, the success of your road trip is dependent on your state of mind.  You can do everything on the list and still have a horrible experience if you’re focused on how long you’re driving and when you’ll get there and how much you hate being stuck in the car.

Or, you can forget every single tip I’ve given you and find yourself laughing uproariously in the middle of rush hour traffic, having the time of your life.

Planning ahead can make things easier and help avoid some common pitfalls, but ultimately something will go awry and it will be up to you to keep a positive attitude and make the most of your road trip experience.  Relax.  Smile.  And enjoy the ride.