The 2022 guide to a Florida vacation on a budget

If you’re planning a Florida vacation, you have so many options to chose from. You can walk hundreds of miles of beaches by visiting small coastal towns like St. Augustine. You can explore the bustling culture, arts, and nightlife in cities like Miami or Tampa. Are you a fan of theme parks? Well, Florida has the best, including Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, and Busch Gardens. There are so many options to chose from. How do you get started planning a trip to Florida on a budget?

We say, do it all! Of course, Florida is vast, and it depends on how long you want to stay. If you can spend a week in Florida, here’s what we recommend:

First, choose your ⚓︎ anchor

With one week in Florida, you’ll want to settle on the NorthWest or SouthEast part of the state. Tampa is a good anchor for the NorthWest. Miami is a good Anchor for the SouthEast.

Stay in Tampa if…

  • you want access to the best beaches in the world

  • you want to wander around small little beach towns

  • you have a family with small kinds and want to be close to theme parks

  • you’re not interested in spending $500+ on 5⭐ dining (Tampa’s restaurant culture still hasn’t caught up to Miami)

  • you’re into paddle boarding and other water sports

  • you like tech (Tampa calls itself ‘Crypto Bay’ and there are tons of young tech startups everywhere you look)

  • you love sports

  • you’re into a casual vibe

  • you love small bungalows

  • you’re into cigars and a good cuban

Stay in Miami if…

  • you love clubs (Miami has some of the best nightlife)

  • you’re a fan of 5⭐ dining

  • you like to dress up and go shopping as a mid-day activity

  • you love the sound of hustle-and-bustle on the streets

  • you’re into art galleries, street art, and emerging artists

  • you want to split a luxury home with a large group of people and hang by the pool all day

  • you’re not into driving around small beach towns

Tampa

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Tampa ⚓︎

To get around Tampa for cheap

Ride the Tampa Trolly for free and go to places like Ybor city or take Tampa Water Taxi.

Don’t miss….Ybor City

The best things in life are for free. Our favorite is walking around Ybor, where you’ll see an uncommon blend of bikers showing off their wheels at nights, woo girls celebrating a bachelorette party, military bars, crystal shops, cigar shops, great Colombian Restaurants…you name it.

Eat!!

Here’s the real deal: food in Tampa isn’t great. It’s slowly catching up as people from all over move in, but it’s not a foodie town yet. Here are the good spots: Ichicoro Ramen, On Swann, Hotel Haya

Day trips from Tampa

There are tons of small beach towns around Tampa. We recommend renting a car and going to Fort De Soto Park, St. Pete, Treasure Island

Swap homes in Tampa

Of course, if you’re planning a Florida vacation on a budget, the best option is to stay for free. Check out homes to swap in Florida

Hit up a dive bar

Part dive, part on-trend, Velvet Gypsy is the hot spot to go.

Miami

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Miami ⚓︎

Use points to book vacation homes in Miami

If you’re planning a florida vacation on a budget, the best bet is to go with a large group and rent a home. You can even use your 48dots points to book vacation home in Miami.

Go clubbing

Clubs in Miami aren’t cheap. We won’t list them all because Google does a great job, but we’ll just give you a few tips: go early. Nighlife in Miami doesn’t begin until 12-1am, so try to get in ~10 and pace yourself! 😉