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Snowman on grassSince I can remember, frugality guides me in most of the things that I do. It doesn’t mean I get it right every time, nor does it mean I don’t make mistakes in my choices and decisions. Last vacation was the perfect example of such mistake, when frugal spelled disaster.

Sometimes, certain things simply can’t be bought for less – and if you try and get them for less, you will regret that. Big time. What you’re about to read is a case study I made from my recent disastrous vacation, to help you learn from my bad experience. Watch and learn what you shouldn’t do when going on vacation.

Objective: a 2-days getaway in the snow, when I show little Eric how tobogganing works and Rob gets to refresh his skiing skills.

Mistake #1: Date chosen based on whenever the cheap accommodation is available.

What went wrong: The weather. We didn’t check the forecast and instead of snow all we got was wind and rain. The slopes got all icy, Rob couldn’t ski and Eric couldn’t even walk. He slipped a couple of times on ice and lost all confidence.

Lesson learned: If you want a nice snow vacation, make sure there is snow before you book.

Mistake #2: Accommodation chosen based on price alone.

What went wrong: It was a lodge, which turned out to be a filthy disgusting place; our room had enough space to for one bunk bed and no room for Eric’s porta-cot. We ended up all sleeping in one bed, which means nobody got any normal sleep.

Mistake #3: We booked without asking who the other guests were.

What went wrong: The other quests of the lodge were a bunch of teenagers and naturally, they were very loud and the walls were very thin. Can’t really blame the kids – was one myself not too long ago, but they woke Eric up twice, during his night and afternoon sleep.

Lesson learned: When booking a cheaper shared accommodation, always ask about the “neighbors”.

Mistake #4: The place was chosen based on proximity – not based on the facilities.

What went wrong: We went to the closest mountain and it wasn’t a good choice. The amount of snow was so little that many of the ski lifts were closed and Rob could ski on 2 runs instead of 14.

Lesson learned: We should have drove another 2 hours to another mountain further away but with much bigger amount of snow and more ski runs – after all that was the purpose of the trip!

I feel so frustrated. This was the first vacation in a long time and it was anything but enjoyable.

Did it ever happen to you that an opportunity for some good time was right there, and you blew it?