If you're worried about losing your job, you could set up the kid's pool, fire up the grill and vacation in the backyard this summer.
Or you could take an out-of-the-ordinary, yet still reasonably priced, vacation. Here are some suggestions.
1. Get back to nature: Throw in a bit of education. For instance, the North Cascades Institute in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, north of Seattle, offers a variety of three- and four-day family getaways and backpacking adventures that will give your family a chance to check out some of the most spectacular scenery in the country while learning about the natural and cultural history of the area. Getaways are priced from about $225 per adult and $155 per child, which includes lodging, meals and activities. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, which use Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as a hub, are offering inexpensive summer fares on some flights into and out of the city.
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2. Rent a yurt: For something completely different, rent a yurt at your favorite campground or vacation destination. Yurts -- round, peaked-roof, tent-like structures used by Central Asian nomads for centuries -- are popping up all over the country as eco-friendly, alternative vacation accommodations. The Lova Lava Land Eco-Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii, for instance, offers furnished yurt rentals for $60 a night and $245 a week. At the Wagon Trail Campground in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin, you can rent a yurt that will sleep five people for $79 to $85 a night. For a complete list of yurt vacation rentals across the country, visit the Pacific Yurts Web site.
Yurts are becoming popular as eco-friendly, alternative vacation accommodations.
