Taking a Vacation This Year? You’re Not Alone [AUDIO]

Despite the struggling economy, many of us are taking a vacation this year and we're pulling out all the stops.

A recent poll by Ipsos finds that Americans are still planning to get out of town and they're planning to spend whatever it takes to do it.

About 75 percent of respondents are planning to take a vacation this year. More than a quarter of adults, or 32 percent, are planning to spend at least $1,000 on vacation per family member with one-sixth planning to spend up to $2,500 per person. Men are twice as likely as women to spend more. In fact, nearly one in ten men plans to spend at least $5,000.

"I was pretty stunned by those prices and budgets," said Trae Bodge, Senior Editor of RetailMeNot.com's Insider Magazine. "I think that people can find much better deals than that and spend closer to $550 per person for their vacation. We found some fantastic deals coming out of the tri-state area. You can fly to Boston for $148, you can fly to Washington D.C. for $129. If you're looking for a package deal with hotel, we found one for $308 to Orlando for three nights, which is pretty amazing."

The poll also found that more than a quarter of Americans, 28 percent, will charge their vacation on a credit card. "This is really troubling because if you're going to spend $4,000 on a vacation like many people intend to, it can take you a couple of years to pay it off and with interest rates, it can cost much more than was originally intended." said Bodge.

It's not only hotel and transportation costs that eat up a family's vacation budget.

"Almost 40 percent of people expect to spend the bulk of their money on meals and drinks.Slightly less than that plan to spend on entertainment, excursions, bike tours, spas and things like that. My advice would be to look for all-inclusives. There are great resorts out there that offer everything all rolled into one that are a fantastic value. They'll feed you, give you drinks at night and you can take tours and take part in wonderful things without spending so much extra money," said Bodge.

While people are willing to pay for a family vacation, nearly half of those polled, 48 percent, say they don't tip. "I think it's nice to let people know when they do a good job. Housekeeping staff rely on our tips. Obviously, there's a pay check coming to them, but it's not a lot and it's not much for us to put aside two or three dollars a day to pay someone who helps clean up after us in our hotel room. So, I would encourage people to tip others who are working hard for us," said Bodge.