Five Cheap Vacations That Go Off The Grid

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(ALK) 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.

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.

3. Go the volunteer route: You don't have to stick to tried-and-true vacation destinations this summer to save money. You can go off the beaten path, still stay within budget and give something back as well. One option is to take a volunteer vacation. For example, the American Hiking Society is looking for volunteers for a wide range of trail-building projects in such places as Hell's Canyon, Oregon; Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia; and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California. A registration fee of $275 covers a week-long working vacation, plus meals and accommodations, which can be primitive. You'll have to pay our own way there and bring your own gear, but you'll leave behind something positive at the end of the week.