AFFORDABLE ADVENTURE

With mountains, the ocean and a multitude of golf courses, Monterey County is a world-renowned spot for outdoor recreation. Here is a trio of sporting options that won’t cost you a bundle, and still will allow you to enjoy the bounty of this area.

Disc Golf

With green fees ranging from $37 to $450, it’s hard to experience that feeling of nailing a great putt on a local golf course unless you are willing to lay down some serious green. Instead, pick up a golf disc (that’s right, a Frisbee) for under $15 at Outdoor World or Monterey’s Trailside Café and head to one of the county’s four free disc golf courses. Carmel Middle School has 18 easy holes, while Monterey’s Don Dahvee Park and CSUMB’s Cypress Course and Oaks Course all are more challenging.

Snorkeling

Monterey is known as one of the great SCUBA-diving areas on the California coast, and folks who want to experience the region’s underwater sights can rent snorkeling gear ($35 a day) for half the price of SCUBA equipment ($70 a day) at Monterey’s Bamboo Reef Dive Shop.

Bodysurfing

The Pacific Ocean is one of our best free natural resources, but the equipment to enjoy ocean activities can be prohibitive. New surfboards cost anywhere from $400 to $1,100, pretty steep when you’re trying to tighten your belt. Why not give body-surfing a try? For the cost of a used wetsuit ($20 to $125) and a set of bodysurfing fins ($39-$60) at Sunshine Freestyle Surf Shop or On the Beach Surf Shop, you can shoot down a wave face or even get tubed without spending gnarly money. Also, Pacific Grove’s Liquid Surf Shop sells bodysurfing fins for $45, along with used and new wetsuits.

TRAVEL

Face it, you’re entitled to a vacation now more than ever. Here are some ways to keep you out of the poorhouse.

www.kayak.com and www.sidestep.com

These websites scour airlines from Air Tran to Virgin, and discount travel sites like www.cheaptickets.com and www.orbitz.com to find the cheapest prices in airfare.

www.bootsnall.com

The website for BootsnAll Travel features a good flight search engine along with travel blogs and forums that people can peruse for free travel advice.

www.homelink.com

HomeLink International finds travelers who swap their residences with people in other regions of the world during vacation. An annual fee of $110 includes getting one’s residence published in the organization’s directory and use of online member services. That is heck of a lot cheaper than paying for a week’s stay at a Caribbean resort or a retreat in the Swiss Alps.