I love to travel. I mean LOVE. However, our family has spent the last number of years working on becoming debt free, saving, and being responsible, leaving little room for extravagant vacations. For me, though, because of what great memories I have of many family vacations growing up, skipping vacations altogether is just not an option, so I do my best to plan super fun vacations on a budget. Right now, I am working on planning a week long trip for a family of four from Texas to Florida for under $1000. Yep, you heard right. And I think we'll be able to do it with a little room to spare. I'll share our trip plans soon, but I wanted to share a few of my favorite money-saving tips so that you can begin your plans for your own affordable Spring Break vacation!
- Drive, don't fly. Airfare can add up in a hurry when travelling with kids in tow. Hop in the car instead! Not only will you spend a fraction of the cost, but you will see so much on your way! As a kid, the drive itself was one of my favorite parts of the trip, and it was great getting to sample the culture, food, and things to do along the way! Expect to save somewhere around 60-80% on transportation costs this way depending on the size of your family.
- Book hotels online. Get online and check out sites like Priceline, Hotels.com, and Hotwire before your trip. We've scored some major savings (30-60%) by booking this way. (Note: Sign up with a program like Ebates or MyPoints, then shop travel sites through their referral links to earn points and cash back rewards.)
- Free Breakfasts. Many hotels (especially the ones geared towards families) offer free hot breakfasts. Make sure when booking that the hotel you book offers this service to save your family $20-30/day.
- Cook your own meals. Not all of them, of course (part of the fun of vacation is getting to try all the good restaurants), but as much as you're able depending on your destination. Search for a hotel or condo ahead of time that has a small kitchen and buy groceries. Planning to eat out once every 1-2 days will save TONS of money, and it'll make it a eating out feel like a real treat.
- Camping. Okay, I realize not everyone is cut out for camping, but I grew up camping a lot, and it's a very affordable way to see the country. If you have a tent or a pop up camper (or know someone who does), load it up and head out! Typically, the cost of a camp site in a state or national park will be about 10-20% of the cost of a hotel. I also love that there's always tons of stuff to do for the kids. They can ride bikes, explore, swim, and more... for free! Find a park that's located near the city/area you want to visit, and voila -- affordable lodging at a fraction of the price!
- Look for free things to do. I've been amazed our last couple trips to the coast how many really cool free things there were to do. Some highlights were riding the ferry at no cost and watching the dolphins as we rode. (Dolphin tours were going for around $25/person, and this was just as good!) We also found out that there was a marine life rehab center/sanctuary that was open to the public for free. Get online and see what you can find.
- Read reviews before you visit restaurants, attractions, etc. It's easy to get sucked into all the tourist traps and flashy looking restaurants, but use online sites or apps like TripAdvisor, Yahoo! Travel, UrbanSpoon, and Yelp to read user reviews first. You may find that the $50 you were going to pay to go to the local aquarium may not be worth it. Or you might discover that the beach front seafood hut you were thinking of going to is expensive and average-tasting, and that the best seafood can really be found at a little dive up the street where all the locals go (and it doesn't have touristy price tags).
These are just a few of the things I try and do when planning a trip. Do you have any tips or advice for affordable family vacations?
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