Family vacations are something everyone looks forward to all year long. It’s a time where you can focus on being together and experiencing new things. Unfortunately, it seems like travel only gets more expensive, especially as kids get older and you need more cash for food, souvenirs, and plane seating. For your next family trip, use these tricks to make the ordeal a little less expensive.
Carefully Select Your Vacation Time
Consider taking your vacation outside popular peak travel times. Any family that wants to visit the beach during Labor Day, or a popular vacation spot during summer break should be prepared to fight the crowds and congestion. Consider visiting major parks, such as Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, before Memorial Day, but after Labor Day. In fact, Disneyland typically experiences the least amount of visitors after Labor Day. Carefully planning the vacation outside of peak travel times will enable you to obtain discounted accommodations and vacation related services, such as tour packages and restaurants.
Bring Your Food
Eating out at restaurants every day quickly adds up, and will compete with lodging for the most expensive travel cost. Proper planning is needed to avoid paying for overpriced meals when the entire family is hungry and without any other options. For example, Disneyland officially prohibits outside food, and their restaurants can get ridiculously expensive. Bring in small snacks and a bottle of water to keep kids happy and sated until you can go somewhere else for a meal, and store food in the vehicle that won’t melt or spoil easily, such as nuts, granola, dried fruit, and crackers. Take advantage of local supermarkets and buy perishable food that can be consumed on the same day.
Do Your Research
The Internet offers excellent resources to help travelers plan and prepare their vacations. For example, you can usually compare hotel prices right from the online maps. Be sure to thoroughly research hotels for any hidden fees or helpful amenities, such as free parking and WiFi service. If your trip will be longer than one week, consider asking for a discount from the hotel. Don’t forget to check to see if the hotel rooms have refrigerators and if the hotel itself has laundry facilities. Finally, try to book flights during the middle of the week when it’s traditionally cheaper. There are many travel websites that offer excellent ways to save money. For instance, coupons and Travelocity promo codes from places like Discountrue will enable you to save money at popular hotels and airlines.
Your family can better manage your next vacation budget through traveling outside of peak times, avoiding dining out at restaurants, and proper online research and preparation. Don’t let your next trip become a huge extravagance this year!
