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Summertime! Which means no school and probably some travel… We don’t get to travel very often because of the costs. So when we DO travel, we’re all about finding ways to cut family vacation costs!
As wonderful as a family vacation can be, the majority of trips can put a strain on your family’s budget. While these costs are very much worth the amazing memories, the financial side of it can cause some stress.
Cut Family Vacation Costs
Thankfully, it is possible to enjoy a truly incredible family vacation without the costs mounting up too high! You don’t need to miss out on visiting attractions, or having certain experiences, in order to do so. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
#1 - Be careful to book at the right time
One thing about traveling with your family is that, you pretty much travel when everyone else travels. Scheduling around school means that when your family is travel-ready, so is everyone else. This means you’ll have to deal with the inevitable price hikes for doing so.
It’s tough to blame companies for hiking prices during those hot travel dates. It can be a real bummer for you though!
Often, the advice to avoid the worst of the school holiday price rises is to book as early as possible! This tactic can definitely still work well if you don’t mind committing to a vacation nine or 12 months before you’re set to leave.
However, it’s also worth considering booking really late- potentially only making your final arrangements a few days before you’d be set to depart. I don’t know about your family, but that sounds pretty risky. But, hey! If you it works for you and you save money, go for it!
If you can leave booking until the last minute, you’ll have the chance to take advantage of cut-price deals that are often available. This tends to work best with hotels and resorts. You can sometimes find great late deals for flights and train tickets if you’re lucky.
#2 - Keep an eye out for attraction discounts
The internet is truly amazing… It has opened up a whole new world for comparison shopping! It’s well worth exploring your options for deals that can significantly reduce the price of your trip.
Deals are usually available for every part of a vacation. They can be particularly abundant for attractions and theme parks such as Disneyland. Since these popular, kid-friendly attractions tend to be very expensive at a standard price, any reduction can make a huge difference.
To find these deals, it’s helpful to follow the social media pages of attractions you would like to visit; if any deals become available, you can be confident these will be posted to social media.
In addition, you can also find dedicated sites that specialize in offering reduced entrance rates and even discount Disneyland tickets! This should allow you to cut costs significantly and still be able to visit the places you and your kids want to experience.
#3 - Accept inconvenience if it means lower cost
As Americans, we tend to pay for convenience more than is really necessary. What? I can pay just a bit more to have my steak already cut for me?! I’ll take it! (A little bit of an exaggeration, but you get it.)
Often, the price of a vacation can spiral due to convenience. An example of this is paying for a direct flight rather than opting for cheaper flights that involve connections. Or even… wait for it… DRIVING TO OUR DESTINATION! Sometimes a little inconvenience can save you a lot of money!
There are a variety of ways to keep kids entertained while waiting for a connection or traveling in the car, and the amount you save can help to add an extra attraction or stop to your overall travel itinerary.
If your vacation is only for a couple of days then paying a little more convenience is sometimes worth it. The time you have available is short, and paying extra helps to ensure your family can spend as much time as possible.. However, if you’ll be away for a week or more, sometimes it’s better to wait a little longer to save money.
Finally, it is worth noting the ultimate convenience: all-inclusive resorts and hotels. I’ll admit, the idea of not planning or preparing what to eat or drink is really appealing. However, the inconvenience of preparing food on your trip can save a lot! You can usually save buying food from supermarkets to find food for breakfast and lunch. You could then look for restaurant deals in the evening.
What other ways to cut family vacation costs have you found?
By following the tips above, you should be able to keep the costs of your family vacation reasonable without compromising the fun you’ll be able to have!
What other great tips do you have for families needing to travel and get away?
These are all great ideas! We also start stocking up on travel snacks a few months before and just purchase one bulk item every time we shop. We filled up our cooler with granola bars, Chex mix, applesauce, trail mix, and dried fruit and it lasted our entire trip Ü
That’s a great idea!
These tips are spot on! I’m a huge believer in taking my family on vacation. But sometimes it can get expensive! I love your tip about saving money by accepting inconvenience- so true!!
We love renting a house whenever we can so it has a full size kitchen that we can cook in! Saves so much money on food cost.
Yessss…take the inconvenience for a lower cost! I would much rather have an extra layover or a hotel without all the amenities if it saves me money!
Great tips! Looking out for discount coupons can save you a lot of money. We normally bring our food as much as possible even drinks.