How to Save on Family Vacations in the U.S.
The word “cheap” often conjures up images of old, ragged things standing on their last leg, but that is hardly ever the case. There are many ways to enjoy cheap family vacations, both before you go and while you are there, without sacrificing fun. Work your way down this list to experience loads of family fun without breaking the bank.
Before You Go
Cheap family vacations start long before you even reach your destination.
Make a Budget
Any financial moves you make in life need to start with a budget. Before you take any other steps toward your vacation, decide how much you can and are willing to pay. Set a budget that is within that amount and work your vacation plans around that.
For instance, if your budget is $1,000, you need to plan and shop around until your travel, accommodations, food, supplies, and fun can all be taken care of with that $1,000. If it’s not enough, you will need to decide if you would rather tweak the budget or tweak the vacation plans. Either way, you need to set your budget at the beginning of your planning process.
Planning
One of the absolute best ways to save money on family vacations is to plan way ahead of time. Trust me - I know how wonderful it is to dream about jumping in the car on a whim and escaping awhile. Unfortunately, that’s just not going to help when you are on a budget.
Instead, you need to think it out ahead of time. Let’s go through one thing at a time so you can make a comprehensive plan.
Place and Time
Where you choose to go and when you choose to go there will mean the difference in cheap family vacations and coming home, regretting your life decisions. First and foremost, you have to decide where you want to go. Right now, the general location is fine. You can get more specific as the planning gets deeper, but let’s think about it. It will cost a lot more to go to Hawaii than to travel to Florida, of course. So if you just want to go to a beach, you can save a lot of money by choosing one of the many on either side of the country.
If you are dead set on Hawaii, that’s okay, too. You don’t have to go to the most expensive area. Maui is typically going to cost more than Oahu, but there are less touristy places you can visit.
One beautiful thing about the Internet is that it is very easy to find average prices of different vacations. Check out a few different places you are interested in and determine which is the most budget-friendly. After you have chosen a place, you have to decide when you want to go. If you can get away while school is still in, you can usually save more money than if you go in the summer or over spring break. A quick Google search can tell you the best times to visit the location of your choice.
Accommodation - hotels
When you get to your dream destination, where do you plan to stay? One option is, of course, a hotel. The time of year and the days of the week you choose to stay will impact hotel rates.
Here’s a little secret, though: You can almost always get a lower rate than originally quoted. I worked at a hotel a few years ago, which happened to be amid three other hotels. The competition on that road was fierce. I remember answering the phone several times when desk clerks and managers from the other hotels would call. They would pretend to be a potential guest and ask for our rates. I am pretty sure the man I worked for did it as well.
The point is that everyone was always trying to undercut others. If they knew our rates were $80 a night, they would quote $75 to get the business.
In addition to that, we were supposed to quote the full rate, but we could take the price down- tremendously in some cases- if it meant us winning the business. The lesson here is: It never hurts to try.
Other Accommodations
There are many other options available. Think about condos and houses for rent, as well. Not only do they sometimes cost much less, but they usually offer things that most hotels do not - washer and dryer, full-size kitchen, multiple bathrooms, and more.
Depending on where you are going, you could also go camping or glamping for cheap family vacations. Camping is fun if you love being outdoors anyway, but some do not consider it a vacation. The lack of restrooms, cozy beds, and showers turn some people off.
If that is you, have no fear- glamping is here. For those who have never heard of this, it is a glamorous form of camping that is still typically cheaper than a hotel room.
Glamping provides the greatness of nature and some luxuries, like showers, dining halls, mattresses, pools, and more.
Each location provides its own amenities, so you will have to check them out for yourself. You might also consider renting an RV, especially if you do not have many people with you. Which ever option you choose, I promise you'll have fun!
Transportation
How you travel to your destination also has a big impact.
Flying
Are you planning to fly? One of the best things you can do is book your tickets as far in advance as possible. Sometimes, tickets will go on sale at the last minute if there are empty seats, but who wants to take that chance? The early you get your flight booked, the better.
If you do fly, how are you planning to get around when you get there? Are you going to rent a car? Doing so at the airport is going to get you some high rates. Instead, use public transportation or an Uber to get to a car rental shop away from the airport. Or, if you are staying amid everything anyway, forget the rental and use an Uber when you need one. You can walk to nearby places.
Driving
If you are planning to drive to your destination, there are other considerations. First, are you going to take your own vehicle? Many people feel this is the cheapest way to go about it, and most of the time it is. However, that’s not always the case.
When a person chooses to drive long distances, there is a lot of maintenance to be handled beforehand. You’ll need to get your oil changed, tires and wipers checked, and so on.
Those few things will not add up to much - especially if you do not need a new set of tires. However, if your car needs more work than that or you fear it will not make it all of the way, you might be better off with a rental. Those cars get quality care, so no extra work is required by you. Additionally, they are typically newer and in good shape, so they do not take as much gas as many other cars do.
There is no right or wrong answer here. If your car drinks a lot of gas and needs a good bit of work, a rental is probably better. Otherwise, your car might do the trick. This is something you will have to decide.
Supplies List
You need to make a packing and supply list early on to be gathering items little at a time. When you don’t have a plan for what you need, you end up taking too little or too much. Taking too much requires extra space in your car or on the plane. Taking too little means that you will likely pay $10 for a $4 stick of deodorant because you left yours at home. Neither is a desirable outcome.
Let me say this: You do not have to pack everything. You just need to be strategic about what you do pack and what you leave behind. Clothes, makeup, shoes, and similar things - yes, pack them up. Personal hygiene items, on the other hand, you might not need to pack. Stores either in your hotel or in the direct vicinity of it will probably charge a fortune for a tube of toothpaste. However, if you are willing to drive away from the busy area a bit, you can probably find a cheaper store.
For instance, the last time we went out of state, I forgot a couple of necessities. I knew how much it would cost at the stores surrounding our hotel, so we drove down the road for about fifteen minutes and found a dollar store. I could buy everything we needed for the price I would have at home, and I did not have to pack so much. Be sure that you check for stores around your destination to know what you can buy cheaply there and what you cannot.
If you are driving and your vehicle is big enough to fit everything, this is not an issue. However, if you are flying, you do not want a ton of bags to check as that will run up your flight total. Some people who fly and need to pack a lot even ship their luggage ahead of time to save money. If you need to carry a lot, compare shipping prices to flying with it all.
Snacks
You are going to get hungry on your trip. If you have children, they will say they are hungry about every hour or less. Buying snacks on the road can easily break your vacation budget.
Instead, if you are driving, pack a cooler with some drinks.
Take some sandwich stuff, some chips, some fruit, or whatever snacks and small lunch items you can.
Do be sure to pack some wet wipes, as well. It never fails that someone makes a mess or gets sticky.
Pet Care
Find someone to keep Fluffy for you. I know your pet might be your baby, but taking him with you on the road will cost you in pet fees wherever you choose to stay.
Additionally, many places do not allow pets, so taking yours will likely limit the places you can enjoy. Try to find a friend or family member, though. Trade favors if you have to because boarding a pet is not cheap.
While You Are There
There are several things you can do to have cheap family vacations after arriving at your destination. Below are just a few ideas.
Food
Smart food choices play a very important role in cheap family vacations. Part of many people’s idea for vacation involves eating local food the entire time. However, if you want to know how to cut expenses on vacation, food is the place to start.
I understand that eating out is part of the magic in may cases, so I am not saying that you should not eat out the entire time you are there. I am simply saying to be strategic about it. I have always saved a lot of money by cooking most of our vacations. That never meant that I made four-course meals every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After all, this was my vacation, too.
For breakfast, we would eat something quick and light as we all wanted to get out on the beach and play anyway. We would snack on chips and sandwiches for lunch. For dinner, we would usually eat something that I had thrown in the Crockpot earlier, like some soup.
Since we ate in the condo most of the time, we had money to eat out a couple of times without worrying too much about what we spent.
When you plan ahead and are willing to cook a little, you free up a lot of money for other things.
Saving Can Be Fun. Visit the Billry Shop And See It For Yourself!
Find or Make Your Own Souvenirs
Souvenirs are another drain on the vacation budget. The first time we took our kids to the beach, I let them go a little crazy in the souvenir shop. I knew better, but it was our first family vacation. Since I had saved so much money in other areas of our trip, I let them get quite a bit.
They were happy, of course, but they surprised me a bit. Like little kids who are more interested in the box than what came in it, my kiddos enjoyed the shells and sand we collected together the most. In fact, those are some of the only items left from our trip. I had also bought us each a sand dollar. When we got home, I pulled out the paint and let everyone paint their own sand dollar. Those are hanging on our wall, and the kids smile every time they see them.
Many times, the best souvenirs are the memories - the special things you do together. If you want to buy a few souvenirs, that’s up to you, but try finding or making your own, too. Not only will you save money, but you will all have even greater memories than what a store-bought item can give you.
Activities
The same basic principle applies here. It does not matter if you spend $500 at a theme park. More than likely, the things that will stay in your memory the longest are the laughs you share and spending time together.
Find as many free activities as you can and build some incredible memories.
In addition to free activities, you can often find some discounted ones - especially if you are there before or after the busy season. You might find places with half-priced kids’ day on Wednesdays or kids eat free before 3 p.m. deal. You might have to drive a little out of the busy area for them, but they are usually worth it.
Ask gas station attendants or hotel clerks for the inside scoop. Or use local advertising to your advantage. Type in “kids’ activities near me” on the Internet or something similar once you get there, and you should get presented with a list of activities.
Additional Tips
Learn to Pack Well
Take a look at some packing videos on YouTube. There are some incredible ones there that can teach you how to be more efficient and space-saving in your packing abilities.
Leave the Credit Cards
Cheap family vacations tend to go awry when there is a credit card around. Using a credit card is like getting a loan - is borrowing money against your future. It allows you to spend money you don’t yet have. Therefore, when you use your credit card, you are committing future income toward the bill. Carrying your card around with you while you are on vacation usually leads to more spending than you intended. That is not to mention all of the interest you end up paying for using a credit card.
For your own sake, leave it at home. Use cash as much as you can. Carry a debit card for emergencies, but only take it out in case of an emergency. Otherwise, you might end up paying on your vacation until you are ready for the next one.
It’s best to save the money for your cheap family vacations upfront, so that you are sure that not only you are spending only what you intended to, but to ensure you have enough money for everything that you planned.
Conclusion
You don’t have to put off your well-deserved vacation due to money anymore. With a little time and dedication, you can give your family memories that will make them think back and smile for years to come.