Planning Family Vacations On a Budget

Last week I talked about the .  Your response may be, “That’s great—I’d LOVE to go on a trip, we just can’t afford it.” 

That may be true, but you may also not realize how easy it is to travel on a budget. As I mentioned in the article, it does not matter where you go or what you do, what matters is that you spend the time together. Here are some of my ideas for fitting family trips into your budget.

Do your homework

The Internet is a great place to find travel deals, but you will have to invest the time to hunt down the best of them.  This article will help you get started. Ironically, one of the best ways to find a deal is to not have done your homework (or at least, turned it in late): check out these strategies for scoring last-minute deals.

Getting there

One of the biggest budget killers is transportation. Airfare is expensive, but multiply it by three, four or more (and throw in the airlines’ baggage fees) and you’re heading into panic attack territory.

One of the obvious ways to save money is to drive, but start thinking out of the box. If you only need a car to get to your destination and back, consider finding a deal on a hybrid rental car. The Toyota Prius looks tiny, but my sister fit all three of her kids in car seats, luggage and a stroller in it! Crunch the numbers and see if it is worth the savings in gas and mileage on your own car.

Cruises may seem an extravagant luxury, but you can find unbelievable deals on them in the off-season or with repositioning cruises. 

They have the added bonus of wrapping your food and lodging costs in with your transportation. You can find a hotel at your destination and explore for a couple days without a car, saving you parking and gas fees, or you can just enjoy the cruise itself.  MSNBC and Smarter Travel share some ways to track down those cruise deals.

Staying there

Nowadays, lodging options are endless. Consider creative alternatives to the typical hotel stay (but if you don’t, then make sure to use credit card or frequent flyer miles!):

Vacation rentals:  These offer more bang for your buck, including kitchens for you to cook your own meals, recreational equipment (e.g. snorkels, bikes, kayaks, etc.) and free breakfast or afternoon receptions. 

My friends and family have had positive experiences with vrbo.com, but you can find even more vacation rental sites here.

House swaps:  Not for the faint of heart (or those with unruly kids), houseswaps indubitably have the ideal price tag: free.  Although there is a nominal charge for access to reputable houseswap sites, the fees are a drop in the bucket compared to what you would pay for a hotel stay. 

Budget Travel has a great introduction to the concept, re-nest shares their favorite tips and a veteran houseswapper shares her experiences.

Camping: If you are the outdoorsy type, camping is a great budget-friendly way to enjoy family time.  Reserveamerica.com makes online reservations for thousands of campgrounds. You can fall asleep to the sound of the surf for a fraction of what you would pay for a hotel steps away from the beach. 

If you have never been camping before, a great way to try it out is to go with another experienced family.

Being there

So, what to do once you are there? Free things of course! I have never heard my kids complain about hitting the beach day after day. 

Geocaching and letterboxing are two exciting trends that tap into children’s innate desire for exploration and treasure hunting. Don’t forget to check out free days at national parks and free fishing days. 

Guidebooks such as this or a quick jump online with “free things to do” and your destination will yield a plethora of more ideas.

Staying here

Perhaps you decide that it is financially impossible to take a trip this year. Never fear, the staycation is here! 

However, Rule #1 is that you must not engage in any activity you would not do if you were 1000 miles away (i.e. go into the office).  Even better, I would challenge you to make a commitment to refuse any work-related emails or phone calls, or even go completely off the grid (but I am a realist).

Rule #2 for staycations is that you must plan them.  I do not mean schedule them, as in producing a timetable.  But have a general plan, such as, “Day 1: Go to the beach, Day 2: Go to the zoo, Day 3: Campout in the backyard.”  Beware of overbooking (just as with any vacation) and stick to one main event a day and build in downtime.  Having an outline keeps the staycation from turning into a 7-day TV marathon for the kids while you catch up on housework.

Rule #3 is to make the plans with your kids.  Treat it as any other vacation and discuss what everybody’s hopes and expectations are for the “trip”.  Set ground rules, such as boundaries for the aforementioned work-related tasks.  Create some fun ones, such as, “Sleeping in is required” or “Breakfast for dinner is mandatory” or “No shoes in the house…only underwear”.  You get the idea.

Hopefully, armed with these tips, you can plan your family trip and still afford to put the kids through college.