Family Vacations on a Budget

Planning family vacations on a budget does not mean your family cannot have a great time together. Here is a free list of the top ten ways to save money on family vacations.

One of the greatest family vacations ever may be a lot closer than you think.

Top Ten Ways to Save Money on Family Vacations

1. Go on vacation in the off-season. Usually off-season prices are significantly less. This will usually also help with crowd control. There will probably be less people, less traffic, less lines...etc.
2. Where practical, prepare meals at home prior to leaving on vacation. If you are on a road trip take a cooler and plan on eating several self-prepared meals.
3. Look seriously at driving to your vacation spot. Plane tickets can be very expensive at times, especially when purchasing for the whole family.
4. For good family money management, consider going on a "stay-cation", where you stick around closer to home for your vacation. I've noticed that many families (my own included) feel they need to travel long distances to have great vacations. Many times there is a great place practically in our own backyard.
5. Going camping is a great vacation with kids. If you can handle "roughing" it, consider camping as a less expensive vacation. My kids absolutely love to camp. Camping may be kind of hard on parents with small children, but our kids can remember all the details of every camping trip we have ever been on.



6. Plan ahead. With some advance planning, you will have time to shop around and get the best deals.
7. Stay with friends or family. Instead of paying $100 plus per night for a hotel, stay with people you know and save money.
8. Plan your family vacations on a budget around some of the less popular attractions. Price is all about supply and demand. If you are going to an area where the demand is low, the price may be lower.
9. Plan a series of day trips. Visit local attractions during the day and come home at night.
10. Look for online coupons. Once you know which attraction you want to visit do an online search for the name of the attraction and "coupon" or "coupon code".

If you are planning a large group vacation for extended family (like a family reunion) or friends, ask if there is a group discount. Also consider renting a house or condo for the whole group.

Another idea to consider is look at all inclusive family resorts. An all inclusive family resorts can be great for kids vacations and may be within your price range. Be be sure to reserve it far in advance. You may need to reserve it a year or more in advance.

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