Family holidays are an important way to spend quality time together. And they don’t have to be expensive. It is with great pleasure that I have Aimee Chan, founder of online family travel magazine suitcases&strollers, guest post today and share 10 tips for travelling on a budget with kids. These tips will seriously save you money!
Timing is everything. If you have pre-schoolers or you don’t mind the kids missing a bit of school, mark the school holidays in your diary and travel outside those dates. You will have lots more options and everything is much cheaper.
Again, timing is key, even as your plan your day-to-day holiday schedule. For instance, weekends are often peak travel times for tourist destinations, so go midweek when there are deals to entice visitors. Many attractions also offer discounts if you enter in the late afternoon. These will all save you money.
Drive, don’t fly. Although petrol is expensive, having a car means you can fill it with snacks, activities, toys, nappies, travel cots and other things you won’t need to spend money on when you arrive. Plus then you can save on transport while you’re there.
Base your holidays closer to home. A family vacations doesn’t have to mean leaving the country. For instance, pitching a tent at a nearby campground for a weekend is a way to get out of the house that can also be really fun.
Look for “kids are free” options to save on family vacations. (For instance, kids stay free at all Holiday Inn hotels and resorts. Or this year Mount Buller in Australia are offering a kids ski free promotion in June and September.) This can cut your travel budget almost by 30%.
Be online a lot to find the flash sale deals. If you know where you want to go in advance, you can look out for online “coupon promotions” such as discounted hotels rooms, budget airline promotions and cheap entrance tickets at the attractions you want to visit.
Look for a local supermarket as soon as you arrive. Then stock up on snacks and drinks. It’s much cheaper than buying them from the hotel, resort or attractions you will be visiting.
Be a clever meal planner. If breakfast is included in your accommodation, make sure everyone eats big. If your kids tend to peck rather than eat a whole plateful, order something for yourself that they would like and share. If the resort offers snacks during happy hour, use this as an early dinner option for the children.
Do your research. Kids don’t fare well on tours anyway, so do your pre-reading so you won’t need to spend on tour guides when you arrive.
Go straight to the local tourism office. Here will you find free information on all the attractions, maps and, more importantly, free tips and vouchers offering discounts on entrance fees.
For more tips on travelling on a budget with kids see the suitcases&strollers story here
suitcases&strollers is an online family travel magazine offering free tips, ideas and stories about travelling with kids under 12. It was founded by Aimee Chan who is an editor and writer and has contributed to publications including CNN, Harper’s BAZAAR, ELLE, The Weekend Australian, Mother & Baby and several inflight magazines. Be sure to pop over and visit suitcasesandstrollers
Where have you successfully travelled on a budget with kids?
Driving instead of flying is a HUGE saver for us… we once went to Queensland and I flew with the kids while my husband drove the car up as it was cheaper to do that than to hire a big enough card for all 6 of us once we were there!
We’ve only travelled locally with the kids because of budget limitations. But these tips might just help us travel a little further. Thanks.
My family are in the UK and Spain, so driving isn’t an option 🙂 We have pitched a tent in the garden and that was fun
That would be just as fun!
Some great tips and perfectly timed as we’re starting to plan our first interstate trip in ages. As much as we would have loved to have taken the kids on a plane, it’s much cheaper for us to drive this time.