Budget-Friendly Family Vacation Ideas

By Victoria Cathey on July 8, 2009

Summer has arrived, the children are suffering from cabin fever, and everybody is ready to take a family vacation. But money is low and you are thinking that a family vacation is not an option or you have to take a stay-cation. Guess what, that is not the case! In this article, I will list several vacation ideas that will save you time and moneyand give you a step-by-step guide towards planning your perfect vacation.

When our family was smaller, this process was a little easier because it seems like the whole world is based on your family size not exceeding FOUR! Well, we are now a family of 6 and the standard hotel room with 2 double beds is just not an option; at least not for stays longer than 2 nights. Airfare would eat up more than of our budget, food would take up the other , and I will not even start on the theme park tickets. So what is a family to do?

Choose the theme of your vacation: adventure, relaxation, beaches and sun, theme parks, or history and culture.

Adventure vacations and sandy beach vacations are by far the most cost-friendly vacation themes.

Adventure vacations include low-cost outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking, bike riding, and camping. This type of vacation is ideal for older children.

Top Adventurous Destinations Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee Park City, Utah Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona Yosemite National Park, California Moab, Utah Glacier National Park, Montana Olympic National Park, Washington, Acadia National Park, Maine

Sandy beach vacations are also extremely affordable and include surfable waves, sandcastle building, great dining, and mile long boardwalks. This vacation theme is great for all ages especially babies and toddlers.

Family Beaches Locations Coronado Beach, Calif. Nantucket Island, Mass. Newport Beach, Calif. Santa Barbara, Calif. Siesta Key, Fla. Duck, N.C. Hilton Head, S.C. Myrtle Beach, S.C. South Padre Island, Texas

* However, if you have your heart set on taking a theme park vacation, check to see if your your bank or employer provides discounted tickets. Try not to purchase tickets on EBay or Craig’s List, unless it is from a seller or broker that you trust because you run the risk of purchasing invalid tickets. Also, many theme parks now offer child swap. With child swap, one adult can go through the long lines with the older child or children while the other adult goes up the exit ramp with the younger children who cannot get on the ride. When the other adult gets off the ride, you get on. without waiting in line again.

Choose your means of transportation: fly, take the train, or load up the car.

You would save the most money by driving your car. The best option is the drive your car; however a lot of families resist putting hundreds of miles on their car and choose to rent a car. If you find airline flights, bus or train at a reasonable cost, consider the fact that you might still need to rent a car once you land. However, if you decide the fly and rent a car, go to www.priceline.com where you can ‘Name your Price’ on airfare and car rentals and save a lot of money, many times more than the regular price.

Choose when to travel: peak or off peak.

You should be able to find deep discount when searching during the off season. This season depends on the location. Orlando’s busy season begins around May/June and ends August 10th; you can use that as a guide to plan theme park or summery vacations. Try to avoid holiday weekends; take the day off the following week and save yourself some money.

Accommodations: vacation home, hotel, or condo.

Vacation homes are great when traveling with a big group of people. You live a large home for a week and you also have the company of other adults and hopefully other children to keep your children busy. If you are considering a vacation homes, you will need to book your home several months in advance and you have to tidy up after yourselves everyday.

Standard hotel rooms are great for small families, there is a larger inventory of standard rooms, and they provide housekeeping. However, with hotel rooms there is no privacy for the parents and you have to eat at restaurants every day, which can total up to over $500 for food alone. If you are looking for a standard room, Hotwire or Priceline (Name your Price) are your best options. Caution: with these two sites you don’t know where you will stay until you have purchased the room. I have used Priceline on several occasions and have always been pleased with my accommodations and have been upgraded to a higher star hotel on many occasions.

I personally prefer a condo because you have the best of both worlds. Parents and children have their own rooms and they are equipped with full kitchens. You can use the kitchen to prepare simple meals for breakfast and dinner saving you hundreds of dollars. Generally there is a washer and dryer in your room. You can use the washer and dryer to wash all your clothes before returning home making it a breeze to unpack when you get home. Cake topper, housekeeping is available!

To keep the cost of the condo affordable, I would consider taking a time share tour. I know no one wants to spend 2-3 hours of your day on the tour, but you can get a great 1 or 2 bedroom condo at an incredible rate. To find time share deals, simply call the reservations department of the hotel you are interested in and ask them if you would receive a discounted rate for taking a time share tour. Another option is www.wyndham-vacations.com. This site rents out 1-3 bedroom condos on time share properties that are available without having to take a time share tour.

You are now ready to plan a fun and exciting vacation. I think it is best to decide what is most important to you and family be it location, transportation, entertainment or accommodations and spend the most money on that and scale back on everything else. Happy Travels!

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