Budget-Friendly Family Vacation Ideas

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.

If you are like me, you are faced with the task of planning a fun and exciting vacation that everyone will love and that is economical. When we were only a family of four, this process was much easier because it seems like the whole country is based on your family size not exceeding FOUR! We are now a family of 7 and the standard hotel room with 2 double beds is just not an option; at least not for stays longer than 2 nights. Airfare for larger families will completely break the budget, food will cost us a small fortune, which leaves us no money for theme park tickets, or maybe enough for just 1 day. So what is a family to do?

Decide what type of vacation your family wants to take: adventure, relaxation, beaches and sun, theme parks, or history and culture.

Adventure vacations and sandy beach vacations are the most cost-effective vacations.

Adventure vacations offer economical outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking, bike riding, and camping. This vacation theme is perfect 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.

Decide how you will get there: fly, train, bus or car.

Driving your own car would save you the most money. Many people don’t want to add miles to their car and decide to rent a car and that is fine too, but it will add additional costs. Even if you find cheap train, bus or airline tickets, consider the fact that you might still need to rent a car once you arrive at your destination, so get rid of the middle man and drive. If driving is not an option, check out www.priceline.com where you can ‘Name your Price’ on airfare and car rentals and save a significant amount of money.

Choose the best time for your family to travel: peak or off peak.

You will find cheaper deals if you travel during the off peak seasons. This season depends on the location. Orlando’s peak season begins around May/June and ends August 10th. I use that as a guide to plan my vacations. Try to steer clear of traveling on holiday weekends; you would save more money by taking the day off the following week.

Accommodations: vacation home, hotel, or condo.

Vacation home are perfect when traveling with a large group. Not only do you get a huge home to hang out in for a week, but you also have the company of other adults and hopefully other children to keep your children busy. Vacation homes, generally, need to be book several months in advance and you have to clean up after yourselves daily.

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.

With a condo you have the best of both worlds. Parents have a room and the children have a room. Most condos have a full kitchen and you can prepare simple meals for breakfast and dinner saving you hundreds of dollars. Condos also have a washer and dryer in the unit, perfect for when little Katie or Kevin make and big mess. You can also use the washer and dryer to wash all your clothes before leaving making it much easier to unpack when you get home. Icing on the cake, housekeeping is available!

Another option is to take a time share tour; I know it sucks spending 2-3 hours of your day on the tour, but you can get a 1 or 2 bedroom condo at an unbelievable rate. To find time share deals, simply call the reservations department of the hotel you are considering and ask if you would receive a discounted rate for taking a time share tour. Another option is www.wyndham-vacations.com. This site rents out available 1-3 bedroom condos on time share properties without taking a time share tour.

Now all you have to do is decide what is most important for your family; location, transportation, entertainment or accommodations. Whatever you decide, spend the most money on that and skimp on everything else. Happy Travels!

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Step By Step Guide To Planning A Vacation On A Budget

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?

Decide what type of vacation your family wants to take: adventure, relaxation, beaches and sun, theme parks, or history and culture.

Adventure vacations and sandy beach vacations are the most cost-effective vacations.

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 economical and include surfable waves, sandcastle building, great dining, and mile long boardwalks. This type of vacation is ideal for all ages especially babies and toddlers.

Best Family Beaches in US 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

* If you decide to take a theme park vacation, find out if your bank or employer offers discounted tickets. Avoid purchasing tickets on EBay or Craig’s List, unless it is from a reliable seller or broker. Also, many theme parks now offer the convenience of child swap. With child swap, one parent can wait in line with the older children while the other parent goes up the handicap ramp with the smaller children. When the other parent gets off the ride, you swap and get right on the ride without waiting in line again. GENIUS!

Decide how you will get there: fly, train, bus or car.

Your most affordable option would be to drive. Even if you find a great deal on air fare, chances are you will still need to rent a car once you land, so cut out the middle man and drive. However, if you do decide the fly and rent a car, rent your car or purchase your airfare from www.priceline.com where you can ‘Name your Price’ and save money, many times more than the regular price.

Choose the best time for your family to travel: peak or off peak.

You will find cheaper deals if you travel during the off peak seasons. This season depends on the location. Orlando’s peak season begins around May/June and ends August 10th. I use that as a guide to plan my vacations. Try to steer clear of traveling on holiday weekends; you would save more money by taking the day off the following week.

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.

I would consider a standard hotel room if you have a small family and are looking for last-minute travel because they are more readily available. A couple problems with standard hotel rooms include the lack of privacy for the adults and the need to go out for food every day, which can add up to several hundreds of dollars on food alone. Hotwire or Priceline (Name your Price) have the best deals for stand hotel rooms. Hotwire, will also list suite options. Caution: with these two sites you pick your location, star rating required, and price you are willing pay. After the purchase is made, you will find out which hotel was chosen for your accommodations. I have used Priceline many, many times and have never been disappointed and have been upgraded to a higher star hotel the majority of the time.

My absolute favorite accommodation is a condo because it encompasses the best of all worlds. Parents and children have their own living and sleeping areas, housekeeping is available and they are equipped with full kitchens. You can save hundreds of dollars using the kitchen to prepare easy meals for breakfast and dinner. Most condos will also have a washer and dryer in your room. You can use the washer and dryer to wash all your clothes before returning home making it so much easier to unpack.

Another option is to take a time share tour; I know it sucks spending 2-3 hours of your day on the tour, but you can get a 1 or 2 bedroom condo at an unbelievable rate. To find time share deals, simply call the reservations department of the hotel you are considering and ask if you would receive a discounted rate for taking a time share tour. Another option is www.wyndham-vacations.com. This site rents out available 1-3 bedroom condos on time share properties without taking a time share tour.

Every family is different and must decide what is most important for them, location, transportation, entertainment or accommodations. Whatever you choose, spend the most money on what is most important and skimp on everything else. So if you want to go to Hawaii, you will spend the most money on airfare and you will have to skimp on entertainment and accommodations, but at least you made it to Hawaii.

Vacationing On A Budget

Summer time is here, cabin fever has set in and the entire family is ready to take a vacation. However, if you are one of many families who cannot splurge on a fancy family vacation, don’t get discouraged. In this article, I will list several budget-friendly vacation ideas that are great for all families.

If you are like me, you are the lucky one who gets stuck with planning the family vacation. You will probably spend hours on the internet trying to figure out where to go, what to do and how to do it for less. If you have a smaller family, this task might be a little easier because it seems like the whole world is based on having a family of four. But if you are a larger family, the standard hotel room with 2 double beds will not provide enough room if you are staying for more than a couple days. Airfare does not fit into our budget and the cost of food at a sit-down restaurant is staggering leaving us with very little money for fun and activities. So how can a family still take a great vacation for less??

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

Adventure vacations and sandy beach vacations are absolutely the most affordable vacations.

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 economical and include surfable waves, sandcastle building, great dining, and mile long boardwalks. This type of vacation is ideal 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.

Decide how you will get there: fly, train, bus or car.

Your most affordable option would be to drive. Even if you find a great deal on air fare, chances are you will still need to rent a car once you land, so cut out the middle man and drive. However, if you do decide the fly and rent a car, rent your car or purchase your airfare from www.priceline.com where you can ‘Name your Price’ and save money, many times more than the regular price.

Decide 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 more readily available and perfect for smaller families. However, parents don’t have any privacy and you have to eat out every night, which can quickly total up to over $500 just for food. If you are looking for a standard room, Hotwire or Priceline (Name your Price) are your best options. Some people are leery of using these sites because you don’t know where you will stay until you have purchased the room. I have used Priceline many, many times and have never been disappointed.

My absolute favorite accommodation is a condo because it encompasses the best of all worlds. Parents and children have their own living and sleeping areas, housekeeping is available and they are equipped with full kitchens. You can save hundreds of dollars using the kitchen to prepare easy meals for breakfast and dinner. Most condos will also have a washer and dryer in your room. You can use the washer and dryer to wash all your clothes before returning home making it so much easier to unpack.

Another option is to take a time share tour; I know it sucks spending 2-3 hours of your day on the tour because it never only takes 90 minutes. But you can get a great 1 or 2 bedroom condo at an unbelievable rate.

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!