Ways to save money on family vacations?
Family vacations are such a great way to make memories, but the costs can add up fast. I’m always looking for ways to save money on family travel without missing out on the fun. What are your favorite family vacation budget tips or affordable vacation ideas that help keep costs down while still having a great trip?
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Join the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) reciprocal network. Register with a flat yearly fee at your local children's museum (it pays itself off very fast!) and you'll receive 50% off at sooo many children's museums nationwide. (You'll earn free membership at your local museum, too.) Where are you headed? Find a children's museum in the ACM network here: findachildrensmuseum.org
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Though dining out is part of the travel experience and something to embrace, we never fail to make a quick grocery store run on day 1 of the trip, especially for breakfast items so we can wake up and casually eat at "home": cereal, milk, bagels, fruit, coffee, etc. This is less expensive (and less time consuming) than eating out every single morning.
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It's so hard to avoid sitting idle inside an airport and not giving into the temptation of the terminal's food court, newsstand or souvenir emporium. But prices inside airports are always SO inflated! Be prepared. Buy your celebrity gossip mags beforehand, eat breakfast at home, bring your own dry snacks, etc. And, remember, they serve [free] coffee on the plane too! Reserve that venti latte for outside terminal B ;)
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Our family's credit card of choice offers us 2% cash back in travel rewards. This really adds up! We often use the earned points to book a free car rental.
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Reuseable water bottles! We spend so much money on water when we are out, but when we take the time to bring our Owala's we save so much money!
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Some souvenirs and goodies are overpriced and inflated in cost. Disney World is a prime example. In advance of a family trip there, I purchased $1 glow sticks (for fireworks time) and Mickey headbands online to save money from buying them down there.
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Traveling during the off season can be a great way to save money on family vacations, and often means lower crowds as well. This generally means going during the school year. We did this more when my kids were younger, and missing some school wasn't a big deal. Definitely harder once you reach the middle school and high school years, though I know a lot of families still do it.
