I think I was a gypsy in a past life. I was meant to be on the road or in the sky. We went on many vacations when I was a kid and I’m hoping to be able to offer the same opportunity to Kora & Logan. Right now though, money is tight, so we rely on creative and affordable vacation ideas. Here’s mine.
- Hotel Pool. We went to Disney World when Kora & Logan were 2 & 3. After the trip, whenever we asked them what their favorite part of Disney World was they replied, “The pool!” Ahhh, all that money spent…
- Online Coupons and Discounts. Before you leave for your destination hop online and Google “Destination Name Coupons.” You might be amazed what you’ll find. Convention bureaus usually offer a number of packages and discounts. Depending on the length of your stay purchasing an Entertainment Book might be of value, for about $30 you’ll get an enormous amount of buy one-get one coupons for the city in which you’re staying.
- Kids Eat Free. If you Google “Kids Eat Free Destination Name” you’ll find a nice list of restaurants where kids eat free or cheap. This is especially useful if you are traveling to a big city, where restaurant prices can be high in comparison to what you’re little ones actually eat.
- Check Your Couch Cushions. In the months before your trip, start collecting all of your loose change in a see-through jar, jug, or bottle. As the pile of money grows, family members will be excited to add to it. Then a day or two before you leave get it counted and cashed in. If your kids are old enough, have a family meeting and let everyone weigh-in on what you should do with the money on the trip. Try to agree on something that you might not have done otherwise.
- Visit Relatives. Do you have relatives you haven’t seen in awhile? Send over an email or place a phone call and let them know you are thinking of visiting their area. They may have an extra room or two and, if not, they will most likely know where to stay for a reasonable price.
- Buy Souvenirs Before You Go. This tip may not be for everyone because it is fun to pick something up while you are away to remember the trip by. However, if you’re looking to save money, check out eBay for souvenirs before you leave. Chances are you’ll get more for your money on eBay for the keepsakes then you would at the overpriced gift shop. If your children are young, they won’t care where it came from as long as they get to wear that Mickey Mouse t-shirt every day while you are away.
- Utilize Travel Review Sites & Travel Blogs. One of my favorite things to do when planning a vacation is to read reviews on travel websites and pour over posts on travel blogs. It really gives me an idea of what events and activities will best suit our family. I can find out whether other travelers thought a particular restaurant was child-friendly, if the hotel I chose is worth the extra $20 a night because it’s closer to downtown, or what unforeseeable and therefore unbudgeted transportation issues might arise.
- Use Public Transportation. Depending on the ages of your children, using public transportation could be an adventure in itself. When Kora & Logan were little, they thought the trams and the monorails at Disney World were actual rides! A ride on a subway or bus may just captivate your child as much as a $40 ticket to an amusement park. And if you’re somewhere with a ferry boat that’s a big bonus.
- Factory Tours. Prices for factory tours are generally minimal and you may even find discounts online. On top of being money savers, they are educational and memorable too. Also, you can almost always count on the “free” treat at the end.
- Keep It Low Key. Instead of staying in a big city hotel room look into a vacation rental site. Some of my fondest family vacation memories as a kid were from our stays in a cabin by a lake. We swam in the lake, played cards, watched as deer came up to our back porch, and best of all just relaxed together as a family.
What about you? What are your creative and affordable vacation ideas?
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We just took our kids to Disney world and see of these tips we used! Awesome great advice.
love these ideas.
These are some great ideas! Thanks for sharing.
I love the coin jar idea! I need to put that back in p,ace–I used to have one I kept all the time so that we always had extra “fun money” when we wanted to go somewhere.
You have some really great idea’s…. My plan is to travel around our beautiful country together with my beautiful girlfriend of 17yrs. in a motorhome and make a documentary about sports in beautiful cities from east to west / north to south…. all in one year…?
Thanks… collecting funds $$$$
We bring our laptop so we can look up discounts, coupons and neat places to go.
helpful tips to share
This is a very useful blog post. I’m really good on saving for groceries, clothes, books, etc, but I don’t feel I’m a travel savvy saver yet.
We love to see the children & dinsour museums and science centers so the vacation can educational too.
What a great idea buying souvenirs before you go.
Love your tips! Thank you!
You practice in your sector? You look lots about the experience of the content.
Great Tips! Thanks!
Great tips, Saving money is a must in this economy , THANKS FOR SHARING:)
We’re going to Disney next year but the nerd in me is already reading a travel guide to Disney book. It said that almost all children say their favorite part of a disney trip is the hotel pool, so your kids aren’t alone in that :). We’ll see what mine say next year.
Oh and your souvenir advice is great. i would never have thought to look on ebay ahead of time. Wonder if they sell mickey ears?
Great tips. We always check our couch and throw the change in a jar….it may be small but anything helps!
Great tips! I always check reviews before I book anything. I also try to go back to the review sites and share my experience (good and bad).
Great ideas…. I know when we went to Disney the souvenirs were very pricey, we had friends there ar the same time and they recommended we go to walmart in the area… Walmart had $5 Disney shirts!!
Great post! Lots of great ideas. Thanks for taking the time to post them!
These are all great ideas…esp the one about buying souvenirs beforehand! We’re heading to Disneyland next week and I’m totally gonna get souvenirs beforehand now!!!