I know how it feels when you think you can’t afford a family vacation. But taking trips and making memories with your kids while they still live under your roof is so valuable! Vacations don’t have to be expensive to be memorable and wonderful. Consider some of these ideas to save:
1. Find somewhere to visit within driving distance of where you live
Flights are almost always more expensive than driving. If you own a car, driving is the best way to keep a trip affordable. Use our trip idea tool to look for ideas in your region, or ask local friends or a local Facebook group for ideas. There may be really cool places near you that you never even thought of!
2. Visit a place with natural beauty and/or free activities
I love big cities, theme parks, and fun attractions – but those aren’t cheap. Consider somewhere where your main activities will be free or very cheap. Examples:
- Beaches (playing and relaxing on the beach all day is fun and usually free!)
- Mountains (hiking, playing in a creek or waterfall, admiring vistas – all free or have a small park fee)
- State and National Parks (not all are free, but all are affordable and have so much to do and see!)
- Cities with lots of free activities – Washington D.C. has tons of free and kid-friendly museums, Philadelphia and San Antonio both have a good amount of free or cheap options. Cities are a bit harder to keep cheap but it’s possible!
3. Find an affordable place to stay
If you’re not flying, then where you stay is usually the most expensive part of your trip. There are several places you can go to find good deals on hotels or vacation rentals.
Hotels.com – sign up for a free membership to get the best rates. They will show places closest to your current location which might inspire you to where to go. They often have a “Deals” or “Last Minute Getaways” feature on the homepage that will show you cheap options. We like that hotels.com offers flexible bookings with free cancelation and you earn rewards.
Use hotel points – this works best for families that travel a lot or have someone that travels for work. We prefer Marriott Bonvoy for earning hotel points for several reasons (I’ll write a post about why soon), but there are many hotel membership/point-earning programs out there including Hilton, Hyatt, Wyndham, and more. The more you stay the more points you earn. There are also many credit cards that offer hotel points so you can earn points on credit card purchases. If you have hotel points, it’s a great way to save on a trip!
Hotwire.com – this service is a bit different if you’ve never used it before. You can search for a hotel by city and dates, but the results will not give you the exact name of the hotel. It will tell you the area the hotel is located, its star review, and what amenities it has, but not the name of the hotel. It can feel risky, but I’ve never gotten a bad hotel. They also have a tab for “Hot Rates” that allow you to filter the hottest deals. It’s mainly meant for last-minute travel so the deals are often best when you are looking a few months in advance or less, but you can put in dates further out as well.
Airbnb and VRBO – there are some awesome vacation rentals out there! But don’t be fooled by the price per night you will see on the initial listings. There are always service fees, cleaning fees, and of course tax added in that make the total more then you might expect. It can take a bit more digging to find the right rental that’s available in the location you want, for the time you want, at the price you want, but you could find somewhere great! Especially if you’re looking for something around natural beauty, a vacation rental could get you a much better location.
Consider Camping (Hey I said it wasn’t the only option, but it is AN option). Camping is not for everybody, but I do think everyone should try it at least once. It is for sure the cheapest way to stay places while traveling and gets you out in nature. But you have to own the supplies you need and own either a tent (the cheapest obviously) or an RV (not cheap at all). You need to make sure you choose a SAFE campground in a safe area. Go with a reputable campground establishment like KOA or others that have lots of good reviews on a site like campspot.com.
4. Consider a Shorter Stay
As you’re looking for places to stay, you might realize you just can’t stay anywhere for a full week and stay within budget. Long weekend trips can be just as fun and memorable! A trip doesn’t have to be far away and long to be great! You may have to decide between a cheap hotel for 6 days, or a really cool AirBnb for 4 days. If the 4 day option is going to suit your family best and make the most memories, go for that!
5. Save on Food
Food is expensive these days, especially if you eat out 2-3 meals per day on vacation. Your under $1000 vacation can quickly go over budget once you’re on your trip and start eating like a king. If you want to eat like a king – great! Just make sure you’ve factored that into your budget. Also consider:
- Staying somewhere with a kitchen or at least a kitchenette so you can cook some meals
- Stay at a hotel with breakfast included
- Pack picnic lunches to take with you during your daytime activities
- Eat fast/cheap food for some meals
- Research restaurants so you know your money is worth it when you do splurge on nicer meals
Now get out there and plan an amazing trip even at a small budget! If you have taken a great trip, please share it with us!
