Family holidays are absolutely divine. As soon as your kids are old enough to find their own circle of friends, it’s easy for the family unit to drift apart, towards their own interests and responsibilities. However, a big trip somewhere interesting immediately brings everyone closer. The only issue? Affording it! Although it’s usually possible, having a family trip on a budget can be tough. Here’s a few tricks for making it all easier.
First of all, plan everything as much in advance as possible. We all love our kids, but they make spontaneous trips pretty much impossible! All kinds of last-minute bargains and deals are immediately closed off to you, not to mention quite a few hotels. However, if you book the whole trip well in advance, you can find packages and hotels which work for the whole family, and usually cost a lot less. Booking travel well in advance too – for example getting your bus tickets from Shofur – can also reveal all kinds of deals which you would have missed otherwise. Aside from the financial side of things, booking in advance lets you relax in the knowledge that it’s all taken care of.
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Right after you book the trip well in advance, start doing some research into the place you’re going to be visiting. Pretty much everywhere in the world has some attractions which are free or at least very cheap, but you have to look for them. Knowing where these are will ensure your holiday stays active and fun, without breaking the bank. Money aside, it’s also a good idea to find a few indoor activities you can do. If a massive rain storm breaks out on one of the days, you and your partner will probably be more than happy to laze around most of the day, or go out to a couple of bars. When you’ve got kids though, it’s a totally different story! Being trapped in a hotel room with antsy kids may put a downer on your trip, so find something to do indoors when the weather’s not being too kind.
Finally, pack everything you don’t want to pay for. You’re probably used to packing the essentials whenever you and the clan head out on a day-trip. For this holiday, you’ll need to do that and then some. Eating out, getting souvenirs and even buying things in airport lounges can all get very expensive. For additional tips and deals to ensure you’re traveling and saving on every purchase, scour online resources before you set out. If you can trim down these kinds of costs, no matter how small, it can make all the difference to your trip. Bring your own food onto the plane, and look into some local supermarkets wherever you’re going. Getting some kids’ magazines, colouring books and so on will stop you paying a fortune for them at the airport. Just remember that you can’t bring liquids past the security check, so stow those in your hold luggage beforehand.
If you had given up on having a family trip with your budget, then I hope this post changed that! Anyone can have a great family vacation with the right foresight and planning.
