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You've been wanting to plan a family vacation for awhile, but you just haven't been able to scrape together enough cash. Summer has arrived, and the kids are finally out of school. It is the perfect time to hit the road and take in the sun's rays, only you are still worried about your finances. The good news is that there are cost effective family vacations out there; you just need to know how to find them. This guide will provide you with tips on how to plan a cheap family vacation.
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Weekend Family Vacations
This video looks at weekend family vacations ideas, and focuses on California destinations. Planning a weekend vacation will be cheaper on your family budget too! This video highlights vacations to California theme parks such as Disneyland, Six Flags or Sea World, or heading up to Yosemite National Park for the weekend.
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Introduction
- Have you been wracking your brain trying to come up with a cost effective way to take your family on vacation this year? Do you keep hitting brick walls every time you try brainstorming destinations? If so, you might need help dreaming up some viable options. This guide will help point you in the right direction by providing you with information on how to plan a cheap family vacation.
Step 1: Pick a Destination
- Picking a destination is one of the most difficult aspects of planning a family vacation, especially if you are on a strict budget. Brainstorming options that you know you can afford is the best way to begin. Once you have several ideas, you can bring your children into the process. Some ideas to consider that are not likely to break the bank are:
- Stay fairly close to home. If you think you may drive, try limiting the travel time to a day so that you are not spending money for an extra night on the road. This means traveling between 300-500 miles.
- Consider camping
- The beach. Destinations like the beach are great because spending the day in the water and lying in the sand does not cost a penny.
Step 2: Research Travel Options
- There are many ways to you can travel, depending on your destination, but traveling by car or by airplane are the most popular, and both have cost incentives for those traveling with families on a budget.
Travel by Air
- You can make travel arrangements by telephone or online, but most airlines have better deals if you book it via the internet. You may want to book your tickets through one of the following travel sites:
- You will usually find decent deals on the above sites, but before booking you should double check by doing price searches on individual airline's websites, as sometimes booking directly through the airline is cheaper. You may be able to find deals if you:
- Travel during a certain time of the year
- Make reservations months in advance
- Book at a time when specials are being offered
Travel by Car
- Traveling in the car may be the preferred option if you have a large family and are not traveling over a thousand miles. Car travel, if it take several days, may include the need to stay extra nights at hotels, which may cost the same amount of money that you save by not purchasing airplane tickets. You should consider the following regarding whether or not to drive:
- Is your car in good enough road condition?
- How many nights would you need to spend on the road and what is the projected cost versus the price of a round trip airline ticket?
- What are current gas prices?
- How many miles would you be traveling?
- If you do travel by car, you can save money by packing your own food in a cooler and by driving in shifts in order to avoid the costs of a hotel room.
Step 3: Explore Cost Effective Accommodations
- The most cost effective way to handle accommodations is to begin booking early or to travel during the off-season. If you have too many members in your family to fit in a single hotel room, you may want to consider renting a condo. Otherwise, you can always have hotel management bring in a cot or use sleeping bags for the little ones.
Step 4: Research Affordable Activities
- You can find inexpensive entertainment by doing some research before you head out on your vacation. Sometimes you can even get deals by printing up online coupons. If you are going to a beach location, you can purchase plastic buckets and shovels for building sandcastles, or walk along the beach and collect shells. If you going camping, try and arrange a rafting trip that gives discounts for families.
Conclusion
Planning a cheap family vacation is not as difficult as it might seem. There are plenty of cost effective ways to travel, as well as money saving destinations just waiting for your discovery. The above guide will get you started on planning a family vacation that will be the least harmful on your wallet.
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