My family and I are getting ready for our family vacation in the next couple of weeks and it can be an expensive affair. It’s very easy for expenses to get out of hand on vacation partly because we tend to waste money more easily on vacation. I may be speaking for myself but we dropped $200 at Ron Jon Surf Shop a few years ago. The kids kept asking if they could get more and I kept saying yes. So I’ve learned to set a budget for all expenses on vacation.
Anyway, there are lots of things you can do save money on your family vacation. Here are a few of them.
Get A Hotel With Continental Breakfast
If you stay in a hotel, be sure to get one that has continental breakfast. As a family of five, we would spend at least $30 for breakfast every day if we went out. So finding a hotel with free breakfast is essential. My family and I eat a big breakfast on vacation and we even grab a banana or orange for a mid morning snack. On a 7 day vacation, this would save your family around $200.
Make Use Of Free Activities
You can find free activities to do in most cities. The key is finding activities that the entire family can enjoy. Local parks are a great source of free things to do for families. My daughter and I are looking forward to playing tennis in the city park while her brothers play in the playground. The big activity we have planned is visiting the beach (our hotel is one block from it). This is great because it’s completely free and we plan on staying all day. We will pack a check lunch in our cooler which saves even more by not eating lunch in a restaurant.
Look For “Kids Eat Free” Deals at Restaurants
Many restaurants have regular days and times where kids can eat free with a paying parent. This can be a big saver. We have three kids but our oldest is 15 and she really isn’t considered a kid in restaurants. But if our boys can eat free then that saves us between $12-$20 per meal. You can check out this website to find restaurants that will feed your kids for free.
These are just a few ways to save money on your family vacation. What tips do you have? Leave a comment below with how you save money on vacation.