Vacations can be really expensive but they don’t need to be. Having a budget and sticking to it is one way to keep costs low, but there are so many other travel hacks to being frugal on a trip. If you have been reluctant to book a getaway because everything looks so expensive, you are in the right place. I’ve put together some easy ways to save money on a family vacation and still have fun!
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Cook Some Meals
One of the best ways to save money on a family vacation is to cook. Eating out in restaurants for all of your meals increases your budget greatly. While it may be tempting with all the delicious options out there, consider cooking at least a few of your meals. You can still enjoy the local food and save a little money in the process.
The only way this works is if you book a hotel or a vacation rental that has a kitchen. This gives you the most flexibility with your meals. If you don’t, you will be eating cold meals only.
Another way to save a little money on meals is to book a hotel with free breakfast or dinner included. Fill up on a tasty breakfast before heading out to sightsee for the day or come back for the evening meal.
Pro Tip: Be sure to compare prices. If the hotel’s breakfast isn’t included in the room rate, most likely they are charging more than if you found a meal out or bought some delicious pastries.
The way this works is if you find a hotel that includes breakfast that is at a comparable rate of another hotel. If you are spending way more on a hotel with breakfast included than a hotel without, it probably isn’t saving you any money.
Enjoy Free Activities To Save Money On A Family Vacation
All destinations have a variety of free things to do that are just as fun as the paid sights. Prioritize the paid activities that you want to enjoy and then fill the rest of your day with free activities to save money on a family vacation.
For example, I have a trip to Rome coming up, but I don’t want to spend too much money. I know I want to see the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums, but the rest of my time, I will fill with wandering the beautiful streets of Trastevere or sticking my head into some beautiful churchs that are filled with stunning art.
Here are a few other activity ideas that are in most destinations:
- Search for free museums. Even museums that normally have an entrance fee sometimes have free days. London for example is filled with free museums like The Natural History museum, The British Museum and the Queen’s House.
- Explore parks, gardens and playgrounds. This is also fun for the kids and gets them excited!
- Take a free walking tour. Many cities offer these for free! Great way to learn about a city and cut down on costs.
- Research free carnivals or festivals happening during your visit. This is also a great way to learn a little more about the culture that you are visiting. Every Friday night in the Galapagos, Puerto Ayora puts on some event. When we were there, we loved finding out what the show would be. We saw a runway show, a dance performance and one time there was a haunted house!
- Visit an ornate church and admire the details. This was a highlight for us when we were in Quito. There were so many churches to explore.
- Go window shopping. While shopping can be expensive, just looking around without purchasing can be fun too.
- Create your own scavenger hunt and search for popular landmarks.
- Walk around a local market. So many cities have local markets. This is also a great place to find a quick and cheap meal.
- Find some interesting street art.
- Work on your photography skills.
Visiting London? Discover what else there is to do for free there: Free Things To Do In London Worth Visiting
Get Outdoors And Explore
Getting outdoors is my favorite way to save money on a family vacation. Most outdoor activites are free or cheap. It is also usually in a stunning, scenic destination which brings me joy.
It’s also a great way to keep the kids entertained for hours. Give them a body of water and some rocks and they are happy. And if it is hot, they will swim all day!
Choose destinations with hiking trails, oceans to swim in, caves to explore, and rocks to climb. Want to save even more money on vacation? Go camping. Campsites are a lot less expensive than a hotel room.
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Consider Purchasing A City Card To Save Money On A Family Vacation
If you love to visit all the popular attractions in a city but hate the cost, a great way to save money is to purchase a city card. Many cities have them. Depending on what activities you want to do, this can be a great way to save a few bucks.
Search Tiqets.com to see if your destination has a city card. Some great options are Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Chicago, Los Angeles, Bordeaux and more. Some city cards even include the use of public transportation or a hop on hop off bus which can be really convenient.
Important: Do your research and make sure you will actually do the activities that are included in the card to make it worth it! If you are only interested in one or two of the included attractions, you won’t be saving money.
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Go Where The Locals Go
Restaurants
One of the mistakes tourists make when choosing restaurants is eating at ones in the busy touristy areas. Yes, sometimes you just want to eat near the canal or with a view, and that is perfectly fine.
However, these restaurants will charge you more. We have also found that many times, they aren’t the best quality restaurants either.
Do this instead: Look for options a little further off the beaten path that have good ratings on google. You don’t even have to venture very far. Even a block or two can make a real difference in the price.
Or this: Another way to save money on a family vacation is to eat street food! Usually it is made by locals and is super tasty. The golden rule is to stand in the longest line. The locals know where the good food is! The wait might take longer, but it will be worth it!
Grocery Shopping
The best and cheapest place to find food is at a local market. Many European cities have indoor markets where farmers sell their goods. You can walk around and buy a few items and taste new flavors. There are usually restaurants there as well that serve some delicious options.
In the Netherlands, where we live, there are outdoor markets on specific days of the week. You can easily search up when these markets are open online. Just type in the city name and market days. Usually they have the best options and are cheaper than the grocery store.
Markets are also the best place to try local cuisine. You wil always find a shop with kibbeling (small pieces of battered cod), poffertjes (mini pancakes, stroopwafel (thin waffles with caramel), and raw herring if you dare!
Important: It is best to bring cash just in case. Many markets around the world don’t accept credit cards. In the Netherlands, we are a pretty cashless country, so having a debit card is important as it is the only way to pay at many shops.
If you are on an island that is popular for tourism, consider walking out of the touristy area to find a grocery store.
For example, we noticed when we were in the Galapagos that the grocery store that was right by the pier had many options, but was very expensive. When we walked down the street just a few blocks, we could pay a lot less for the items we needed.
Also, we found a bakery and ice cream shop on that same street that were super cheap. We regularly stocked up on yummy pastries before walking to Tortuga Bay for 2-3 dollars for all 4 of us!
Consider A Home Exchange To Save Money On A Family Vacation
One of the biggest costs when taking a trip is your lodging. If you are comfortable with other people staying in your home while you are gone, consider a home exchange. With a home exchange, you stay in someone else’s home for free!!
There are many reputable websites out there that coordinate home exchanges in many different countries. A couple of options I found on freakingnomads.com are:
- Homeexchange.com – HomeExchange is one of the biggest companies out there for home swapping. You can coordinate a simultaneous swap or use their GuestPoints system to claim properties without a direct trade.
- Intervac Home Exchange – Intervac offers a 21-day trial membership, so you can check out if it is right for you without committing to the membership fee.
Important: It’s important to choose the house exchange program that fits your travel style and your goals.
Travel Off-Season
Another big money saving tip is to travel off-season. Prices drop significantly in certain places when you aren’t there during peak times.
My advice is to choose a destination that is just coming off peak season or right before their high season. We often call this the shoulder season. You will save money, and the likelihood of good weather is still there. Most of the attractions will still be open. Plus flights are usually cheaper during this time too!
For example, travel to Spain in March and April, before the high season. The temperatures will be in the 60s to 70s range, there will be less people and the prices will be lower.
When we visited Barcelona in March our hotel room was €271.98 total for 2 nights. That same hotel in July costs €330 euros a night and you are required to spend 3 nights. That is a big difference in price!
Another example in the U.S. is Yellowstone National Park. Our favorite time to visit was in September and October, after school started. The amount of tourists goes down, the wildlife is active and all the roads are still open. You will also have a more likely chance of finding a campsite or hotel with availability!
Use Travel Rewards To Save Money On A Family Vacation
Probably the most popular result you will see to save money on a family vacation is to book with travel reward points or miles. If you get travel rewards cards and use them wisely, you can save so much money.
We especially like to use our credit card points for reducing the cost of flights because we save the most money this way. Flying anywhere from the states is expensive. If you have to purchase 4 tickets, that cost adds up.
You can also save money by using your points to book rental cars and hotels as well. Additionally you can opt for a reward card that provides cash back. All of the options help reduce travel costs in the end.
What’s important is that you choose a travel credit card that works for your lifestyle and you pay it off every month. If you don’t pay it off, then the rewards aren’t worth the interest you are paying.
I hope you learned some helpful ways to save money on a family vacation. We are always looking for ways to explore the world and we don’t have unlimited funds. We know that travel can be expensive, but it’s worth it.
