There are many different types of cheap family vacations that you can take if you are open to having a non-traditional experience. It is not necessary to spend money on airfare, hotel and restaurant fees in order to have a good time as a family. Here are some ideas that can help you save money and have fun.
Visit Relatives
This is one of the easiest ways to save money on a family vacation. On our vacation this summer, we only spent one night in a hotel and the rest with family members. We got to see and visit several different attractions around the state and we saved ourselves at least $500 in hotel room fees and at least a couple hundred dollars in restaurant fees. We didn’t stay more than a night or two at anyone’s house so we didn’t outwear our welcome. If you have relatives that you know you could spend a night or two with in another state, try this one out. It is a good way to see family and take break at the same time.
Within Your State
It is likely that there are a lot of things that you haven’t even seen in the state that you live in. Search on the internet or look in your local paper for attractions within your state. There may be festivals at certain times of the year that you have never been to. Since you are staying within your state, there will be no need for airfare which will save you hundreds to thousands of dollars. You may want to even just pick a corner of the state that you have never been to before and head out on a spontaneous road trip. Sometimes the best adventures are the ones that you don’t plan. Be sure to bring along things your kids can do in the car and set some ground rules to avoid fights.
A Series of Day Trips
If your budget is really tight and airfare and hotel room fees are not an option, try taking a series of day trips for your cheap family vacation. Pick places that are within easy driving distance of your home and that will still leave you most of the day to explore or do an event in the area you are going to. This will take some planning and you’ll want to try to pick places that you haven’t been to before. Make an adventure out of it by eating at local restaurants rather than chain ones and exploring roads that you have never traveled before. Your local paper may be the best source of inspiration for places to visit in your area.
Tent Camping
When I was a child, my family once spent two weeks traveling across the U.S. in our car and camping in our tent along the way. Fees for tent sites are often much cheaper than ones for RV sites and you can purchase a nice family tent for around $100. No airfare or hotel fees and you can save a bundle on restaurant fees if you have a cooler and stop at grocery stores for food along the way. Gas will likely be the most expensive item that you have to pay for so consider the distances that you will be traveling in a day and how many times you will need to fill up.
Deciding on a budget before you plan your trip can help you narrow down your list of cheap family vacations. It can also help you make sure that you don’t overspend. Remember that being together as a family is more important than the money you spend on a trip.
Juliana Montgomery - Juliana Montgomery has over 15 years of experience writing.
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