How to Plan a Family Trip That Won’t Break the Bank

How to Find Cheap Flights

​Don’t Set Your Heart on a Specific Destination

Have an open mind for the location of your next vacation. Instead of having your heart set on a particular place keep a running list of destinations your family wants to visit and when you see a deal for one of those places book it! For instance Australia has been on my list for some time now but with plane tickets averaging $1800 from the US I was in no rush to go. In April 2016 United Airlines had a flight deal for $580 RT to Sydney for travel from September to November from multiple cities including ATL, SFO, LAX, DET, ORD. Five hundred and eighty dollars round trip, yes you read that correctly! For a family of 4 you are basically flying for the price of 1.

Christmas Eve 2014 the Etihad Airways error fare of $187RT to Abu Dhabi broke the internet. I’d be naïve to neglect the fact that parents with school aged kids have restrictions on when they can travel but don’t be discouraged these deals come up for travel year round. An example of this is the $400 deal of Delta from most Delta hubs to Amsterdam the summer of 2017.

Believe me there is ALWAYS a deal to somewhere and you can find them by following these websites that provide flight deals.  Don’t sit on these deals, they typically last for no more than 48hrs. Act fast and plan later! Remember you have 24hrs after booking to cancel any flight departing from the US to get a full refund. This will give you some time to make sure you can get the days off work or that the cost of accommodations and activities fall in your budget.

If your situation isn’t flexible enough for flight deals Skyscanner is great website for searching flights. There are many search options including searching the cheapest flight anywhere in the world from your home airport to specific dates you can travel or searching a specific destination and finding the cheapest time to travel there. They also have a mobile app you can download here if you’re on a mobile device.

Consider Flying Into A Neighboring Country (Added February 2017)

When we traveled to Thailand we actually got a flight to Singapore. For the same dates we had off Thailand would cost us $1,100 per ticket. Flying into Singapore on Qatar Airways was only $450 and a flight from Singapore to Phuket cost us only $29 on Air Asia. Yes we had to have an additional layover which I usually try to avoid when flying with the kids but for a savings of $500 per person this was a no brainer. The flight was Singapore to Phuket was only 1hr and 30mins.This same practice can be used throughout Asia and Europe. Most times it is extremely cheap to fly within these continents once you get to them. In Europe you can even travel by train which is also very inexpensive.

Fly a Budget Airline

Budget airlines get a bad rap but they can save you significant costs on flights. When looking at flights to Costa Rica Spirit Airlines was $295 cheaper per person. I’d much rather save that money on the flight to be able to spend it on activities than fly an airline that will give me a “free” soda and peanuts. Spirit Airlines offers penny fares where you will just pay the taxes like we did on our flight to Orlando. We just purchased four round trip tickets on Spirit for $410 total from Fort Lauderdale to Denver while the other airlines were $350-$600 per person. Read the rules accordingly and you’ll never pay a baggage fee, here are 6 ways to maximize savings when flying Spirit.

Using Credit Cards and Miles to Cover Flight Costs

We used the sign-up bonus from our Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card to pay for our flights to Thailand. This completely eliminating that cost so we only had to worry about our time there. For more information on using credit card sign-up bonuses and frequent flier miles check out this post I wrote.

Did you know you can earn miles without even flying? Yes you can earn miles on purchases you probably make every day like from Target and Amazon. Here are 12 ways to earn miles without flying.

How to Save Money on Accommodations When Traveling

Ditch a traditional hotel and opt for a vacation home or Airbnb or Vrbo. Why? For starters your kids will have more space to play and be out of your hair while you guys are relaxing in the morning or late evening. Budget wise it can be a huge cost savings on many fronts. Through my travels I have found Airbnb’s to be significantly cheaper than hotels.

When I traveled to Italy last year with a group of 15 family/friends we each paid $384 total for an 8 night stay.  Our Airbnb in Venice had 6 bedrooms, 8 beds, 2 pull out couches, 4 full bathrooms and 2 half baths, along with a kitchen and common areas. If we had stayed in a hotel we would have needed 8 rooms which for the month of August were priced at an average of $200/night for 3 star accommodations. For one room my family alone would have ended up paying over $1600 but instead we paid less than half of that. In Colombia we paid $50/night for a 2 bedroom, one bathroom apartment. ​Try Airbnb now and receive a $40 credit towards your first stay. Nervous about Airbnb, here are 8 tips for a great Airbnb experience.

How to Cut Costs on Dining Out When Traveling

Another benefit of renting an Airbnb or vacation home is there is usually a kitchen and cooking supplies. You can save money on food by purchasing groceries your first day and making breakfast every morning.  In addition to saving money I find this makes it easier to get out the house and start your day. If you are early risers you don’t have to struggle to find a restaurant that is open at the crack of dawn and while one parent is cooking the other can get the kids ready. If you have picky eaters in your family this is also great as your favorite hometown breakfast items may not be available in the country you are visiting.

With that being said an alternative to grocery shopping when you get to your destination and if you really want to save money is bringing some things with you. When we went to Colombia I brought oatmeal and complete pancake mix in ziplock bags and packed them in my carry on back pack. If you aren’t staying for an extended period time this helps with saving money as if you buy a full box at your destination you might not finish it, wasting money. If you already have these items at home because they are a regular on your grocery list you really aren’t spending any more money than you would have if you were home.

Don’t stop at breakfast! If your itinerary for the day allows you to easily make it back to your place for lunch and dinner you can save more by skipping on eating out for those meals too. If you can’t make it back for lunch, pack sandwiches and eat at a park. The kids can play or nap and you can rest for as little or long as you want to. Always pack an abundance of snacks for you and the kids. This not only prevents unnecessary breaks but you don’t have to buy an overpriced granola bar. Again you can buy these once at your destination or bring them with you.

Now don’t get me wrong I love trying the local food in every destination I travel to. However, I don’t need to have it 3 meals a day for my entire vacation. Have one of each meal at a restaurant spread out throughout your stay or whatever your budget allows.

How to Save on Money on Attractions When Traveling

Research to see if the city you are visiting has a multiple attraction pass. When we visited Chicago I bought the Go Chicago Card which granted us unlimited access to multiple Chicago Attractions for one price and it definitely saved us a ton of money. See if the city you are headed to has one by visiting Smart Destinations. CityPass also has a lot of great deals. Click here to see if the city you’re visiting is offering deals.

Before you buy anything direct from the company’s site check websites like Groupon or Living Social to see if you can get a discount as many of these attraction passes can be found on site like these. In addition to Groupon and Living Social whenever you are about to buy something that says enter promo code here you can probably find one online. Take the time to do a quick Google search any you’ll most likely get a 5-20% savings.

How to Save on Transportation When Traveling

Immerse yourself in the local life of the city and take public transportation. Renting a car or Ubering everywhere can be costly. See if the place you are visiting has an unlimited public transit pass for the bus and/or subway system. If you live in a big city you may be used to taking public transportation on a daily basis anyway. If you are baby wearing you don’t have to worry about elevators but if you are traveling alone with a stroller see if the train stations have elevators or determine if you can manage carrying the stroller up the stairs. In Puerto Rico a taxi to the Bacardi Factory cost $50 but the local bus and ferry totaled $2.50 round trip.

Travel Where Your Dollar Will Stretch

When we traveled to China (pre-kids), we felt like a King and Queen. Everything was so cheap, from $7 1hr massages to $5 3-course meals at high end restaurants and $20/night for 5 star rentals we were living the life and at little cost to us. There are plenty of places you can travel to for $50-$100/day and they are quite beautiful. Some options are Thailand, Cuba, and Costa Rica.

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