Traveling on a budget with kids

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the internet is a great source for savings - when we went to disney i googled "free things to do in disney" and the hits came up with lots of ideas. secondly i look up "disount coupons" for the attractions we plan on going to. i also bring my own snacks, it'll save you from having to buy at the hotel or resort which can cost an arm and a leg. most airports and visitors center provide you with coupon books for discounts on restuarants places to stay, etc. before i travel i always scope out the area around where were staying on-line.

We recently went to San Diego, road trip with 4 kids. We did not go to any large attractions, our plan was to keep it as close to free other than hotel and meals. We did go to Scripps Aquarium which set us back a little over $30 for all of us so that was cheaper than one kids admission to Sea World. I searched here on Trekaroo for Tide Pools and outdoor fun in San Diego and found many great free ideas. It was wonderful to visit 3 beaches, enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and spend next to nothing for feally fun quality time with my kids. We spent $300 for hotel, roughly $100 a night for a nice room with kitchen, ate the free breakfast and grabbed some fruit apples oranges and banannas for the road as they were free with the breakfast and that coverred snacks. We would pack sandwiches for the beach and had plenty of food with the fruit for the day and would only eat dinner out. We have a favorite mexican place we go each time we are in San Diego. We spent $576 this trip for 6 people as our last trip to Disneyland we got out of there for roughly $3500. Sometimes the nature trips are the best ones as you really do enjoy each other and get to take advantage of what is available to us for free!!

One thing that saves our family money is to give the kids their own spending money. It cuts down on the 'gimmies' and keeps us on budget. Also, most of the time, my kids are just as happy splashing in the hotel pool as they are at an overpriced attraction. Plan for downtime which is free and keeps the kiddoes happy!

My best budget travel tip for Disneyland is, if you want to splurge at all and eat a meal at one of the restaurants in the park, make it lunch. It was usually half the price of a dinner, and was about the same, huge, amount of food! We did that a couple of times while we were there, and took doggy bags back to our hotel room and had snacks for later.

anniepants, that's really impressive that you guys managed to cut your travel expenses so significantly! Finding all those free activities that are just as fun is always challenging. Most travel sites focus on tourist activities that cost $$. I'm glad you managed to find free activities or nearly free activities on Trekaroo. That's the value of having a whole community of parents sharing their tips. When a local mom shares her favorite local places that are free or almost free, it allows traveling parents to spend those precious travel dollars more wisely! Yay.

Michipo, I totally agree doing research ahead of time really helps you to not have to just spend money on attractions/activities that are advertising the most when you arrive. How many free activities have you found at the hotel front desk?

Cinnamonsugah, that's a brilliant idea. My kids have just gotten to the age when they keep asking for stuff when we are traveling. Our last trip to Hawaii, I said they could choose one thing to buy and that ended up the discussion for all the requested after that. But I think giving a fixed amount that they can choose how to spend like how you suggest also gives your child a sense of power to be able to make their own decision, and it's a lesson in money management.

Jaimes, lunch instead of dinner at Disney. Is breakfast even cheaper? Such a great suggestions everyone! Keep them comin'.

I think all-inclusive is a great way to go. Kids 12 and under often stay free or at a great discount. Airfare to Mexico is cheap, especially if you are able to go during off-peak times. Depending on the airfare, a family of 4 with young kids can go to a nice all-inclusive hotel in Puerto Vallarta for under $2000. I'm a local parent and a travel agent. Mos of the time, I am able to beat internet prices for all-inclusives and Hawaii.

I was shocked at how much we could spend on bottled water! We don't use it at home, but sometimes the tap water in a new place can taste, well, gross. So I always bring a couple of reusable bottles (Nalgene and the like) with us on trips. I hit the hotel fitness center a couple of times a day and fill them with (free!) water from the cooler in there. Everyone's happy!

you can always try Ymca family camps. They are all inclusive and usually there is one within an hour or two drive from your house. Call them since they have variety of accommodations with different prices. The activities are great for multi-generational families too! They usually have family weekends or weeks. Also dude ranches in the summer and winter are all inclusive and you get great activity's and well worth the money. The best times for the dude ranches are off peak days.