Whether it’s just a short trip to the countryside or an exhilarating adventure to a distant land, travelling is one of the best ways to make memories with your loved ones. However, going places with a bigger group of people, especially if they are your kids can seem virtually impossible to do on a tight budget. Luckily, there are some simple, yet smart hacks you can use to minimize spending during your family escapades. Check them out below.
Like all other things, the planning phase of your trip is a crucial factor. Choose your own destination, preferably one that has cheaper prices overall. If you want to save, steer clear from highly-urbanized North American and European countries and go for hidden gems like remote islands in the Pacific instead. And as always, do a ton of research about the place you wish to go with your family.
There are many ways to get to your destination aside from flying by plane. If the place isn’t that far off from where you live, get there by bus or rail. Using your own car works as well since it gives you extra storage space while skipping out on car rental fees. If it’s a little farther off, check if a ferry can take you there. Plane tickets can really get expensive compared to other modes of transport. However, if you are left with no other choice, you can always take advantage of plane ticket promos. Just keep your eyes peeled.
Accommodation is another major resource drainer during trips, even more so when your family is so big as you’ll have to take more than one room. If you’re lucky enough to know someone in the area you’re visiting, why not ask them to have your family over for the whole trip? Not only does it save you a lot of bucks by staying over for free, but you also get someone to show you around the place. Of course, you’ll need to make prior arrangements with your acquaintance first to make sure you won’t cause any inconveniences.
Thanks to technology, things like travel apps now exist to help tourists make the most out of their visits. To add to their edge, some of them can be downloaded for free online. In contrast, travel books and guides can be bulky and outdated. Worse, some of them can be unreasonably costly, which totally makes a travel app in your phone a lot better.
One of the main reasons people take leisurely trips is to get to know the local life. And nothing can get more local than food! Although it is not difficult to find high-end restaurants offering native food items on their menus, they often come with some twists that make the dish lose its ‘original’ feel. If you and your family are food adventurers, checking out local food stalls for more authentic bites is the way to go!
It may sound like a strange thing to do when you try to save, but psychology says kids tend to spend less when you give them a cash allowance to spend on anything they like. With this technique, the child becomes aware of his purchasing limits and because the money is already theirs, they’ll want to keep as much change as possible. Compare that to letting them drag you from one shop to another to point out stuff they want, thinking that you cough out gold. The previous option is better, right?
Going away on trips with family is always a fun experience, even more so when you are able to stay within budget limits. After all, traveling is not all about how much souvenirs you can haul back home–it is about the precious time you took off of work to bond with the people you care about the most.
