Traveling has long been a popular hobby for many people. Also, data from Forbes His Advisor found that in 2023, Americans traveled on average 2.1 times, and 36% of respondents said they traveled for leisure purposes three or more times.
Last year, my husband and I took our kids on two trips. A weekend trip in Vermont and her 10-day long trip to northern Michigan. These trips weren't cheap, but we found ways to lower costs. Here are the tricks we used last year and the ones we use almost all the time to make travel more affordable on a family level.
1. Drive as much as possible
Driving from our home state of New Jersey to Vermont wasn't too difficult. It took about 6 hours to get there and 8 hours to return due to traffic.
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It was quite a long drive to Michigan and we had to stop at hotels along the way. But when we quoted the price of flights to our destination, we were looking at about $500 each, so it was worth the drive. Plus, I would have needed a rental car on top of that.
Our Michigan drive was about 3,000 miles round trip. My clunky minivan gets about 25 miles to the gallon on the highway. That's about 80 gallons of gas, just over $3 a pop, or about $300 total when you factor in tolls. Adding in the cost of his two nights in a hotel and additional meals on the trip, the round trip cost to our destination was approximately $800. Compare this to his $2,500 for airfare (since we are 5 of her) and rental car, and this action makes sense.
But this isn't the first time I've driven somewhere in the US to save on airfare. We have done several 16 hour treks to Florida and even drove to Montana.
If you have limited vacation time, hopping on a plane may be your only option. But if you have a few extra days to spend on your trip, choosing to fly and drive can lead to huge savings.
2. I am staying in a rental house where I can cook my own meals.
When my family travels, we almost always pay for private rentals rather than hotels. This not only gives us space to spread out, but also gives us access to the kitchen and full size refrigerator.
Let's be honest: I don't always want to spend my nights cooking during the holidays. So what we usually do is have breakfast in our rental room, use the kitchen to prepare lunch, and then have dinner at the restaurant to end the day. This is a good compromise so you don't buy all your meals out to eat.
Of course, when I go out to eat, I try to swipe my credit card for extra cash back at the restaurant. Also, since some of them have children, they tend to prefer casual dining options. But it also tends to help keep costs down.
3. We support cost-free activities
When my family goes on vacation, we often go hiking and go to the beach. These activities are often free and can be very effective. In some cases, you may have to pay a small fee to go to a beach or park with the views you want, but it's usually quite low.
If your family has previously taken an expensive vacation to a theme park, consider researching different parts of the country where you can enjoy nature at minimal or no cost. please. You might be surprised at how much fun it can be to spend a few days relaxing on the beach or exploring amazing hiking trails you never knew existed.
It's not easy to have a successful trip if you have to pay for your child to ride with you. However, the tips above allow us to continue exploring and may be useful to you as well.
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