How To Prepare For Family Vacation Without Going Broke
by Lanette Zavala, MillennialEdge.com
As always, a family vacation should be planned with discretion based on other factors besides your budget. Consider your destination in light of travel safety in every angle. If you choose a destination that is one hour from your home or simply at a relative's home, the following steps can significantly enhance your plans as they would benefit a higher-cost trip.
1. Begin planning one year in advance. Set aside a few dollars here and there without sacrificing what's essential to your household. Let that money that you're saving add up over time in a savings account. Don't touch it unless absolutely necessary - strictly for emergencies.
2. Keep a large brown envelop aside in order to insert confirmation printouts, downloaded directions, maps, and all other tickets/printouts for your travel. Keep a written track of what you place in this packet by logging on the envelop exactly what you have inserted This is your itinerary packet. Nothing misplaced.
3. Be realistic. If you know that flying from the East Coast to Hawaii living on a middle-class income could strain even a year's savings, then choose another destination. As you save, assess your financial capabilities. Are you able to fly your entire family anywhere? How much would a road trip save you? How much more would a two-hour road trip save you as opposed to a longer one? Jot these types of considerations down as you brainstorm and compare your options estimating how much you're able to accommodate with your vacation savings plan.
4. Consider purchasing your entertainment in the form of gift cards in advance. List all the different ways your family can be entertained - from the least to the most expensive ways. Looking over your list, select all the forms of entertainment that you are likely to do as a vacation activity. If those activities entail buying tickets to such places as a theme park or to a movie, then you may be able to find gift cards for these places and not have to worry about using your cash at the ticket counter once you arrive. Having prepaid dining or entertainment on vacation always serves as a relief. And gift cards offer this purpose as you plan.
5. Consider booking your hotel reservations about six months in advance as hotels book quickly in certain places - especially during the summer.
6. During your vaction, be sure that your visit will apply to any travel rewards that you may have with hotels, airlines, and/or car rentals.
7. When booking hotels, consider the home-style suites for families. You can save on dining costs because these suites have kitchens with stoves, microwaves, and refrigerators at minimum. Most of these suites have sofabeds in the living areas. So, if you have a family that fits your hotel's fire code, you may be able to fit in a one bedroom suite.
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