Saving Money While Traveling With The Family
This is one of my absolute favorite topics to discuss with anyone trying to travel. As we all know, traveling can be stressful and time consuming. On top of that, the worst part about traveling is how expensive it can be. Between airfare and lodging, you could be turned-off just searching for 10 minutes of a dream destination. PLUS, add-in paying for your kids who "won't remember it" makes this difficult.
As a family of four, two of them being toddlers, we have found multiple ways to continue our passion for travel while still being on a budget. It is often not much more money to travel with our kids than if we were just two adults. Depending on your kids ages and your likes/needs, there is multiple ways to save while traveling.
Kids under 2 fly free - I cannot stress this enough, if you have a child under the age of two, fly! Flying is usually your biggest expense so utilize this as much as possible. You will have to keep the child on your lap for the flight but let's be honest, he/she was probably going to be there anyway.
Most hotel rooms do not charge for children under the age of 5. Depending on where you stay, they may have a crib and/or pull out couch. These hotels will charge you the same amount for the entire family as they would for a couple. Utilize these hotels and save some money by not paying for your young one.
Nearly all transportation systems give a discounted rate, if not for free, to children under the age of 5. All metros I have gone on as well as ferries, trains, etc. give children under a specific age free transport while being accompanied by an adult. Even airlines (depending on which one) give a discount for children. For example, we just booked flights through IcelandAir and they were 5% cheaper.
Tours and tour groups will often give a major discount, if not free services, to children under a specific age. Search for tours through websites like TripAdvisor or Viator and you can filter to see what tours provide children for free.
Many cruise lines run 'Kids sail free' ads and this is a HUGE savings if you're looking to cruise. We recently booked a cruise and it was only $160/kid more (taxes) than if it was just two adults. If we hadn't booked during that sale, our costs would have quickly doubled and we would not have booked. It is important to understand where you look and what sales are provided when trying to book a cruise.
Travel of off-peak times if your kids are not in school yet. This has been the biggest thing I have learned over my 10 years of traveling how to save money while traveling. Try to utilize the off-peak or shoulder season to save almost half the amount of money you would if you were traveling peak-season. If you have the flexibility, try to travel when everyone else is in school. Depending on where we are going, we usually try to travel in February, May, September and early December. You can find lodging and flights nearly half of what you would during spring/fall break and summer time.
Don't eat out every meal. One of my absolute favorite parts about traveling is getting to experience the food in a country. It makes me want to travel more just thinking about the amazing food I've had throughout the world. Anything from world famous dishes to street food, it should all be experienced. However, this does not mean you need to eat out for every meal. This gets extremely expensive and will run your debt up quickly if you're not careful. Every trip we go on, the first day I look for a supermarket. I absolutely love going into a market because it gives you an intimate look of the food that country has to offer and what local people are buying everyday. You get to try fresh bread from the bakery, check out the snack you can only identify from the pictures on the packaging, and the local fruit that was placed there that day. I usually buy enough snacks and food for a few days and this makes it much most cost effective to travel. Our loose rule is two meals out, one meal in... This can consist of a muffin for breakfast, for example, knowing that we are going for tapas for lunch. Or maybe you had a big breakfast and only need a ham/cheese sandwich for lunch before going out to get a street gyro that night. Cut down on on meals, save that much for other travel. Plus, if you're traveling with kids, you're going to be buying snacks anyway so might as well save some time/money at the grocery store instead of stopping every hour looking for more.
If time and weather permit, walk to everywhere you need to go. Many times, you may be in a city where taxis or Uber is everywhere. If you're not going that far and the weather is nice, try walking. It's a great way to see the city and you can always stop for food, shops, etc when you walk.
This one is pretty obvious but try to pre-plan as much of your trip as you can. Many times, if you wait to buy a train ticket or bus fare until the morning of, the fare will double if not triple in price. Try to buy transportation items ahead of time so you can get the best price. This often can apply to tours, hotels, etc.
Last but not least, you can do a quick search of free items to do in the city you are in. Many times, there are museums, parks, or shows that are put on by the local city. Usually a quick Google search will give you a list of items you do. If anything peaks your interest, this can give you a good activity to bring the family to without breaking the bank every day. Having two toddlers, we always look for parks for cheap entertainment and many times they will have splash pads, light shows, or even festivals that you can attend for free.
Traveling does not need to be expensive. You can make it your own if you prepare in advance and be flexible with your planning. Continue to save while you travel and put that extra savings into your next trip!
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