With Spring Break right around the corner and the economy still struggling to improve taking vacations for the average family can seem like a luxury from the past. While some families are still heading to Disney World or the nearest Beach, you may not be able to afford it and you may wonder how others can and feel badly about your lack of means. First of all, don’t be swept under the wave of peer pressure and realize that many people who appear to be “rich” are in actuality credit card millionaires. In fact, the book Staycation was written clearly for the people like yourself, too poor to take a vacation and too bored to stay home. However, the message is clear. You can set up a vacation of your own without dropping thousands of bucks and take family time without leaving home.
The idea of staycation, or having a family holiday on a budget is to save your pennies for something exciting in the future. If you commit to taking budget friendly family vacations now, in a year or so, you will have saved enough to take that child friendly cruise or trip to Hawaii that you have always wanted to take. The other thing to consider, especially with children, is that often they don’t do well away from home for long periods of time and taking a leap of faith to plan something extravagant without ‘practicing’ can lead to a disappointing experience for the whole family.
Start your budget friendly family outing with a local excursion. The benefits are that the car ride is short, no flights to worry about and if things go array or your child ends up with the Murphy’s law stomach flu you will be able to come right back home. Another hint is to take two vehicles. This way if your spouse and older children are fairing well camping at the lake but you and the baby are miserable, you can head for the comforts of home. Camping is always a budget friendly way to go. Even if you don’t have a fancy camper you can rent one fairly cheap, borrow or rent a cabin and even purchase a decent tent to serve as your short term home away from home. If you aren’t the camping type, then start researching day trip vacations you can take close to home. Chances are you haven’t explored your own backyard thoroughly and you may be surprised to find that some exciting venues exist in your home state. Horse riding adventures, local theme parks, interesting historical sites, hiking tours, river rafting trips – the point is that the bulk of family expenses can come from lodging expenses. Cutting trips short, finding cheaper options or taking day trips can slash your costs considerably.
One of the most expensive aspects of vacationing is fulfilling the eating requirements of a family. Your first tip is to stop being a sucker and set yourself a budget. If you are visiting a water park or touristy spot – don’t feel obligated to buy the knick knack souvenir cups and gadgets that will end up in the trash or broken before you even make it home. Why would anyone pay $10 for a soda? Instead, go to your dollar store and find some snazzy cups for your children. Do a little creative grocery shopping purchasing items that you normally don’t buy. Pack a cooler complete with lunches, pop, lemonade, fruit and snacks to keep your kids from having the munchies and make the radical decision that you aren’t going to spend hundreds of dollars on over priced, under cooked and unhealthy foods. End of story. You can take the money you saved and go out for one very nice meal and still be ahead of the game.
There are plenty of ways to save money and take the vacation that you need to recharge your batteries. Rather than thinking a vacation is only ‘real’ if you spend thousands of dollars start simplifying what it takes to help you relax. Here are some other ideas.
- Sign the family up for a stint volunteering in another town. You will be giving and getting much more than a vacation.
- Travel with other families and split the costs. The kids can cozy up on the floor in sleeping bags to save on lodging.
- Take a drive. Set out with the kids to tour the country. Mark spots along the way that you want to stop at.
- Shop for bargains. Many vacation hot spots are offering major coupons that allow you to stay for free, travel for free or eat for free. Contact venues specifically and ask for further discounts.
- Travel during “off season.” Check rates and plan your trips during non-busy times of the year.
- Take 3-day weekends and work your vacation week. Rather than take a whole week off with pay, take a Friday at a time and work the other 4 days. You will earn more money and be able to take more trips.
- Stay with family. Visit the grandparents and take trips to new destinations.
Another important aspect to taking family holidays on a budget is to be realistic. Don’t use plastic to pay for your outings. Change your mind and add some creativity to your plans. You would be surprised how easily you can change a few days at home, visiting local venues and splurging a bit more than usual into staycations that will become a meaningful part of your family’s memory.
David Beart runs the Professors House. Our family based site covers everything from pregnancy to raising children, health, nutrition and marriage advice.
