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5 Ways to Make Your Trip Inexpensive and Priceless for the Whole Family
Travel can be a demanding task in terms of costs. This becomes more real when you’re having a family vacation. In fact, immediately you leave your door, you are bombarded with a bunch of charges –flights, baggage charges, parking fees, cab fees, and several others.
We usually have a family vacation twice a year and I can tell you there is nothing like a cheap vacation. All we do is that we look for ways to cut the costs, and we have been doing it since ever–It pays. Apparently, we are not alone in this journey of bringing family travel costs down. The “How do the Family make their travels cheap?” is a topic tapped repeatedly according to Google analytics. This shows that families are in a bid to satisfy their adventure while cutting down on costs.
The good news is that it’s possible and families don’t have to win a lottery to purchase family fun in Negril, Jamaica, a cheerful paradise that seems to care that you are having a great family vacation. So whether you’re having a one week vacation or several months in some place, here are some tips for making your family trip inexpensive.
Get Around Cheaply
The first thing is to brainstorm all those hidden costs involving movement. By the way, have you ever wondered how ever did a meal on a ferry cost that much? There are lots of ways to help you reduce the cost of movement while having a family vacation.
Firstly, ensure that you use flight comparison sites to reduce your greatest expense-flight or ferry. Make sure you do your homework well by the help of sites such as Kayak and Skyscanners. You can also do a comparison of various modes of transport to find out the cheapest. I usually like the idea of an overnight sleeper train which saves you a night in the city’s resort. Also, be sure to use public transport means as opposed to hired vans, which are way expensive. In fact, in some public transport vehicles, kids transport absolutely free. Also, remember that if possible, walk—it only costs you shoe soles.
Lastly on transport, ensure that you book your flight early in advance-I recommend 6 months early. Most likely, the earlier you book the lesser you pay.
Go For Cheap Beds
Whether you’re having a two or five people family vacation, it is true you can enjoy your trip without having to break the bank.
First of all, book ahead while keeping an eye on off-season deals. Cruise ships, for instance, offer better deals in advance bookings, and sometimes kids would get a free package. Or you can consider going the other way—last minute way. The trick here is that a room owner will most likely lower the price for the last bed if he’s unlikely to sell it. Also, Airbnb has been really good for us. You can bag a great deal with an Airbnb host, where you can stay for a few bucks which would otherwise go to restaurants.
The cheapest accommodation trick is to go the camping way. Find out the free or wild campsite in the place you are visiting and watch your budget drop. Just in case there are no campsites, ask a local if you can camp in their garden—many locals are always ready to help tourists.
Eat cheaply
A company of kids abroad can turn stressful—they like to eat every minute. Although this may cost you largely, hungry kids are a nightmare.
You can take a little stove and cook for yourselves in a campsite. Also, rely on the locals to guide you on cheap supplies and eateries around the city.
For the many years we have traveled around the world, we have discovered that the table and chair style of eating is often expensive. So we consider street food necessary or take away, or just taking an al-fresco dinner in a park bench.
The last one is tricky. If you are 5, why don’t you order four meals and an extra plate! Most probably, not everyone will clear their food, so instead of leaving food back, we order a meal less and an empty plate. Well, this has been our way of reducing food costs whenever we go on a family vacation.
Save While You Spend
You can save money through a few practical tweaks to how you fund your family holiday. On top of the popular air miles, you can use the cash back sites to buy tickets.
Shave Periphery Costs
Periphery charges can take toll on you, I bet. Think of ways to reduce these costs, like packing fewer items to reduce baggage costs. If you’re going to a cheap hot country, take no baggage with at all, it’s cheaper to buy a few t-shirts when you get there.
I ensure that I make gaffer tape also, needles and a thread to save my luggage in case it starts falling apart. Well, I know this may sound mad enough, but I end up saving a lot while assuring my family of great fun.
