Vacation Planning for Families on a Budget
Discovering New Inexpensive Tools to Outline Family-friendly Travel
Apr 27, 2009
Planning the perfect vacation for a family takes time and research. Making memorable trips for a family includes finding activities that appeal to each person, age group, and interests in the family. One family might enjoy horseback riding together on a wilderness trail, while another family will seek vacations at theme parks, museums, or chillin' at the beach.
Brainstorm Family Travel Plans Together
The first step, to plan the perfect vacation for a family, is to have a brainstorm session on what each person would like to do on the next family vacation. Writing ideas down and developing a game plan of possible locations to visit is more than day dreaming; it is an important planning tool to collect each person’s ideas.
Once a specific location and type of vacation is settled upon, estimation of a budget for your vacation is key. A tour of Europe may be out of the budget, but a multi-cultural tour domestically may not be. Most American cities have Cultural Festivals and parades that a family can attend, often for free. Enjoying a theme park like Busch Gardens or the “World Showcase Lagoon” at Disney’s Epcot Center may seem a far cry from the real thing, but it can be a fun precursor to a real European tour in the future.
A Travel Budget is a Friend
Families can achieve their dream vacation by fitting their dream plan within the practicalities of a budget. A budget is a non-negotiable; it is a yardstick of what a family can or can’t do on their vacation. However, a budget is also the family’s “friend”, because tweaked properly, the budget is the enabler of dreams to come true.Families need to see money constraints as opportunities to be creative.
Vacation budgets must include all travel expenses, such as, any airline, car rental, or gas costs and accommodations, food, and activities. Doing web searches like “Things to do in Arizona” or “Free Activities for families in Washington, D.C.” will provide a wealth of ideas for activities from which to choose.
If you are open to being flexible trip planners and discounters like Expedia, Travelocity, and ORBITZ can be very helpful for keeping the “budget” happy!
How To Be Creative Planning a Low Cost Family Vacation
Creativity takes a measure of risk and willingness to try something new. Perhaps "pre-kids" and "pre-recession" meant always staying in a 4 star hotel, there are wonderful, homey, off-the-beaten path family-run motels and lodges to explore. Often the service is very personal and the rooms can be surprisingly large and very kid-friendly.
Researching interesting accommodations on websites, such as Odd Inns, can provide a wealth of fun and often inexpensive places to spice up your travel. Another choice is a home exchange program, as featured in the movie, The Holiday.
The National and State Park System is a superb resource to flesh out a budget vacation. These National Treasures are not just for the camping and hiking crowd. Throughout the Summer months and year-round, Parks often host free or inexpensive live concerts, movie nights, or other entertainment. This is also true for the County Parks and Recreation Departments for any traveling location.
Where to Get Free Road Maps for Traveling
After establishing a budget, choosing a location, and selecting activities, a great next step is to print out a map of the area to circle sights to visit. If a vacation is for a certain city, like New York, download a city map, which usually has tourist sites and famous attractions labeled.
AAA is a great source for traveling maps and the Chamber of Commerce for a city is, as well. If the area for a vacation is larger, for instance various sightseeing spots with a state or a couple of states, travelers can download state maps as well from each state for free or inexpensively.
Seeing the actual location of activities is a handy tool for choosing the timing and order of how to a plan daily schedule. Add a couple of “alternate activities” in case of unforeseen changes – it is always better to be prepared, rather than be stuck. Included in that “schedule” should be plenty of downtime just to enjoy being together sans any stress!
Another important key to planning the perfect vacation is flexibility. Being open to new experiences, in the midst of the typical vacation for a family will bring a sense of adventure to the trip. Although, planning a vacation is crucial to success, being open to unforeseen changes is also critical.
Planning an economical vacation that everyone in the family will enjoy can sometimes be complicated. Taking the time to include each person's ideas, planning a budget, and scoping out free or nearly free activities are all ways to make the next Family Vacation be a special one.
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