Ways to Save Money Traveling As A Large Family
When traveling, I’ve found that it can be difficult to find affordable options if you have more than 4 or 5 people in your family. We love to travel, but we also don’t like spending a ton of money on said travel. I’ve become quite good at planning affordable vacations for our large family.
Here are a few of the ways we save money when traveling.
Pro Planning Tip: We recommend using Jessica Lieb with ET Family Travel to book your Disney vacation!
Plan Early When Traveling With a Large Family
The best way to get a good deal is to plan ahead. You must book tickets early when making reservations or finding tickets for a large family. A lot of the best-priced deals for large families get booked quickly. We usually book our vacations at the beginning of the year. This allows us to plan our year of travel, coordinate everyone’s schedules, and find the best prices.
Choose the Off-season
If possible, choose a less busy travel season. We like to travel in early spring or fall because they are less busy and usually cheaper than the traditional summer travel season. Being flexible with your vacation dates is a great way to save money on accommodations and admission prices.
Book A Rental Home for Your Large Family
This is by far the biggest way we save money. Most hotels aren’t suited for families larger than 5. This means larger families must book two hotel rooms, doubling their accommodation costs. We book almost all of our rental homes through a travel agent. A travel agent can typically find a rental house with enough beds (and usually a lot more square footage) for our whole family for about the exact cost of one hotel room.
Pack Your Own Food
If you book a rental house, you will most likely have a full kitchen, which allows you to prepare meals and save money. I know it’s vacation, and you don’t want to be in the kitchen all day, but eating a few meals will save you tons of money. We typically eat all of our breakfasts in our rental and have plenty of healthy snack options as well. We might eat dinner at the house or pack a picnic lunch once during our trip.
Find Free Activities
Look for museums, attractions, parks, and other events that offer free admission. Also, see if any of your local zoos or museums have membership programs that can save you money or even give you free access to other museums or zoos across the country.
Research Deals
Research the area you plan to visit. Ask your travel agent about special deals or offers. Sign up for online newsletters or follow them on social media. Travel agents are usually the first to know about upcoming deals and promotions. Remember, a travel agent will help you plan and book your vacation at no additional cost. (When you book through them, they get paid a commission, and you save money!)
If you can be flexible with your travel plans, you will probably save hundreds of dollars. Put in a little extra time researching and planning your trip, and you can save money just by being prepared. Plus, you’ll have peace of mind knowing you are making a money-wise decision because you did your research.
Traveling on a budget with a large family is possible; it just takes a little preparation.
