The BEST Frugal Family Travel Tips

Traveling with a family can be expensive and many times cost-prohibitive.  As a mother of 6 and a woman who loves to travel, I have come up with a few tricks to make travel possible even for those of us with large families.  Here are The BEST Frugal Family Travel Tips that I have discovered over the past 29 years of parenting.  Yes, you can have a meaningful, relaxing, and beautiful vacation with your family and not spend a ton of money!

The BEST Frugal Family Travel Tips

• AVOID TOURIST TRAPS     Besides the crowds, steer clear of money gobbling tourist locations.  Usually, these locations only provide entertainment and no family interaction.  It’s off the beaten tracks for adventure and tons of frugal ways to save some serious cash.
• PICNIC      Oh, how I love a good picnic.  First, packing your own snacks and meals will keep you and your family healthy and saves a ton of money. It also gives you built-in travel breaks that make travel less stressful.
• USE COUPONS     Take a moment before you leave home to look online for coupons that you can use at your destination.  Coupons are also available when you’re booking a vacation, hotel, or campground.  Making the time to check for available coupons might just save you hundreds. when you are booking.
• VISIT OFFSEASON     This is a tip, my family has employed, over, and over again!  We go to the Otter Banks of North Carolina every September when it is blissfully peaceful, still warm, and in the offseason.  The prices are often half of the Summer prices.
• BOOK HOTELS EARLY     Plan Ahead & Book Now! If you can plan your travel a year or two ahead you will often be able to save thousands of dollars and receive travel bonuses too!
• TAKE A CRUISE     Have you checked cruise prices lately?  They really are a fantastic way to save money.  It’s all-inclusive!  There are always deals for book 2 and get two free, floating around.
• EARN FREE MILES     I hesitate to suggest this one as I believe in living debt-free but there are some amazing credit card deals available to earn FREE flying miles.  If you are disciplined to pay off your balance every month then this is a fantastic way to pay for travel.  Southwest Airlines is one of the best!  I use this airline card!
• STAY IN HOSTELS    I stayed in my first hostel a few years ago in Chicago and was absolutely sold on this money-saving option!  I traveled with our church youth group to a conference and was blown away by what a hostel offers.  We slept eight girls per room, breakfast was included, there were FREE places to cook and do laundry.  The atmosphere was lovely!  This is an incredible deal for large family travel!
• COOK IN YOUR HOTEL     I have been known to bring a crockpot and use the microwave to make delicious meals in our hotel rooms as a way to save money and since we have food allergies and Celiac Disease in our family this option keeps us healthy too.
• CHECK OUT FREE ATTRACTIONS     Everywhere I travel, whether it’s with my family or alone. I google what FREE attractions there are in the area.  This has been a frugal joy to discover hidden gems all around the world.
• PAY CASH     If you pay cash for your vacations and don’t put your travel expenses on your credit card you will not go into debt and save a ton of money on saved interest payments.  (Of course, if you have willpower and pay your balance off every month then using credit cards can save you money.)

YOUR TURN…

How do you save money while traveling?

Blessings,

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