Traveling with your family can be expensive. In fact… it probably will be expensive. The average family will spend around $8,052 travelling in 2024. If that dollar figure made you gasp, you’re not alone. 73% of parents cited affordability as the biggest challenge they face when trying to plan a trip. But here’s the thing…
Photo by Min(Felix) Xu on Unsplash
Traveling on a budget doesn’t mean sacrificing all your small comforts. Intelligent parents understand there’s a difference between being cheap and being smart with your money. The travel hacks below focus on preserving the little things that add comfort to your trips — good coffee, a nice hotel, personal indulgences — while cutting the unnecessary spending that really doesn’t matter.
It’s important to note that “personal spending” is one of the largest travel budget categories most people never think about. Everyone has their vices. Packing your favourite snacks, coffee creamer, and cigarettes before leaving will save you money. Cigarette smokers who plan can buy dumont cigarettes and other discount cigarettes online before the trip instead of overpaying at gift shops and convenience stores near airports and rest stops. That alone will save you $20–$40 on a short vacation.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s dive into all the ways you can save on your next family vacation.
You’ll learn
- Why traveling with families costs so much money
- Save money on where you stay
- How to keep food costs down
- How to manage personal spending
- How to find free stuff to do on vacation
- Budget travel tips: the quick version
Why traveling with families costs so much money
Here’s a painful stat to start with. 69% of families go OVER their travel budget each year. And guess where they spend their money? Food and Drink.
Forget about the flights. Forget about the hotel. Those small daily expenditures add up quickly when multiplied by two, three, four, or even five travelers.
So how do you avoid breaking the bank? Enter the concept of a “comfort budget”.
The comfort budget is exactly what it sounds like. Before you leave on your trip, decide what comforts you can’t live without. Maybe that’s the daily Starbucks coffee for mom and dad. Maybe it’s a candy bar or brand-name snack for the kids. Maybe it’s buying your own cigarettes instead of paying $8/carton at the airport.
Whatever your vice is, budget for it specifically. Everything else is up for negotiation.
This is step zero.
You have to decide what matters before you can save money on the things that don’t.
Save money on where you stay
Hotel rooms. Rentals. They account for the biggest chunk of most family vacations. But there are plenty of little tricks to reduce your accommodation sticker shock.
- Stay somewhere with a kitchen. Did you know 50% of families who operate on a travel budget already do this? Cooking for yourselves can reduce your food bill by up to half without sacrificing any comforts.
- Consider apartments over hotels. You get more space, more privacy, and (when divvied up between kids) almost always pay a lower nightly rate.
- Travel during the off-season. Vacationing when school is in costs 18% more per traveler. If your schedule allows for it, that’s just free money.
- Sign up for rewards programs. Literally every hotel brand and booking site has one. For trips with multiple children, you’ll rack up points quicker than you think.
Got all that? Great. Let’s move on.
How to keep food costs down
Food and Beverage is where the travel money really drains away. Did you know that over 90% of parents say they overspend on dining out while on vacation? The solution to this massive spend is surprisingly simple.
Structure.
Here’s how to keep food affordable on trips without feeling deprived:
- Eat breakfast in the accommodation. Again, super easy if there’s a kitchen. Otherwise, coffee, cereal, toast, fruit…you get the idea.
- Pack lunches for excursions. Bring a cool bag and do a proper grocery store shop. It’s cheaper than restaurants and feeds everyone happily.
- Budget for one sit-down meal per day. This is the luxury. This is the full family vacation experience. Don’t sweat it. Schedule it. Plan it. Enjoy it.
Your family will not feel like they’re missing out by only eating out once per day.
Pro Tip: Visit local markets instead of supermarkets for groceries. Food is almost always cheaper, plus it’s more fun to browse what the locals eat.
How to manage personal spending
There’s one category most travel articles don’t cover.
The “personal budget”. You know, your cigarettes, your favorite candy bar or chip brand, your specific brand of toothpaste. Tiny expenses on their own, but pretty easy to blow a week’s worth of vacation money on without thinking. Headed to the airport? Those $12 travel-sized bottles of shampoo aren’t cheap just because they’re convenient. An entire travel pack of cigarettes that cost you $10 at home can run you anywhere from $18–$25+ at airport gift shops.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Buy ahead.
Seriously. Purchase cigarettes online from a reputable retailer before your trip. Buy your toiletries from home. Pack your favorite snacks instead of overpaying for name-brand versions at gas stations.
You can’t pack a tank of gas in your luggage. But almost anything else you need to satisfy your vices can be sorted before you even arrive at the airport.
How to find free stuff to do on vacation
Now we’re talking!
Let’s face it. Kids have short attention spans. And adults love it when kids are entertained WITHOUT costing them money. All it takes is a quick Google search before you leave, and you’ll be amazed at what’s available.
Here are some favorite free vacation activities.
- Beaches, parks, hiking trails. Obviously.
- Free Museum Days. Just search “free museum day near me”. Chances are, your local art museum offers several free hours per week.
- Guided walking tours. Many historic cities offer pay-what-you-want local guides.
- Local Events. Markets, festivals, outdoor concerts, you name it. These are happening constantly somewhere in your destination region.
One simple rule: Pay for one or two “wow” attractions, and build the rest of your itinerary around free stuff.
Easy.
Budget travel tips: the quick version
If you took away nothing else from this article, these are the habits worth remembering:
- Decide your comfort budget ahead of time. Protect that spending.
- Buy cigarettes online and everything else you can think of ahead of time.
- Accommodation with a kitchen is a game-changer.
- Plan to eat out once per day, not three times.
- Find free activities before you arrive, not while you’re already busy touring.
- Don’t travel during school holidays whenever possible.
Ready to pull out your passport?
Budget family travel doesn’t have to mean sacrificing comfort or keeping your kids cooped up in the hotel room.
It just means being smart about where money gets allocated. Ensure the things that do matter — the activities, the meals, the occasional indulgence — are well funded and enjoyed to the fullest.
Want proof parents can actually take their families on budget vacations? 92% of parents plan to travel with their children at least once in the next 12 months. Those families who have the best time won’t necessarily be the ones spending the most money. They’ll be the ones who planned the best.
Pick one or two hacks from the list above. Implement them on your next vacation. You’ll be surprised by how much further your budget goes… and how little it feels like you’re sacrificing.