Budget Travel With Kids
Learn How to Make Holidays Affordable!
I would rather budget travel with kids than not travel at all. Whilst it would be exciting to stay at upmarket resorts in exotic locations every time, it can be just as exciting to go camping or stay in a basic hut closer to home.
Travelling with kids is definitely more expensive than travelling without kids. Dodgy accommodation is no longer an option, you have more mouths to feed and in general, kids seem to be attracted to stuff that cost money.
Despite this, budget travel with kids is still possible!
Tried and Tested Tips for Budget Travel With Kids
Off-Peak Travel
Travelling in off-peak or shoulder season reduces the cost of everything! There is a huge price difference in flights and accommodation when comparing peak season and off-peak season.
The Lonely Planet guides give a good indication of peak and off-peak travel times for different destinations. It’s important to weight up average weather conditions (also found in Lonely Planet) during off-peak times as there is no point travelling to a beach destination if it’s too cold to swim!
Shoulder season can be a great time to travel, often resulting in less crowds, reduced costs, and less chance of the extreme weather events associated with low-season.
Photo: Jessica Palmer
Flights
Most domestic flights are free for kids under 2 years. International flights usually charge around 10% of the adult fare. This is providing you are happy to have them on your lap and don’t require a seat for them.
Depending on the airline and route, international flights for children aged 2 years to 11 years can be drastically reduced also. Domestic flights for this age group are usually the same as adults.
You can sometimes get cheaper tickets by taking late-night flights. This might work in your favour if you want your kids to sleep on the plane.
When searching for prices, make sure you check the price a few days each side of your proposed travel date. I have reduced flight costs by hundreds of dollars by leaving one day later than originally planned.
Try Cheap Flights and SkyScanner as a starting point for searching flights:
Photo: Jessica Palmer
Accommodation
If a holiday isn’t a holiday without a 5-star resort in your family, consider travelling somewhere the exchange rate is in your favour. Luxury in South East-Asian destinations such as Vietnam can be particularly affordable for Aussie and USA travellers.
If you are willing to stay in guest houses or homestays, the cost of your holiday will be drastically reduced. I have found guesthouses in South East Asia to be affordable, welcoming and just …. awesome.
I like to use Bookings.com so that I can choose accommodation that only has a good review rating.
Private rentals can be a lot cheaper than brand name resorts and hotels. We found plenty of great private rentals in the Cook Islands to choose from. They were significantly lower priced than a resort and costs were reduced even more because of the ability to self cater.
Photo: Jessica Palmer
Camping
If you are on a super strict budget, camping is the way to go! You might be surprised to learn that you can actually camp overseas as well. There are campsites in all sorts of amazing destinations such as Vanuatu, French Polynesia and Hawaii.
Australia is ideal for camping with plenty of options and facilities. If caravan parks aren’t your thing, try www.youcamp.com, a website that facilitates the ability to camp on farms and private property.
Camping doesn’t always mean roughing it either, plenty of campsites have toilets, hot showers and camp kitchens.
Photo: Jessica Palmer
House Sitting
This is a fantastic opportunity to completely cut out accommodation costs. If you plan to travel in Australia, try www.aussiehousesitters.com.au. There is a site for the USA, UK, Canada and New Zealand as well.
Australian families might like to try Aussie House Swap!
Motorhome Hire
This can be an affordable solution to accommodation and hire car issues. If you get one with a kitchen you will save plenty of money by self-catering as well. Some destinations are more motorhome friendly than others.
You will need to do your research. For e.g. New Zealand is a popular and easy place to get around with a motorhome, as is Tasmania however, the UK can be difficult as the roads are so narrow.
Photo: Jessica Palmer
Food
Keeping the cost of feeding everyone down really depends on the destination. In South-East Asia, food is so cheap that you can easily afford to eat on the streets or at restaurants the majority of the time.
Many hotels offer buffet breakfast for an additional fee, however, if your family usually only has yoghurt and cereal for breakfast, is it really worth the additional expense?
Elsewhere, self-catering can be the way to go. Paying a little more for accommodation with a kitchen can save you a lot of money. I find this easier with a picky child anyway.
Most caravan parks have adequate communal camp kitchens.
Photo: Jessica Palmer
Using Reward Points
Make use of credit card reward points by making everyday purchases on your credit card. This ONLY works if you don’t overspend so I recommend paying your balance off weekly!
Making recommendations about which card and reward program to use is too big an undertaking for this post, however getting one that rewards everyday spending such as grocery shopping and fuel can be really useful.
Don’t Get Sucked Into Marketing
Don’t get sucked into thinking that you need to purchase special items for travel. I once purchased a luggage bag from the op-shop for AU$5 and it lasted five years.
You don’t need a special travel stroller, you don’t need new toiletries and you don’t need special clothes unless you are travelling somewhere freezing cold.
Be Realistic …
In general, the best advice is to be realistic about your budget. If you don’t have much to spare, then just make do with what you have!
Making do with what you have for your family may mean camping close to home, a basic hut with shared toilets in Vanuatu or a family room in a hostel in New Zealand. All of these things are great!
You don’t need luxury to create wonderful memories, you just need to surround yourself with your favourite people and give each other your time!
Need Some Family Travel Inspiration?
For more information on great places to visit as a family, or tips for travelling with kids, head on back to the home page for inspiration on destinations worldwide.
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