Whether you are traveling for fun or to see family this holiday season, there is something special about taking a trip during the holidays.
Getting to travel to a special destination with your kids is a great opportunity to spend time together as a family away from the hustle and bustle of day to day life. Of course, these trips don?t come free, so finding ways to save money while still having a great time is key to keeping your budget under control.
As you make all of your plans for your upcoming holiday travel, keep the following 4 tips in mind to help you save money.
Limit Hotel Rooms
Depending on the size of your family, you may be able to all stay in one hotel room ? greatly reducing the overall cost of the trip. If you decide to reserve two (or more) rooms, your lodging expense is going to increase dramatically.
Of course, you will need to stay within the limits that the hotel sets for their rooms, so check policies and find a property that will let you stay all together if possible. Don’t forget to ask about rooms with a pull-out couch or roll-away bed to save money too.
Restrict the Distance of Your Trip
This is a tip that doesn?t work if you are going to see family in a specific city, but it can be effective if you are open to taking a trip to a variety of locations.
Each additional mile that you travel is going to cost you additional money, no matter what form of transportation you decide to use. With that in mind, review destinations that are relatively close to your home and do your best to pick one that combines the opportunity for fun with the ability to save money on transportation costs.
Avoid Dining Out
If you have to dine out for each meal of your trip, costs are going to skyrocket rather quickly. To avoid that outcome, look for somewhere to stay that will enable you to prepare your own food for at least some of your meals.
You can still go out for a nice dinner or two as a family, but keep your budget in check by balancing those meals with some that you cook yourself. Including your family in the food prep and shopping process will bring everyone together, and it just might become a holiday tradition that you can carry forward for years to come.
Skip the Souvenirs
This is an important point to watch because you are already going to be spending extra around the holidays on gifts for family and friends. You don?t have to buy souvenirs just because you are traveling, and that is especially true around holiday time.
Remind your kids that they will be getting presents during the holiday season, so they shouldn?t need to receive souvenirs on top of those presents. If you do decide to buy something to remember your trip by, make sure it is affordable and something that can be shared among the family. Just by passing on the souvenir shop you can do quite a bit of good for your overall travel budget during this expensive time of year.
Can you think of other ways to save on holiday travel? Do you plan to travel any during the holidays this year?
Photo courtesy of: sharonang
Wise Dollar
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Dining out is a huge cost. Sometimes we prep a number of meals in advance and take a cooler with us. Then we try to make sure our hotel had a microwave to reheat. It saves us a ton of money traveling!
Bring some food or buy some food at stores. Food is really a category that can be controlled and planned when traveling.