Finding Affordable Vacations

Written By Traveling Mom2Nine Thursday, May 13, 2010 09:24

I have 8 children including my hubby and myself. I can never find affordable vacations for big families. Can you help? How do you travel with a large group and keep sanity and budget?

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#5 Sandy McDowell 2010-07-12 10:09

I have long advocated international travel as a way to expand cultural experiences and this is an important aspect for families traveling with kids. There are some great ways to make Europe affordable and not break the bank while still providing a whole lot of fun and culture. Your kids will benefit and long remember these special family times.

It may be time to consider camping in Europe. Campgrounds have cottages or trailers that you rent (not rustic), but there are waterparks, pools and playgrounds for the kids to enjoy. You can cook your own meals and shop at the local markets, which is a way of life in France, but also offers real insight into French culture.

There are also hotel offers that include a free night stay with a minimum nights stay. Even the country homes, B&B's, villa's and basic hotels offer affordable options for families. There are even ski packages for families at some of the family friendly ski resorts. Although airfare can be high during peak travel times, I would advise you to travel during the shoulder season which can often bring reduced pricing all around, plus great weather.

For more information you can find a family travel specialist at www.specialtytravelagents.com

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#4 helen richards 2010-06-14 18:37

Dec 1 - 15 is THE cheapest time to travel. Put that time with the kids vacations and go somewhere major like Europe for indoor museums, Australia--wher e it's summer, or Brazil, where a dollar goes a long way.

House Swap with another big family in one of those areas. Your biggest expense is airfare, followed by lodging costs, followed by food, followed by entertainment.

Take a cruise--looking for a suite with extra beds for the same $$$. An inside room that sleeps 4 for the price of 2. Get other friends and family members involved and qualify for group cabin rates.

Go river rafting for a week. Find a family friendly outfitter. Get the type where a professional does the oaring, and makes the food--all you have to do is swim, eat, and pitch your tent. The Green River in Utah is gentle but exciting!

Look for reunion sites--big old places out in the country with lots of rooms, a kitchen, and near local points of interest. Do the multiple family thing if you have some close friends you can add to the trip.

Look into the Eurail pass for family groups. When I took my family of 7 (4 adults and 3 kids)it worked out $250 per person for 15 days of train riding in Britain. That's about $17 per person per day.

Go camping in Europe if you go in the summer. Lease your car in France for over 17 days and sell it back to the company when done. See Rick Steves info on that one. If you don't go to Europe in winter, because its cold, or summer, because it's expensive, the best time is Easter vacation--bette r weather, lower airfare. Take two to three weeks, one week is too hard on your body with jet lag and 8 kids. We rented apartments, staying at least 3 days in Venice, Florence and one week in Paris, also camping on a friend's floor on the Riviera a couple of nights.

Finally, divide and conquor. Take a couple of kids at a time on 3-4 day Dad and lad, Mommy & me style getaways. Williamsburg is fun and will develop an interest in history. This kind of travel gives kids the one on one they really appreciate--tak ing a sibling helps create stronger bonds.

With 10 traveling, you should rack up frequent flyer miles very quickly.

Invest in some matching t-shirs and ball caps for a quick head count if you do Disneyland, etc.

Good luck!

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#3 Kingston Resorts 2010-06-10 11:29

One idea is to consider a vacation getaway that has condominiums or villas such as Kingston Resorts. There are more than 1100 choices of accommodations from Embassy Suites, Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort, one-, two-, and three-bedroom condominiums, townhomes and villas. The condos and villas have fully-equipped kitchens to save money on meals. And, in addition to the beautiful Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach, Kingston has an on-site waterpark, Splash!. It has been named one of the ten best water parks in the United States by Waterpark Resorts Today magazine. This special activity area features a Caribbean family water playground complete with water slides, lazy river, water spouts, arch jets, rope showers, pipe falls, a tunnel, bucket conveyors and multi-person water pumps, water screws and more. The highlight of the facility is a six-foot bucket located at the top of the park, which gradually fills with water until it tilts onto a roof and showers down hundreds of gallons of sparkling water at regular intervals. Rates depend on the season and availability.

Right now, Kingston has a promotion that allows families to stay on Wednesday nights for just $5. The $5 Wednesdays promotion is available only at the two-bedroom villas located in Kingston Plantation’s 145-acre resort. The length of stay required depends on the day of arrival. For Monday and Tuesday arrivals, a three-night stay is required. Arrive later in the week, and the length of stay required is longer in order fulfill the Wednesday stay requirement. Details are available at kingstonplantat ion.com.

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#2 Sibylle 2010-06-03 20:24

Depending on what you consider 'affordable'. I would suggest a cabin, there a quite a few beautiful ones, especially in North Georgia. One I can really suggest are the 'Mountain Lakes Resorts' cabins. You will have to purchase the amenity passes ($4 for adult per day and $ 2 for kid per day) but these will include put-put golf,fishing, water slide,two outdoor pools, one indoor pool, fitness room, sauna,hot tub, game room, lodge, paddle boats, small beach, basketball courts, walking trails,...
This resort is located only a few minutes outside of Helen,GA and only minutes away from the Cabbage Patch Kids Hospital (which is a wonderful place to take small children,especi ally girl, to-and it is free!)
The cabins will run $ 100 per night, depending on the size ( My family is a family of 6 and we usually take the smaller cabin and are comfortable)
There is a Walmart roughly 20 minutes out where you can get every thing you need to cook in house (cabins come fully furnished and equipped.)
Enjoy!

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#1 editor 2010-05-26 16:23

The key to saving money when traveling with kids is finding a way to cut down the food costs. That means more eating in, less eating out. That means renting a place with a kitchen. Given your brood, a house or 3-bdrm condo is probably your only option. Have you ever tried house swapping? There are several Web sites where you can sign up for about $100 for a year and find another family willing to swap houses with you. It can take a bit of work to find the right match, but once you do, the housing is free. And, as Kim Orlando likes to say, the place comes with catsup and salt and pepper.

Finding Affordable Vacations

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