Family Vacation Ideas on a Budget

You want to have a fun family vacation this year, but money is tight. There’s good news. Fun vacation ideas that won’t break your budget are everywhere. By planning ahead and being a little careful, you can have a blast on your next family vacation without spending too much money.

Fun and Inexpensive Family Vacation Destinations

Travel and hotel rooms are often the two most expensive parts of taking a vacation. Airfare for an entire family can cost thousands of dollars round trip, and even less-than-great hotels in popular destinations can have high nightly rates. Thankfully, there are lots of ways to get great deals. One is to be willing to try different places.

For example, summer is a great time to usually book the following destinations for less than $80 a night:

• Las Vegas, Nevada for water parks, rides, arcades, and pool fun
• Palm Desert, California for hiking, biking, pools, and relaxation
• Cancun, Mexico for fun on the beach, water sports, and shopping
• Orlando, Florida for some of the best theme parks in the world
• Coastline of Maine or New Hampshire for natural beauty and beach fun

If you have one place in mind that you really want to go, be flexible and patient with your timing. Many travel sites will let you sign up for alerts when hotels and airfare get to a certain point. You should also look for private rentals instead of major hotels. Rental vacation homes are especially great for families with lots of kids.

Want to save even more? Think about staying close to home this year. Even if you’ve lived at your current home for a long time, there’s likely a lot of fun activities for the family just a short distance away. Many places even offer discounts for locals. The money you save on travel can be put toward a nice hotel or vacation rental.

Exciting Activities at Low Costs

You know that laying by the pool is about as cheap as it gets, but the kids probably want more. Thankfully, expensive helicopter rides or boat rentals aren’t your only options. Most places have lots of things to do that are cheap or even free. Be on the watch out for:

• Museums with free admission or cheap donation requirements
• National parks and recreation areas
• Rope or zipline courses
• Camping in the wilderness

If your family loves the outdoors, you’ll find a lot of stuff do anywhere you go. Hiking is nearly free and often has amazing views of nature and the city. Bikes and scooters can be rented for cheap for city or beach exploring. Beaches are common almost anywhere, making them a great choice for free fun during the summer.