Want to travel more often? Need to save money?
This time last year, my husband and I were trying to decide what we wanted to do for summer vacation with our family. Vacation expenses add up quickly and we wanted to maximize our spending dollars.
One night I found a sale fare to San Diego that couldn't be beat. We quickly snagged those tickets and started planning what became a wonderful, relaxing vacation.
Here are my tips for letting the destination choose you and then enjoying every minute of it.
Search Deals, Not Destinations
Don't lock yourself into a destination. Make a list of places you'd like to go over the next few months or years. Many airlines and booking sites will let you set alerts to notify you of sale fares to those destinations.
Services like Scott's Cheap Flights will send you airfare deals via email every day. Follow the deals and save up to 90%. Try it for free. If you upgrade to a premium plan, you'll pay for it the first time you book a flight.
Groupon and Travelzoo can also help you find great travel deals.
Related:
- My Review of Scott's Cheap Flights
- 5 Tips for Getting a Great Groupon Deal
Don't Do it All
As a travel agent, I spoke with many families who wanted to do it all on their vacations. The price added up quickly and they would feel defeated and feel unable to take their trip.
So many times we try to do so much that we come home needing a vacation from our vacation. When we do less and spend less, we feel more relaxed.
You can save a lot of money and actually relax on your vacation if you focus on one or two major things and then fill the rest of your itinerary with free and inexpensive activities. Save the rest for another trip. Vacations are more affordable when we take shorter, smaller trips more often instead of just one large trip.
We decided to visit SeaWorld San Diego and take in some of the sights at Old Town San Diego. SeaWorld regularly offers ticket deals, and our SeaWorld ticket was good for 7 consecutive days in the park for the price of one. We took advantage of that and went on three different days! We enjoyed Sea World at a leisurely pace and saw and did everything. Our favorites we even hit twice!
We visited Old Town one morning to enjoy the historic area and do a little shopping. Our kids loved the candy shop best, and then we had a wonderful Mexican meal.
Another stop the kids loved was the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center. A fun, interactive museum with great hands-on activities for the kids to do and a free souvenir photo. This was a great activity and we stayed a lot longer than we had planned on.
Ask a Local
Ask your hotel staff for some ideas of what locals like to do. You can find some great activities, restaurants, and/or places to see this way. We drove over to Coronado Island and found a wonderful beach. The weather was overcast and chilly, but the sand was perfect. We found a great ice cream place to enjoy dessert and enjoyed a relaxing evening away from crowds.
One tradition we have is to find an off-the-wall pizza place on our vacations. Our girls love it and we've found some delicious pizza in many different places.
Take Advantage of Hotel Amenities
Book a hotel with a pool. It'll be your kids' favorite part of the trip. If your hotel offers a breakfast like ours did, that is an easy way to save money to use on other activities throughout the day.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Hotel Circle. The pool was wonderful, breakfast was included daily, and the room was very comfortable for our family.We booked our hotel and SeaWorld tickets in an affordable package through Get Away Today Vacations, which was another easy way to save money.
We have a lot of great memories from our San Diego trip. Since this trip cost a lot less than it could have, we look forward to making more vacation memories before long!
Don't lock yourself into a specific vacation and then wait for it to work out.Be open to wherever the deals take you, and you can travel more often on a limited budget.
Happy Travels!
Related
Lisa is an elementary school teacher and former travel agent, living in Utah. She loves traveling with her husband and two daughters as often as possible. They love traveling everywhere, but Disneyland is their favorite family destination.
FAQs
Average Vacation Costs in 2024: Transportation, Entertainment, and Budgeting Tips. Quick Answer: In the U.S., a one-week vacation for a solo traveler costs about $1,984, while a family of four can cost around $7,936. Inflation is on the rise, affecting how Americans choose to spend their money.
How much should a family of 4 save for vacation? ›
Average Vacation Costs in 2024: Transportation, Entertainment, and Budgeting Tips. Quick Answer: In the U.S., a one-week vacation for a solo traveler costs about $1,984, while a family of four can cost around $7,936. Inflation is on the rise, affecting how Americans choose to spend their money.
How to get a discount on travel? ›
Tips to get the best last-minute travel deals
- Search lots of booking sites.
- Check different hotel dates before booking a flight (and vice versa)
- Check bundle deals.
- Don't forget about vacation rentals.
- Know your airline's 24-hour cancellation policy.
- Don't assume award redemption rates mirror cash rates.
Here are some of the best ways that you can split costs and save money while group traveling.
- Plan beforehand. ...
- Be transparent & manage expectations. ...
- Embrace “to each to their own” ...
- Establish a rule to split costs. ...
- Use expense tracking or budgeting apps. ...
- Find and negotiate group discounts. ...
- Get creative with transportation.
The average cost of a domestic vacation in 2023 was estimated at $283 per person per day, a total of $1,584 per person for a weeklong trip, by BudgetYourTrip.com, a travel expense website. That includes an average of $206 per night in a hotel room, $37 per day for transportation, and $46 a day for food.
What is the average expenses for a family of 4? ›
Average Expenses of U.S. Households in 2022 and 2021
| 2022 | 2021 |
|---|
| One person | $3,693 | $3,405 |
| Family of two | $6,372 | $5,782 |
| Family of three | $7,189 | $6,597 |
| Family of four | $8,460 | $7,749 |
3 more rowsNov 14, 2023
The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings.
How to get 50% off on flights? ›
Book any domestic one-way flight or hotel of your choice from 12 noon onwards, till limited bookings last. To avail Flat 50% discount simply enter coupon code CT50AIR for flight or CT50HOTEL for hotel bookings. Offer is applicable for limited domestic one way flight & hotel bookings.
How far in advance should I book a vacation for the best price? ›
When it comes to accommodations most of the best deals and lowest rates are going to be found ahead of time. This is to encourage guests to book in advance so that the hotels and resorts can get guaranteed occupancy in the future. Generally, the best deals can be found six months before the desired travel date.
Is it cheaper to book vacations last minute? ›
Being flexible with your dates and destination is often the key to finding great last-minute vacation deals. But even though prices may become lower in the weeks preceding your departure, it is usually cheaper to book your travel in advance, particularly if you are traveling outside of the US.
Look for apps and travel providers that have an option to let multiple people pay from the start. Uber and Airbnb both allow costs to be split from the get-go, so everyone pays as they go instead of settling up at the end.
How to split groceries on vacation? ›
Math for Grownups has a sensible solution: Use the concept of shares, where each adult has one share of food expenses and kids have a half-share. Buy communal groceries at the start of the trip and divide the cost accordingly. Alcohol costs should be split only by those adults who drink.
Do you save by using a travel agent? ›
When it comes to cost, it depends on what works best for you. Travel agents may help you save money by using their know-how to find the best price on your airline tickets or hotel room—or even secure upgrades.
Is $100 a day enough for vacation? ›
The general consensus is that you should have $50 to $100 in cash per day for each traveler. However, this amount could vary considerably depending on where you are vacationing.
Is 5000 enough for a trip? ›
On a $5,000 budget, you'll be able to spend a week at a nice all-inclusive resort while still having extra cash for airfare and day trips.
Is $100 a day enough for Europe? ›
It all depends on where you're going and what you plan to do during your trip. As you can see from our travel costs table above, some European cities are cheaper or more expensive than others. As a general rule, though, it's a good idea to budget at least $100 a day for your vacation.
How much should a family of 4 save per month? ›
At least 20% of your income should go towards savings. Meanwhile, another 50% (maximum) should go toward necessities, while 30% goes toward discretionary items. This is called the 50/30/20 rule of thumb, and it provides a quick and easy way for you to budget your money.
How much should a family of 4 be saving a month? ›
How much should you save each month? For many people, the 50/30/20 rule is a great way to split up monthly income. This budgeting rule states that you should allocate 50 percent of your monthly income for essentials (such as housing, groceries and gas), 30 percent for wants and 20 percent for savings.
How much should someone save for a vacation? ›
How much does the average vacation cost? The average vacation costs about $1,200 per person. If you're traveling as a family of 4, aim to save at least $4,800. This number includes transportation, accommodations, food, and entertainment.
