Watch For These Family Travel Budget Busters by Veronica Rapp

Most of us have to carefully plan and budget for our family vacations. In carefully planning for our trips we can make sure to avoid the budget busters and the temptation to pull out our credit cards.
Now the first aspect to any trip is the transportation. Inflexibility can bust your budget in this area. With air travel, being available to travel at a less desirable time or maybe a day or two before or after you were originally planning can save you hundreds of dollars. Then of course we should keep in mind the options of traveling by car, bus, or train when feasible with our destination. Picking accommodations that are centrally located can offer a big savings on local transportation. If you take your own car, check with the hotel and try to stay at one that doesn't charge a daily parking rate. If you fly in check on hotel shuttles and local transportation options. If you need a rental car, only renting for the time period you actually need the car can offer a big savings.


The next big budget buster for travelers is meals. You can save a bundle by not eating out on your vacation. Of course if you are like me, you may love to try out new restaurants and taste the local foods. By all means plan this into your trip, but for the daily necessity of eating, think outside the box. If you are lucky, you can find a hotel that offers breakfast each morning. Otherwise, you can make your own breakfast in your room. Have lunch packed in your backpack and find a place for a little picnic during the day. Have a late dinner back in your room. Many vacation accommodations have microwaves and refrigerators in your room and some even offer kitchenettes or full kitchens. Before you travel use mapquest and find a grocery store near your room and make your own meals. In my early 20's, I can even remember making canned soup in a coffee pot! The determined to travel can really get creative when it comes to being frugal.
Accommodations are next on the list of family vacation budget busters. One way to cut the cost is to travel with another family and split the cost of the accommodations. Also, keep in mind that budget hotels can offer a clean space to sleep and meet your needs for a roof over your head. I recommend you go online and check out reviews for the property. Another idea is to consider camping. You can tent camp, or you can even rent campers at your destination. Try it at least once. You may find your family really loves this option. Another great find I recently came across are the vacation rentals advertised on craigslist. You can find great apartments in cities or condos right on the beach for a fraction of the cost of a hotel room.
Finally when it comes to tours and activities, ask lots of questions and you will find the cheapest option. I fully believe that when you don't educated yourself prior to a trip, you are throwing money right out of your pocket. I'll give you a personal example to prove my point. My husband and I went on a cruise and while on the ship we booked a half day tour for the island we were stopping at the next day. We paid $75 each for this tour and about 10 other people from the ship were on the tour with us. After the tour we were walking back to the ship and we found that we could have taken an island tour by horse drawn carriage for $10 dollars each. A huge savings! We learned our lesson. With the internet you can always find local advice ahead of time. Also make sure to check out the free things to do in the location you are visiting.

About the Author
I'm committed to helping all families build strong bonds through travel. Use these tips here to save on your next trip and visit Kid Friendly Travel for more tips and some great destination ideas. You won't want to miss my additional tips on Finding Family Vacation Deals.