When I was a kid, family travel meant four kids crammed in the back seat of a sedan poking and elbowing one another while counting the miles between rest stops.
Things have changed dramatically since then. But even with onboard DVDs, spacious minivans, air travel, cruises and theme parks, family vacations can be either delightful or disastrous. It all depends on the care you devote to research and planning.
TIME AND MONEY
When it comes to family vacations, quality is more important than quantity. Instead of trying to stretch your available cash over the time you can be away, first consider the money you have to spend. Divide the money by a reasonable daily budget to determine how many days you can be gone.
INVOLVE THE KIDS
Talk about how much you have to spend, then show the kids what it costs to eat in a restaurant, spend the night in a hotel or buy tickets for an amusement park.
Reader Dawn R. from California allowed her teenage daughter to plan their vacation with the money they had to spend over and above the cost of overnight accommodations. “Our spendthrift daughter became Ms. Frugality because she wanted to parasail,” she recalls. “She had us fix meals in our room, and watched the expenses like a hawk. And we parasailed.” Dawn says it was the best vacation ever. “As a bonus we went home with cash in our pockets and the priceless accomplishment of teaching our child the value of money.”
ENVELOPE METHOD
There’s nothing like a good visual to keep a vacation based in reality. Large colorful envelopes are ideal — one for each day to hold that day’s allotted cash.
THEME PARK STRATEGY
Set on a visit to an amusement park? You can find deals and discounts on the internet, says Robert Niles, editor and founder of ThemeParkInsider.com.
Leah, blogger at TheBudgetMouse.com is wild for Disney World. “I’m a veteran Disney World visitor and have been on Disney vacations with my family over 30 times!” Check out Leah’s tips and sign up for her very…
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