8 Ideas For Budget-Friendly Family Summer Vacation

Summer is the time when all the families around the world plan their best family vacation of the year. And I bet as a family man; you do not belong to the exceptions. But isn’t it more than often that a good summer vacation drains all your money out of your bank account completely? Well, it has to be. Summer is the time when all the kids have their vacation going on, and 70% of all people set out their dream trip. Due to this high demand, all the tourist places go rogue and charge everyone almost thrice the actual price of any hotel or any tour plan. In a nutshell, summer vacation is the time when all the hotels and tourism just loot you like a robber.

And I agree there’s no easy way to get out of this. If you are willing to travel during summer vacation, you have to give something up. However, there might be some advice and tips we can give you that can save you from all these so-called-expensive trips for once and for all. Here, let us spill that out for you, shall we?

8 IDEAS OF A BUDGET-FRIENDLY SUMMER VACATION

Before we can enlist the ideas of perfect summer vacation, the ideas can be categorized into two columns– one, some common ideas that can be applied by everyone and two, some secret tips to make your trip a worthwhile. Let us have a look.

1. COMMON IDEAS

1. Camping

Summer camping trip is the most common and the best summer vacation one can ever have. It can be a bit old-fashioned, but no other better option has been still invented against camping. Underneath the warm sunlight, you go fishing with your son or daughter, prepare together some easy and fresh travel-friendly food, and roast them up while relaxing in your comfortable camping tents. Also, it is the best to choose a serene place where not many people go for camping and set up your tent. If you want to have a little more fun than just a tent, bring your own camping chairs and hammocks.

And the best part of the camping trip is the starlit night. Summer nights always give you a clear sky. And if you bring the telescope with you, it can turn out to be a night your family would never forget. Also, hiking, trekking, and dancing around the bonfire is always there to light up your camping like any other summer vacation.

2. Road Trip

Another old-school summer vacation plan on this list! But everyone can agree that road trips are always the best. Rent a bus, set up your beds inside for the next few days and embark on your journey to the unknown destination. And the best part of a road trip is that it is the not the destination you are excited about but the journey itself. No other summer vacation can bring out this feeling.

Not everyone feels safe about a road trip, but if you can choose the roads and the map them out properly, there is nothing to be worried about. Also, in case of a road trip, you can decide how long or how short your family summer vacation will be. So, just get into your car or if possible, rent an RV and hit the road with your family. I am quite sure; this is the kind of summer vacation your kids will remember for their whole life.

3. Amusement parks or state parks

Spending your summer vacation with your family in an amusement park or state park is an amazing idea as long as your kids are enjoying. Kids always love amusement parks. So, undoubtedly it will be their best summer vacation ever.

However, if you want to make your summer vacation a little longer than just an amusement park thingy, it is best to visit the State Park. As for example, Kentucky of US has a great State park named Mammoth cave which is an ideal place go for a summer vacation. It is serene, and it provides you with the best summer activities as well. From hiking to kayaking, you can have it all. Also, the best part of this State Park is that you can have a relaxing hotel room and an adjacent pool too. And the best part is, it is comfortable, beautiful and goes easy on your pocket as well.

4. Attraction nearby

Summer is a great time to visit the nearby attractions of your city, isn’t it? You can take your kids to the nearby city zoo or the aquarium. However, that might sound a little short vacation, but it will not be if you can plan it right.

The zoo or the aquarium can be a two hours drive away from your home. So, the best way to make out the most from this is to rent a hotel near the zoo and stay there for the night. The next day, you can visit the aquarium or other historical sites that your city has, and your summer vacation is done. This kind of summer vacation is super budget-friendly and less hectic as well.

Also, you can go for hiking, trekking, cycling to hills nearby your city.

So, these are the four common ideas that you may include in your summer vacation this time. All these are short trips you can have in your city and away from your city life. All these places would be crowded, but there’s nothing like enjoying affordable summer vacation with your family, isn’t it?

2. SPECIAL TIPS

Now, coming to the second option– places that you can visit during summers to enjoy an affordable summer vacation with your family. Although it is quite hard to find, it is not impossible at all. And when you do find the place, that is the cue to apply all the necessary tips to make it, even more, budget-friendly and travel-friendly as well.

1. Book through owners

Undoubtedly hotels become surprisingly expensive during the months of summers. However, you can avoid this problem easily by booking through owners. In short, go to Airbnb! Airbnb provides you with a list of properties where you will be contacting the owners directly, and you will get an all the amenities just like home and that too at a very affordable price. In this way, you will be spending half the money of any hotels in a city.

Also, in this way, you can specify all of your special requests and amenities first, and you will get the perfect lodging facility according to your choice. Also, if you are careful about your choice, you can end up having some extra perks as well such as gym, pool, working kitchen etc. And needless to say, these are safer to stay in as well.

Apart from Airbnb, there are other sites as well such as VRBO, HomeAway, FlipKey etc. that will provide you with the same lodging facilities. Now, for better finance maintained summer vacation, all you have to do is to compare the prices of the lodging from different sites and pick the one that is best suited to you.

2. Book through Club stores

This might sound like an unusual way of booking, but if you want to save some money, you surely want to avail this facility. You can book through different club stores such as Costco and get amazing deals which will make your summer vacation a perfect one. For example, you can get a Disneyland vacation package for November-December inclusive of park passes and lodging facilities at a nearby hotel at a much lower price than any other booking method. Not only that but if you also book through a club store, you might get some extra passes and goodies as well.

And if you are a Costco member, you will surely get many more other facilities as a benefit too. But there is nothing to be worried about if you do not have a membership at Costco. You can still avail the same service if you just visit the Costco Travel Website. You will find numerous deals up on this site. Surely, it is a great way to make your summer vacation a more budget-friendly than it is already, right?

3. Package deals

It may surprise you, but a full package deal is much better than ten single deals. Not everyone knows about it, but package deals can provide you with a vacation at such a lower rate which can seem quite unexpected. It is quite sad how you only check different online options for only part-deals. But now it’s the time to contact with a travel agency Philippines for a full package deal. And if you are lucky enough, you can get a huge discount on your whole package.

Also, you can look for those deals that come in a combination. You can book a vacation package directly through your airline. Sometimes, airlines provide you with great hotel accommodation deals which you may know nothing about. It can be $200 or $300 cheaper than your regular deal. However, do not take the first deal that you see online; search them up a little bit and compare it with other deals online as well. It will help you to get a comprehensive picture altogether, and you will be able to book a cheaper package that you have ever expected.

4. Visit beaches or hills that are less traveled or crowded

And the ultimate tips that you can get on the topic of budget-friendly family vacation is that you should absolutely choose the beaches or hills that are less traveled. Instead of following a flock of tourists to Miami, you can go to San Manteo County of California. It is not that hard; all you have to do is to find the place. And the better way of getting this information is from another fellow traveler.

For example, if you head to San Diego this summer, you might end up spending almost $200 a night. But if you visit Oregon coast, your per night cost will be reduced to $100 or less a night.

In a nutshell, it is better to avoid the places that are most traveled by people around the world in summer to make your summer vacation more pocket-friendly. Also, if you can follow this rule, you will actually find the peace of mind to spend your whole summer in a calm environment.

SOME ADDITIONAL TIPS

If all these budget-friendly tips and ideas are not enough for you, we might have the just ingredients to fulfill all your inquiries at once and for all. Here, we have come up with some additional tips that will help you get rid of some extra spending. Have a look.

• Set a budget– This is the most important point of all. If you do not set a budget before you are starting your journey, you can never have a pocket-friendly and affordable summer vacation. It is not a solo trip where you can cut any spending without thinking otherwise. For example, you should click here to see some of the best shoes out there for traveling. Whenever you are going on a trip with your family, there always will be options for extra costing. So, set a budget first.
• Book free attraction – Mostly people do not go for free attractions but famous attractions. But if you are getting something free of cost, why not take it?
• Free upgrade– Lots of hotels provide you with a free upgrade where you can get a cheaper deal. But you have to ask around for that to have.
• Be flexible – summer or winter, it does not matter! There is always a sale going on. All you have to do is to sniff it off and grab it at the earliest possible chance that you get.

So, these were some of the eight ideas and some additional tips on how to make a budget-friendly summer vacation tour with your family. Choose the options wisely and enjoy your tour. Get the deals now to make your summer even a happier one!