Tips for Budgeting a Vacation for the Entire Family
Posted on | January 25, 2010 | 9 Comments
Vacations can be expensive, and if you are on a limited budget, it may seem impossible to take your family on an enjoyable vacation. There are a number of ways that you can make a great family vacation affordable. These can allow you to treat your family to the vacation that they deserve without having to break the bank to do so. Here are a few ways that you can take a family vacation while staying within your family budget.
One of the most basic tips for planning a vacation is to introduce a vacation fund into your family budget. Even if you only give $10 per week to the fund, you still have $520 at the end of the year. This allows you to slowly accumulate money that would otherwise be unavailable for a vacation. You may choose to supplement the vacation fund with money from income tax returns or other money that would not normally be a part of your weekly income. This provides more opportunities for adding to your vacation fund.
Research your destination and discover the best time for traveling. There may be discounts available if you are flexible about when you would be leaving. This allows you to travel to your destination without paying full price. This can often save you quite a bit of money when you consider how much full admission prices can be for your entire family. Along the same lines, check to see if there are any airlines or hotels running specials that you can take advantage of to save money on your travel and lodging expenses as well.
Another option to help keep your family vacation within the confines of your budget is to choose a vacation destination that is not going to be exceedingly costly. Visiting state parks, beaches, and other public areas can allow you and the family to have fun and enjoy the time spent together without the added costs of amusement parks or other attractions. Be sure to consult both your spouse and your children when trying to come up with vacation ideas so that you know everyone can be excited about the trip.
While on vacation, consider packing sandwiches or supplies for making your own meals instead of stopping for every meal at a restaurant. Preparing your own meals can help you save a lot of money because restaurants become expensive after a while. This also provides your family with extra money for other amusements. If you still insist on eating your meals at the local restaurants, you can use the food you brought with you for light lunches or travel food. This can still help you save quite a bit of money in comparison to the cost of eating out for every meal. An added advantage is that certain foods such as fruits and bread do not go bad while you are away from home; by packing them for your vacation, you can avoid wasting food while you are away.
Depending on the vacation that you want to take, you might find that you do not have enough money to be able to afford everything that you need. Should you have enough room in your family budget to be able to add another monthly payment, you might consider taking out a small personal loan to help pay for your vacation expenses. Before you do this, however, you should make sure that you can afford the loan payment and that you are not going to be overextending your finances by trying to pay it off on time.
Shop around for quotes from different lenders so that you can get the best deal on the money that you borrow and compare the repayment terms carefully to find the loan that best meets your needs. Save this as a last resort in case the vacation you are planning is very important to the family, since borrowing money is a serious responsibility and can lead to major credit problems if you are not able to repay what you borrow. If you can afford to add the loan payment to your monthly budget and are able to repay the loan in a respectable amount of time, it can be perfectly acceptable to borrow a little bit of extra money to help make your family vacation dreams come true.
A vacation is a great time for a family to spend time together. Vacations are possible no matter what your budget is. When you are planning your vacation, try to put a few dollars aside each week. This helps you accumulate money over time that can be used towards you family’s vacation. When you leave for your vacation consider packing sandwiches and other snacks. This can save you money since you do not have to eat at a restaurant for every meal. These tips can help your family plan a much-deserved vacation even on a tight budget.
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Tags: cruise > Cruises > holiday > leisure > Recreation > travel > Travel deals > Travel Tips > vacation
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9 Responses to “Tips for Budgeting a Vacation for the Entire Family”
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January 25th, 2010 @ 10:27 am
My brother & I took a vacation, or more like a trip. Here is our story:
The wildwood flower grew wild on the farm
And we never knowed what it was called
Some said it was a flower and some said it was weed
I didn't gave it much thought…
One day I was out there talking to my brother
Reached down for a weed to chew on
Things got fuzzy and things got blurry
And then everything was gone
I Didn't know what happened
But I knew it beat the hell out of sniffin' burlap
I come to and my brother was there
And he said, 'What's wrong with your eyes?'
I said, 'I don't know, I was chewing on a weed'
He said, 'Let me give it a try'
We spent the rest of that day and most of that night
Trying to find my brother, Bill
Caught up with him 'bout six o'clock the next mornin'
Naked, swinging on the windmill
He said he flew up there
I had to fly up and get him down
He was about half crazy
The very next day we picked a bunch of them weeds
And put 'em in the sun to dry
Then we mashed 'em up and we cleaned 'em all
And put 'em in the corncob pipe
Smokin' them wildwood flowers got to be a habit
We didn't see no harm
We thought it was kind of handy
Have you ever take a trip and never leave the farm
A big ol' puff on the wildwood weed
Next thing you know
We's just wandering behind the little animals
All good things gotta come to an end
And it's the same with the wildwood weed
One day this feller from Washington come by
And he spied us and he turned white as a sheet
And he dug and he burned
And he burned and he dug
And he killed all our cute little weeds
Then he drove away
We just smiled and waved
Sittin' there on that sack of seeds
Y'all come back now, ya hear
January 25th, 2010 @ 11:27 am
The only all inclusive trips I have taken have been cruises which I liked because I just unpacked once, settled in, then could choose if/when I wanted to go on shore excursions, or explore all the wonderful activities offered aboard the ship.
As the other answerer said – drinks, massages, beauty salon, etc. on board were NOT included, but there was a lot that was. It all depends on what you like to do & what your tastes are.
Best thing would be for you & your wife to do what he did – type in all inclusive vacations in your browser search line & review what comes up, then keep adding a keyword until you narrow it down to just those that fit the activities, locations, etc. that both of you like.
Good luck!!
January 26th, 2010 @ 1:41 am
This website might help , check it out –
http://www.usairwaysforum.com/
January 27th, 2010 @ 8:59 am
You need to get a Japan Rail Pass which gives you unlimited travel for the time you opt to purchase for………1 week, or 2 or 3 weeks .If you are just going to be on Honshu Island you can actually get a pass that is a bit cheaper just for that island.You could also look at the JAL flight passes but you miss the scenery if you fly.You must buy this Pass in YOUR country…………..you cannot buy them in Japan and you will save yourself a huge amount of money.
Look around Tokyo ………and do take a day trip to Kamakura…….go to the Tsukiji Fish Market on the way.
If you plan to go to Kyoto which is gorgeous you can mostly walk if you choose accommodation in a good location. There are maps with walking routes you get at the station.You won't get top see it all just do one section – we opted for the area near Murayama Park.There are so many shrines, temples gardens etc near here.
Catch the bus to Fuji go ko – Fuji Five Lakes…it is only an hour and a half and just beautiful …….at the base of Mt Fuji. Then take the bus to Gotemba which is a beautiful trip round the base of Mt Fuji through old traditional villages with thatched cottages etc.Change to a bus for Mishima – just catch the bus behind they call it Station 2 to Station 3.but was quite literally just the bus behind the one we got off. This bus takes you right to the Shinkansen which you can catch through to Kyoto.
If you go to Osaka, you should try and go further on to Himeji and see the castle …………probably the best in Japan and the Shrine and then on to Osaka. You could go on a little further to Okayama which has one of japan's best gardens but from Okayama you can take an ordinary train to Kurashiki – only 30 minutes ……..which is a really beautiful Edo period town.
You can look at these places at http://www.fascinating-travel-destinations.com/japanese-holidays.html
January 28th, 2010 @ 1:13 am
January 28th, 2010 @ 5:26 am
It must be a slow day in the J.J. household today. But to answer another of your fabulously funny questions, I will give it my best shot. Go out in the garage, climb up into the attic and get out all the seldom used camping equipment. Then, after you have removed all the camping stuff, take into the living room and set up the tent with your sleeping bags, etc. You may have to go outside to find enough rocks to build your fire pit, but place it near the tent so you will not get cold during the night. Go to your local convenience store and pick up enough wood to last through the night. Then return home, turn your air conditioner down to 60 degrees. When your husband comes home, you can have a nice roaring fire going, with a cup of hot chocolate and only wearing a smile. It will be the best at home vacation ever. Good luck with that.
January 28th, 2010 @ 7:37 am
at grand teton national park go hiking up to lake solitude, its 15 miles round trip but 100% worth it. In yellowstone I would recommend spending time just driving around looking at the wildlife, maybe hike to the top of Mount Washburn (only like 6 miles) oh and go to Bubba's Barbeque in jackson hole!!!!!
January 28th, 2010 @ 9:00 am
book supplier direct to avoid cancel or non refundable fares.
dig up association member cards, like AAA or AARP, you can get 10-15% off the weekly rate, (weekly rates are 5x the daily)
check with the company you work for, they may have a coporate agreement in place that may be available- many of these agreements waive airport fees and taxes, add'l driver and underage driver fees- real expensive fees here.
Also return the car to same location to avoid drop off charges and lastly, reserve a Compact car, most people are looking for smaller cars now with the most fuel efficiency. So reserve a smaller car and most likly they will upgrade you for free at counter.. if you wanbt a larger car, reserve in advance as paying for an upgrade at counter is usually much higher. oh, yeah, bring a copy of insurance card with you as well..
January 28th, 2010 @ 8:55 pm
you seem underweight. If you are going on vacation, the best advice i can give you is to HAVE FUN and eat the best and tastiest foods while you are at it. With an active lifestyle, your not going to add or lose too much weight.