Save Money While Traveling with Kids
This fall, we’re taking the trip-of-a-lifetime to Hawaii. I was talking to a friend and she mentioned that she just doesn’t know how we manage to go on so many vacations, while continuing to homeschool our kids.
Little did she know, we went on only a handful of small trips while our kids were younger. After COVID, I decided I wanted to see the world with them before they were grown so I put a plan into action and figured out ways to make that happen, while living on a low income.
Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite tips with you!
Money-Saving Tips for Traveling with Kids
Allow for some down time:
When we plan for vacations, we tend to fill our schedule with things to do or see, without allowing any rest time. We tend to plan our days and leave our evenings open. This gives us time to explore the city we’re in, relax at the hotel pool or hit up a local park. Remember that kids need lots of rest time or they tend to get grumpy.
Find free and cheap things to do:
I’m obsessed with using sites like RoadTripper.com to plan our trips. I know that our family needs to stop about once every 3-4 hours so I look for free or super-cheap roadside attractions that are about that far away. Then, when we stop to get gas and stretch, we can also enjoy a few minutes out of the car. My kids love this so much more than stopping at rest areas.
Cadillac Ranch in Texas is the perfect spot to stop and stretch your legs. Not only is it FREE but it’s also a super fun memory! We brought along all the spray paint out of our garage at home so we didn’t even buy anything!
Skip the souvenirs:
From T-shirts to stuffed animals, it seems like everywhere you turn, there’s a souvenir shop ready to rip you off! We’ve decided that instead of pointless trinkets that will be broken or lost before we even get home, we’ll only buy cheap or free souvenirs. That means we have collections of postcards and smashed pennies but not any snow globes or picture frames.
BYOWB:
Gas station drinks currently cost about $2.50 each! That’s $10+ each stop for our family. Instead of wasting money there, we each bring our own water bottles and fill them up often. This has saved us hundreds of dollars over the years.
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Preplan your splurge:
We tend to plan mostly free or cheap things but usually have one or two big activities that we splurge on. Knowing ahead of time what we want to spend extra money on allows us to plan accordingly. During our Route 66 road trip, we knew we wanted to go to (the ridiculously expensive) LA on our way back home. There are a lot of free things to do while driving through Arizona and Texas but not so much in California. We planned accordingly and were able to have some amazing experiences, without breaking the bank.
Travel off-season:
We once went to Pensacola on Halloween and had the best time! There were hardly any other folks on the beach, the hotels were insanely cheap (under $100 per night for an entire condo on the beach!) and we were able to enjoy the whole trip without crowds!
Look for coupons:
We love taking “old time photos” in touristy towns like Branson, MO but it’s so expensive! While the package costs over $600, we grab a Groupon for a free 8×10 for just $10. That way, we can afford to dress up and do the photo shoot every time we go to Branson, instead of just once in a lifetime.
Indulge in breakfast:
Food is easily the most expensive part of travelling for our family but I’ve got a secret! We always stay at hotels with awesome continental breakfasts and we use it to our advantage. After our big breakfast, we are able to wait until late afternoon or early evening before we eat again. That means we’re only paying for one meal a day, instead of two!
We also keep PB&J on hand for when the kids need a late-night snack or to replace one of our fast-food runs. (Bear would eat at Panda Express for every single meal, if we’d let him! He’s finally figuring out that we don’t eat much at many chain restaurants while we’re on vacation.)
Food isn’t a huge priority to us so we tend to eat for really cheap, except for one or two meals on each vacation. We like to get a taste of the area, so we hit up a locally owned restaurant and splurge for one or two dinners. It’s always a great experience.
Give the kids a budget:
The truth is, kids love to buy stuff. Give them each $25 or $50 to spend any way they wish on the trip! My kids like to spend their money on cotton candy on the board walks, T-shirts and photos from the fun activities we’ve done. I don’t care how they spend it but they know that this is all they’re getting for “extras” so they need to take that into consideration.
Use what you have:
Snacks are a HUGE part of saving money when you’re traveling. Before you run to the grocery store to stock up on snacks, go through your food stash at home. Pack up any fresh fruit, veggies, meats or cheeses that might go bad before you get home. Then assess what you already have and hit up the grocery store to get only the things you need. Avoiding gas station food and drinks can save you a TON of money!
Check out this blog post:
35 Smart Road Trip Snacks for Kids
Traveling with kids doesn’t have to be outrageously expensive. Armed with these real-life tips, you can save money while traveling with kids, too!
Don’t miss 5 Tips for Your Next Road Trip with Kids!
Want to earn some cold-hard cash to help fund your vacation this year? We’ve teamed up with some of our favorite bloggers to give away $100 to 6 different families!
a Rafflecopter giveawayThe 2025 April Showers Homeschool Giveaway is hosted by Hope In The Chaos and will run from Monday, April 7, 2025, through Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at 11:59 pm EST. Entrants must be 18 years old or older and be a member of a current homeschooling family. Participating bloggers and members of their households are not eligible to win. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating blogs represented here. The winners will be drawn randomly via Rafflecopter and notified by email no later than April 18, 2025. They will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Unclaimed prizes will be forfeited. Hope In The Chaos reserves the right to draw new winners if a winner is found ineligible or if the winner forfeits their prize. Prizes are non-transferable. Void where prohibited.