Family Vacation Savings Guide

I save hundreds, even thousands of dollars a year on our yearly family vacation.  I thought I'd share some of my tips with you so that your family can benefit as well. Enjoy!

Driving v. Flying

Accommodations

Eating on vacation

Entertainment Ideas & Discounts

yahoo driving directions and punch your address and then your travel destination.   How far away is your vacation destination?  

Step 3 - Find out how much it costs to get there.  Find how many miles it takes to get there and multiply that by 2, then divide that by how many miles per gallon your car gets. That's how many gallons of gas you'll need to get there and back.  Then estimate what the gas prices are per gallon and multiply that by the number of gallons you'll need to get there.

For example: My family and I are going to Orlando, Florida. It's about 981 miles away and my minivan gets about 23 miles per gallon on the highway:

981 miles X 2 (there & back) = 1,962 miles

minivan miles per gallon = 23

1,962 miles/23 mpg = 85.3 gallons of gas to get there

85.3 gallons X $3.00 per gallon = $255.9 which is about $256.00 to get there.

Step 4 - Find the Difference

Now subtract the cost of the airline tickets and the rental car (if you need one) from the cost to drive.  This is how much you can save. 

Step 5 - Decide if it's really worth it.  Your decision can be based on the the time and distance it takes to get to your vacation destination, how well your kids can sit still for hours on end, how much money you have for your vacation, and anything else you need to consider that is special for your family.

I looked up some airfares for a family of 5 to go from Dayton, OH to Orlando, FL.  They averaged around $290.00 per person, so it would cost my family $1,450 to fly and then about $300.00 to rent a minivan when we get down there. The total for transportation would be $1,750.00.

I could drive there for $256.00 in my own car or rent a minivan in my hometown and drive there for another $550 more. To drive to Orlando in my own car: $256.00
          To drive in a rental to Orlando $806.00.

The difference would be $1,494 with my own car and $944 if I rented a car in my hometown.

I don't mind driving our minivan, so it would cost us approximately $256 to get to Orlando.  Plus, my computation was for only a 4 person family.  I have 3 kids so I would have to pay another $290 to get to Orlando by air.

Now I need to decide if fifteen hours in a minivan is worth saving $1,494.  If we drive down there and save $1,494 we could stay at a much nicer place or eat out more than we expected, or we can just pocket the money and save it for a nice short vacation when the kids are off of school for a few days. 

I chose to drive with my family.  Minivans are great because you can separate the kids between rows and give then tons of activities to do. To see some kids activities to do in the car click here.  Now it's your turn to decide!

Note: Airline ticket prices and car rental information was taken from Travelocity.com for travel in March, 2005. All prices were estimates or averages from the travelocity site.

Driving v. Flying

Accommodations

My family saves a lot of money on accommodations because we own a timeshare.  Yes, we spent a few grand to pay for the timeshare when we bought it and about $500 a year on maintenance fees and property taxes, but we can deduct the property taxes on our federal income tax return.  We then spend about $100 to exchange our weeks with other timeshare owners if we don't want to use the 2 weeks we have at our location and at the time we have allotted each year.  Our total accommodation expense for 2 weeks vacation is $700 (maintains fees, taxes and exchange fees).  Can you imagine staying at high quality resorts for 14 days for only $700!  These are 2 bedroom, 2 bath, full kitchen resorts. I'm talking the kids have their own room, we have our own room, usually with a jacuzzi in our bathroom, with a kitchen and washer and dryer in our unit! 

Don't feel like buying into a timeshare? Check your local paper and on line for timeshare rentals.  I see them all of the time in the classified ads.  People who own timeshares and won't be able to use their week or weeks sell them in these ads.  If you are a military family, check out the space available website for military families. 

Eating on Vacation

Do you really enjoy eating out for every meal you have on vacation?  I get sick of it pretty fast.  We usually have kitchens in our timeshares and since we have a big family and usually drive to our destination I bring a lot of the food we will eat on vacation (and save money with coupons of course!)  I bring those individuals size boxes of cereal (kids think their a treat!), breakfast bars, and Pop Tarts for breakfasts.  I would suggest going to a local grocery store for fresh fruit.  For snacks I bring fruit snacks, granola bars, chips, and soft drinks and juice boxes. For dinners and lunches, which we hardly eat at the resort, I bring Spaghetti Ohs, Soups, and other convenience foods.  Then, when we are close to our destination we stop by a store where they usually make you pay twice as much for milk, juice and fruit.

We usually eat breakfast in our room.  Who likes to wait to eat breakfast until their cleaned up and dressed? Not me!  Lunch is usually eaten at the attraction we are at for the day, like MGM studios or Sea World.  Some dinners are eaten at those attractions as well or after we get back to our room.  We'll just pop open something and eat or phone out for pizza.  Don't discount pizza delivery at your hotel.  A large pizza may be $15.00 whereas going out to eat could range from $25 up to $50 dollars for a family of 4.

There are some restaurants that have great themes you'll have to try.  Like the Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Cafe, and you must go to the Medieval Times for dinner and entertainment if you haven't been there before.

With some careful packing and planning on your part weeks before your vacation, you can save hundreds of dollars on snacks, breakfasts, and maybe some dinners as well!

Family Vacation and Realistic Expectations
by Susan Dunn
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More Details at: http://www.susandunn.cc

It’s that time of year again: Time for the family vacation. It’s a good time to rethink some things like perfectionism, expectations, and the meaning of the word “vacation.”

First of all, we call it a “vacation,” but if you’re the parent, it isn’t going to be one for you. In fact you’re likely to work harder than you would at home, so why not call it “The Children’s Vacation.” Children don’t need a vacation for rest and relaxation; in fact they’re likely to rev up for vacations. If you’re looking for rest and relaxation, plan your own vacation for another time. Here are some things to keep in mind as you plan and take the family vacation that can keep you from unrealistic expectations which will erode your experience:

1. Because kids accelerate with new experiences and fun times, plan to GO rested; don’t plan on COMING HOME rested. 2. Consider options for help with the kids. Many resorts and cruise lines offer supervised programs for children where they can meet new friends. Or take along a mother’s helper, older niece or nephew, or grandmother. It’s more fun for all.

3. Plan ahead for the unpredictable. Use your Emotional Intelligence to relax, being flexible and creative, rather than tightening up and getting rigid. Testing the limits in each new circumstance is normal. You can handle it as long as you aren’t surprised by it.

4. Prepare for the predictable – high spirits, boredom, and fights with siblings. Deal with them the same way you do at home. Don’t blame each other for the misbehavior of the kids. Just cope with it.

5. If you intend to have a great time together, don’t let anything get in your way. There’s no reason why a visit to the ER should “ruin your vacation,” any more than a few tantrums, some embarrassing table behavior, a flat tire, or missed plane connections should. Your experience of your vacation is in your own hands.

6. Allow times and places for children to work off their energy. Plan breaks during long car trips. Take them for a run on the beach before you go to the art museum, or turn them loose in the courtyard after the hotel dinner with Great Aunt Betty.

7. Keep to a strict schedule regarding naps, bedtimes and meals to improve their behavior. No matter how much fun they’re having, children don’t do well when too tired or too hungry.

8. Discuss expectations beforehand. Explain what you can, and what sort of behavior you expect in different circumstances. You can’t cover everything, but you can cover a lot.

9. Be alert to their safety. Provide safety equipment – harness, car seat, life jacket. Bring along a first-aid kit. Because a vacation provides new situations, accidents are more likely to occur.

Last but not least, process after each vacation. Talk about what worked and what didn’t. And don’t forget the most important thing: Find out what everyone enjoyed the most. Be sure and go over the good times with the family, and make plans for more in the future, taking into consideration what you’ve learned.

Keywords: family, vacation, travel, children, relationships, parenting, coaching

About the Author
Susan Dunn, San Antonio, TX, USA
sdunn@susandunn.cc
http://www.susandunn.cc
Susan Dunn, MA, Psychology, Emotional Intelligence Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Coaching, Internet courses and ebooks around emotional intelligence for career, relationships, transitions, resilience, personal and professional development. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezine.