4 Ways To Make Family Holidays A Lot Cheaper

You love travelling, your kids love travelling, but your bank account hates travelling. It’s the biggest conundrum for most parents: you want to go on holiday, but can you afford it? A lot of families are unable to go on holiday every year because it’s too expensive. Obviously, this is sad for both you and your kids as you feel like you’re missing out on so many memories. 

With that in mind, is it possible to make family holidays less expensive? Yes, of course! In today’s post, you will see some very straightforward steps that will slash the cost of your next family holiday:

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Compare everything

Price comparison websites are trendy nowadays. You can basically compare the prices of just about anything and everything. This comes in handy when you book a holiday. Always check price comparison websites to compare flights and accommodation. It will genuinely shock you to see how much cheaper a holiday will be if you shop around. I know it’s tempting to always use the same airline or to fly from the same airport. However, it can be cheaper if you chose a different airline and travelled slightly further to get to a different airport. Comparing prices alerts you to the various options, so be sure to do it. 

Lower the luggage costs

Travelling with your family is significantly more expensive than travelling alone, largely because there are more of you. This has an impact on most things, especially luggage costs. You can usually get away with not bringing any hold items, but a family may require some extra supplies. Instantly, the cost of your flights goes up. You can solve this by trying two tactics. The first is to use a service like My Baggage that sends your luggage ahead of you. You pick it up when you arrive, but it costs less as these services use couriers instead of passenger airlines. The second idea is to try and pack as much as you can into your hand luggage. Each person is entitled to one item, so spread it across all of you. This works well on short trips, but it won’t be helpful if you need to pack items that can’t be taken in your hand luggage. In which case, option number one is your only choice. 

Pick the destination based on price

When most people go on holiday, they think about where they want to go, then book everything. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it isn’t the cheapest way to go about things. Instead, you should look at the least expensive holiday destinations. This will primarily be based on flights and accommodation. Yes, the price of things in the location will also come into account. However, it’s rare that a holiday destination has cheap flights, cheap accommodation options, and is expensive to walk around. I’m a fan of this idea for two reasons. Firstly, it lets you go on family holidays without breaking the bank. If you choose the destination first, you’re trapped by how expensive it is. If you choose based on price, you can literally pick a place that fits your budget. In turn, this could allow you to go on holiday more often! Secondly, I think it helps you see places you may have never visited before. Most families all go to the same holiday destinations, so you never see anything different. Picking based on price can help you find hidden gems that would’ve flown under your radar. 

Don’t book a hotel

The eagle-eyed among you will notice I’ve refrained from talking about hotels up to now. This is because I think they’re the biggest rip-off out there! Staying in a hotel room with your family can cost an absolute fortune – and it usually means you have to restrict your holiday. Instead of going away for a week, you’re away for a few days. The answer to this is quite simple: avoid hotels. Opt for cheaper options that still provide lots of comfort for your family. AirBnB’s are almost tailormade for families as you stay in a home environment at a much lower price. Yes, you lack hotel amenities, but how many of them did you use anyway? Campsites are another fantastic option. You get to stay in a little caravan or mobile home, which is super fun. Plus, campsites usually have so many different activities for the whole family to enjoy. Both options are always cheaper than hotels, so choose them instead. 

Just like that, your family holiday is far less expensive. Take this advice when planning your next trip away and you will be surprised at how affordable your holiday will be. Now, you can go away every summer instead of once every two years!