Traveling with kids is a fantastic way to create everlasting memories with your family. The average family may not think that they can afford a family trip due to high costs of living, but making memories while traveling with your kids doesn’t have to break the bank. You can travel on a budget with kids and today we are going to show you how!

Take into consideration what budget you have to spend on a family trip, set that budget in stone and keep to it. Once your budget has been established, you are now ready to start the preparation of planning the next steps to ensure you can travel on a budget with kids:

• Choose Your Destination – Before you travel, you need to decide where you are going and why. The more focused you are in the planning process, the easier the rest of the planning will be, especially on a budget. (Note: Choosing destinations where you have family and friends can help you save money in a variety of ways. For instance, they may be able to pick you up from the airport, or take you grocery shopping so you have food in your hotel. They might be able to attend events with you and get a group rate. Or maybe even offer you a place to stay).
• Travel in the Off Season – Regardless of the destination you have chosen, try to travel during off season. Off season rates are usually much more affordable for the family traveling on a budget and still allow for great memory making moments. Plus, the lines for everything are usually much shorter than during peak.
• Transportation – Airplane travel can get costly for a family, so consider whether alternative methods of transportation would be more cost-effective. We use Skyscanner with Expedia to get the best rates on flights, while building up points/miles on Expedia and for the airlines we fly. Think about public transportation and ways you can arrive to your destination with low costs involved.
• Plan Meals Ahead of Time – Try to find accommodations that have a fridge and microwave at the minimum so that you can make your meals there. Bring groceries with you so that you can feed the kids on a budget while traveling.
• Find Free Activities – Nearly every destination will have some sort of free event or activity going on to entertain their guests. Check if the local media or bloggers have a calendar of free events already prepared. You might also find a calendar on their visitor bureIf they’ve already done the research, there is no need to re-invent the wheel. make an itinerary of free activities you all can do together.
• Reserve in Advance – If you must pay for some events, try to reserve tickets in advance and search for promo codes online. More often than not, destinations will have deals for advance orders and online ticket purchases.

Learn to choose your destination, travel method and how you will feed the family carefully. Taking into consideration all of the needs your family has will be your first step in ensuring you can travel on a budget with kids. Destinations that are kid-friendly and offer onsite entertainment may be the best suited option for any family traveling with kids.

There are many ways a family can travel with kids on a budget, it’s all about taking the time to think ahead and plan for your trip appropriately. If you follow these tips listed here today, then your family can surely travel this summer without breaking the bank.