How Not To Spend A Fortune When Going Abroad With The Kids
This is a collaborative post. Thank you for supporting the posts which make this blog possible.
Holidays are expensive when you have a family. Even when it comes to taking a weekend away in the UK! Let alone when what you want to do is to head off to some exotic overseas location. In fact, many families with children are put off travelling abroad solely because of the high cost. However, the good news is that there are some strategies you can use to go overseas with the littles, and not wipe out your life savings at the same time. Read on to learn more.
Photo by Ingo Joseph from Pexels
Carefully consider your board options
One of the things that add up really quickly while on holiday as a family is food. In fact, if you are staying somewhere on a room only basis, three meals a day, plus snacks and drinks, multiplied by every member of your household can cost you a fortune. To that end, it can really pay off to carefully consider the board option that you choose.
In fact, the two best board options for saving money are the ones at the furthest ends of the scale. Namely self-catering and all-inclusive. Now, this may seem a bit strange at first, but there is a good reason for this. For example, you can save a decent amount of money by choosing a self-catering option. The reason being that you can cook and eat nearly all of your meals at your accommodation. Oh, and that total accommodation price will be lower as well.
Of course, all-inclusive will be vastly more expensive in terms of the initial price. However, they are often worth looking at in more detail. This is because it’s not only your three meals a day that is included in the price but snacks and refreshments for the whole family as well. Something that if you are in a hot country can end up saving you even more than if you choose to cater all of those things yourself.
Plus, you don’t have to limit yourself to hotels if you want to go all-inclusive. In fact, you can explore multiple locations as a family without breaking the bank too. Something you can find out more about by visiting sites like Bolsover Cruise Club online. A place where you will discover some fantastic all-inclusive last minute deals.
Shop the deals
Talking of deals, if you are looking to take the family abroad without spending a fortune, never, ever pay full price for your break. In fact, because the holiday industry is so vast, the number of special offers such as free child places, discounts, and the like is enormous. Just be sure that you time when you book your break right.
Of course, that means getting educated about when the airlines release their cheapest tickets, and when holiday providers knock down their packages too. A topic you can read more about here.
Choose to travel overnight
Additionally, when it comes to holidaying with the family, you will discover that there can be a vast difference in the cost of your journey, depending on when you choose to travel. In fact, flights that are scheduled at unsociable hours are much cheaper than ones that depart or arrive at your destination during the day.
Of course there are a few reasons for this. The first being that public transport is harder to negotiate during unsocial hours. Something that makes the trip to the airport less convenient. Additionally, by travelling during unsocial hours, you can risk disrupting your regular schedule. Sometimes it also means slightly less time in your destination when you arrive as well.
However, travelling during unsocial hours is not all bad news. In fact, for families with kids, it can work incredibly well, indeed. After all, travelling by plane overnight means the little ones are likely to sleep a great deal of the journey, making it much easier for the parents. All while making some decent amount of savings as well.
Find the best free things to do
Another typical cost that families encounter when holiday overseas with their children are the charges made when visiting a particular site, or doing an activity. In fact, many of us have had the experience where we have paid double or triple the fee, just because the site or activity in question is a tourist trap. Something that can sadly add up very fast when you are a family, and very quickly drain any funds you have left.
Fortunately, there is a way around being fleeced at every landmark, fairground, and refreshment stall you come across. It’s making a special effort to find activities and sites that are free to do. Happily, this shouldn’t be too hard a task either, especially as it’s possible to research locations in depth before you even arrive online. In fact, you will find that there are some websites like this one that discuss a range of activities that are activities in different parts of the world.
Give the kids a daily allowance
Finally, as any parent knows, saying ‘no’ repeatedly to your kids while on holiday can become very tiresome. Of course, it’s not really the child’s fault as they will see all the ice cream and souvenirs and want them straight away! However, that certainly doesn’t mean that you will want to part with your hard-earned aches every 5 minutes to buy a plastic replica of the place you have just looked around.
In fact, you can much more effectively negotiate this by appealing to your child’s sense of responsibility. All you need to do is give them an allowance to spend each day, which they can spend any way they like.
Of course, you have to make it very clear to them that once it’s gone, it’s gone and not give them any extras. Although after a few days of this, it is likely they will get the picture. Something that means they will be on at you for money at a lot less, and you can ensure that you don’t end up rinsing the family savings once you have arrived at your destination.
Leave a Reply