Family vacations are a time that offers the chance for family members to bond, learn and have fun together. If your vacation budget is limited for your upcoming vacation, that does not mean you have to cancel it. Choose a location that will have activities that each of your family members enjoys doing but that is away from the typical tourist destinations. Not only will this save you some money, but it will keep you away from the crowds, and you'll avoid spending a large portion of your time waiting in lines.
The next time you plan a family vacation, reduce your lodging expenses by staying at a campground. Contact the Department of Tourism or Department of Commerce for the location you will be visiting, and ask them for suggestions for campgrounds in the area that receive good reviews from tourists. This will help reduce your lodging cost significantly. It also provides an opportunity to teach your children about the environment and nature. Take nature walks around the campground for entertainment, learning about local trees, plants and animals. When reserving a campground location, ask about amenities such as bathhouses, activity centers, pools and restaurants. Find out if you can cook over an open fire at the campground, as not every campground permits this. You can make camping your family vacation, or just use the campground as a place to sleep and drive to your destination such as the beach or mountains from your campground.
Choose a city that has free public museums such as Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Diego or other large cities and plan a family trip to tour those museums. Washington, D.C., for example, has the Smithsonian Museums, which are all free and include themes such as air travel, natural history, American history and art and sculptures. In Washington, D.C. alone, there are 19 of these free museums according to Away.com. It could take you several weeks to see all of them, so plan the museums you wish to visit at your destination ahead of time. Hotels in downtown areas near the museums tend to be expensive according to Away.com, so the website suggests staying outside of the downtown area where you can find hotels for cheaper prices and using public transportation.
National parks offer an opportunity to participate in activities such as swimming, fishing, hiking and other sports. National parks are either free or request a small donation to be made to visit them. Stay at a hotel within driving distance that is cheaper than the ones that might be within walking distance of the park. To save money on meals, enjoy a picnic lunch during the day, stopping at a grocery store the night before or on your way to the park. Contact the park before planning your vacation, and the park ranger's office can help provide suggestions for where to stay along with inform you of activities that will be going on at the park while you are staying there.
