How to Travel on a Budget with Kids

Traveling with kids can be both fun and stressful. Having a 9 year old has actually made traveling with kids easier but the toddler certainly poses a challenge when we are taking trips. In the past couple of years (2020 excluded) we have traveled to so many different places with the kids. Read about our visit to Great Wolf Lodge and our stay at Lake Buena Vista in Florida. I know that this isn’t always realistic for everyone since traveling can be pretty expensive, especially with children. So here are some tips on how to travel on a budget with kids.

Plan

Plan, plan, plan. When I go into a trip that I didn’t plan, I always end up spending way more money then I should. If we are traveling out of state, I plan ahead to stay at a place that is kid friendly, have fridges to store juice and snacks for the kids and has free activities such as a pool or a play place. Search ahead of time for budget, family restaurants and activities and while you are at it see

Stay Local

Sometimes the best deals on travel can be local to you. Staycations can be just as fun as traveling out of state. Especially if traveling mid week staying local is less expensive and can be just as fun!

Skip lunch

When we stay at hotels, I always try to find a hotel that has free breakfast. This way my kids can load up on food in the morning and skip lunch. Don’t worry, I don’t starve my children we grab fruit from the hotel to take with us and always have extra snacks on hand throughout the day.

Travel in the off season

Off season is much cheaper then busy seasons. While it may be hotter, think Florida in the summer, you can often find better deals for traveling. Forget completely about traveling during school vacation weeks since prices skyrocket during those times. Instead try to leave a few days before school vacation week. which is how I scored some pretty cheap flights to Florida one time.

Travel midweek

Mid week travel is a lot cheaper than weekend travel. Plane tickets are also cheaper when you leave on Monday/Tuesday and come back on those days as well. We recently stayed at a local resort that had great prices during the middle of the week than on the weekend.

Pack the right things

I can’t tell you how many times I have spent extra money on buying things that I could have just brought from home. So double check, triple check that luggage before you leave for your trip. Especially the kids items.

Expect the unexpected

My number one tip to travel on a budget with kids is to expect the unexpected. You should really plan for that anyways when you are traveling with children but even more so if you plan to travel on a budget.

Since we are always traveling I would love to know what your tips are to travel on a budget with children. Let me know in the comments below!