How To Travel On A Budget With Family – Worried about the cost of family travel? Did you like to travel pre-kids, but afraid that it will be impossible with children? Read our list of 10 amazing family vacation destinations!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you click on my link, but your price does not change. See my membership policy here.
How To Travel On A Budget With Family
Before traveling with kids, one of my main concerns was how expensive it would be. Traveling with two friends saves quite a bit. How would we find family vacation destinations with 6 people?!
Planning For A Getaway When You’re Ready To Travel
Traveling with children is more expensive than traveling as a couple. (Obviously. This isn’t rocket science.) But not as much as I feared. What’s more, we found that the family vacation destinations below (all of which we’ve personally visited with kids) still seemed affordable to travel with kids.
This is especially true when children are young. We are often asked why travel if your children can’t remember everything you see. Even WE don’t remember everything we see! However, travel affects their worldview, growth, sense of inclusion and learning in a striking way, as in the case of adult travelers.
We hope this list of budget-friendly family vacation destinations makes family travel a little more accessible. It has fostered so much bonding and learning for us. We hope to do the same for you!
This post on the best family vacation destinations contains affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% my own. This means that I earn a small commission if you purchase through my link, but your price will not change.
Travel To Europe On A Family Budget
Portugal is one of those countries that is often on the list of young and trendy travelers. What you don’t hear too much about is how good it is for, ahem, less young and fickle children. (Or maybe even with the kids, you’re taller than us. I wouldn’t be surprised.)
Lisbon is often considered the San Francisco of Portugal, but we loved Porto even more. With colorful tiles and a relaxed atmosphere, it’s the perfect city to wander around. There’s a lot to see without feeling like you have to tick a lot of boxes. Porto is especially great with kids, as there is so much to see and the city is small enough to walk most places (no dragging the car around on different metro lines!). Our very walkable Airbnb was perfectly located, but still very reasonably priced and spacious enough for our family. The food is relatively inexpensive, with plenty of options to satisfy a variety of palates.
There’s plenty of free music and art in Porto, as well as fun neighborhoods and tours. This Portuguese city is a great family travel destination on a budget.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/family-at-sunset--zabriskie-point--death-valley-576721759-5ae4ddd63de42300377131cc.jpg?strip=all "How To Travel On A Budget With Family")
It hardly gets more fun than PEI, one of our favorite vacation spots for our families. With lots of Victorian style and influence, the town itself is charming and accessible. It’s big enough to comfortably hold everything you need when traveling with kids. But it’s also small enough to not be overwhelming at all.
How To Plan A Vacation On A Budget
Best of all are the many outdoor activities that are prevalent on and around the island. Summers are especially blessed with a mild climate. This makes the weather perfect for anything from hiking to exploring Anne of Green Gables sites to lounging on the beach.
Since the island is off the beaten track, you won’t encounter outrageously high prices even in the heart of the tourist season. We liked our hotel very much because it was at a good price and very central. While not cheap, it’s perfectly reasonable and family-friendly, with plenty of free nature-based activities to fill you up.
While Paris gets most of the travel attention, the City of Light’s younger sibling, Lyon, is a great, budget-friendly option for families. Lyon is 2 hours from Paris by high-speed train and can be done as a day trip, but I recommend allowing more time if you can. And while France isn’t necessarily known as the best place for a family holiday, Lyon can be very reasonably priced. With far fewer visitors than Paris, accommodation is significantly cheaper. They are more spacious than the small flats in Paris, perfect for family stays.
The historic area of Lyon is relatively small and very walkable, offering plenty of activities for children. The little ones will enjoy the Guignol museum or a short puppet show with historical puppets. Then take the funicular to the top of the hill to see the basilica. Children will also love exploring the “traboules”, ancient secret passageways for merchants transporting silk and other goods.
How To Travel On A Budget And How To Save Money On Vacation (12 Tips!)
With all that, Lyon doesn’t have that much appeal to risk confusing everyone. It is a beautiful and peaceful city that invites you to stay in one of the excellent cafes or restaurants. (Did you know that Lyon is actually the gastronomic capital of France?) Be sure to spend some time wandering the charming streets and alleys. Plus, the beautiful parks, churches and shops are free to explore and perfect for families looking to immerse themselves in a new city on a budget.
If you’re wondering why you should choose to visit Utah, you wouldn’t be alone. However, the western states of the US have some of the most epic outdoor scenery in the country. Utah’s 5 national parks are busy in the summer. However, unlike more popular parks like Yosemite, they are much quieter in the off-season. If you’re visiting Zion in the winter, you’ll likely have plenty of trails and views all to yourself.
Although Zion is the most famous, you can easily visit all 5 national parks in Utah in a week or two. Also, one could go on to explore state and county parks that would probably be granted national status in any other state. Accommodations are especially reasonable in the off-season. Our kids loved the heated pools and tubs at different temperatures in the middle of winter at our hotel in Moab. And our hotel just outside the gates of Zion National Park had beautiful views and was very comfortable.
National parks are perfect for kids to roam and explore freely without worrying about quiet, sophisticated behavior. And by packing foods like sandwiches and snacks, it’s easy to keep costs as low as possible. Choose between hotels in different price ranges or campsites. Either way, it’s easy to keep a visit to the National Parks within a family budget without compromising on fun.
Surprisingly Affordable Destinations For Family Holidays
Stay with me London is very expensive, but this is especially true for accommodation. Of course, hotels are expensive. But think for a minute if you can figure out that aspect of it. Consider using points, staying further afield, or finding a home exchange or Airbnb (you can use this link to get $55 off your first stay!). We loved our hotel for its convenience and the ability to walk so many places – convenient and free! If you can manage to keep the cost of accommodation down, London has a number of advantages that can be very family and budget friendly.
With several major airports, London regularly offers great flight deals. We recently flew direct from San Francisco to London Gatwick for $170 per person; that’s less than it costs us to fly to the east coast of the United States. Transport within London is also cheap or free for children. Unlike in Paris (where children over 4 have to pay to use public transport), children under 12 generally travel free on London’s lines.
Museums and attractions are also suitable for families. Many nations are free to visit, including the British Museum, National Gallery, British Library and more. Paid attractions such as the Tower of London and Kensington Palace often have discounts for families or children, as do many afternoon tea venues. (Historical Royal Palace annual pass – worth it even if you visit 2 of the 6 attractions – it’s almost more expensive to add 6 children than 2 adults.) Also, there are plenty of outdoor activities – from parks and gardens. to relaxing walks – all completely free. And is it better than throwing in some Harry Potter sites?
It doesn’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of markets and cafes with cheap food, and there’s always a grocery store.
How To Travel The World With A Family
If you’re looking for a cheap family vacation, you’ve probably heard how cheap India can be. Especially if you are traveling from a western country with a stronger currency, flights can be expensive, but everything else is almost negligible.
Food, in particular, will likely be an absolute bargain. Even the prized tasting menu at the famous Indian Accent in New Delhi costs more than USD 50. Meanwhile