With Spring Break right around the corner and the economy still struggling to improve taking vacations for the average family can seem like a luxury from the past. While some families are still heading to Disney World or the nearest Beach, you may not be able to afford it and you may wonder how others can and feel badly about your lack of means. First of all, don't be swept under the wave of peer pressure and realize that many people who appear to be "rich" are in actuality credit card millionaires. In fact, the book Staycation was written clearly for the people like yourself, too poor to take a vacation and too bored to stay home. However, the message is clear. You can set up a vacation of your own without dropping thousands of bucks and take family time without leaving home.
The idea of staycation, or having a family holiday on a budget is to save your pennies for something exciting in the future. If you commit to taking budget friendly family vacations now, in a year or so, you will have saved enough to take that child friendly cruise or trip to Hawaii that you have always wanted to take. The other thing to consider, especially with children, is that often they don't do well away from home for long periods of time and taking a leap of faith to plan something extravagant without ‘practicing' can lead to a disappointing experience for the whole family.
Start your budget friendly family outing with a local excursion. The benefits are that the car ride is short, no flights to worry about and if things go array or your child ends up with the Murphy's law stomach flu you will be able to come right back home. Another hint is to take two vehicles. This way if your spouse and older children are fairing well camping at the lake but you and the baby are miserable, you can head for the comforts of home. Camping is always a budget friendly way to go. Even if you don't have a fancy camper you can rent one fairly cheap, borrow or rent a cabin and even purchase a decent tent to serve as your short term home away from home. If you aren't the camping type, then start researching day trip vacations you can take close to home. Chances are you haven't explored your own backyard thoroughly and you may be surprised to find that some exciting venues exist in your home state. Horse riding adventures, local theme parks, interesting historical sites, hiking tours, river rafting trips - the point is that the bulk of family expenses can come from lodging expenses. Cutting trips short, finding cheaper options or taking day trips can slash your costs considerably.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
