Frugal Vacation Tips

We are finally on a much needed family vacation. We are in the gorgeous Smokey Mountains in Gatlinburg Tennessee. We usually come here every year for the annual lighted Christmas parade that they host. There are a couple of times every year when we want to just quit homeschooling, toss the books out the window and leave it all behind. Of course we have been doing it long enough to know its just time to stop and take a break. I find that if we take a break every 6 months or so it helps us to unwind a little and then refocus on our studies. Sometimes a break is just spent at home doing projects around the house we want to catch up on but I really prefer to take a trip and get out of our normal routine. With the size of our family and the economy the way that it is, we have to plan our trips very carefully and find creative ways to save money. Here are some tips:

The first step is to set a budget. Plan ahead at least a few months ahead and estimate how much money you will be able to save for the trip.

Tip # 1: Finding a place to stay.

There are great deals to be found on lodging. But if you are super picky like we are, this will be your largest cost and will eat up a large portion of your budget. Because of the size of our family we often have to rent more than one hotel room or rent a more expensive suite. We also spend quite a bit of time in our lodging because we have younger children that require naps, but if we  would be spending relatively little time there I would settle with clean.

Word of mouth is a great wind to find good affordable lodging. Lots of people own timeshares, condos, lake homes that are willing to rent them to friends for a discounted rate. You just need to ask around. We even have a friend who offers up his fabulous lake home to us every summer free of charge. It is a huge blessing to our family.

We have been visiting Gatlinburg every Christmas season for years now and have stayed in some really great chalets but we have found that it cost us less money to rent a condo that is close to the main strip. The one we stay at is plenty big enough for our family and it is in walking distance to the places we like to visit so save a little on gas and we also save on parking. It costs about $4. each time we need to park the car and being in walking distance eliminates this. Renting a condo also helps to save money on our next topic.

Tip# 2: Eating on a budget.

With a family of 7 even eating fast food can cost upward of $35 a meal. By renting a condo, we are able to save money by preparing our own food. Of course, it also has the added benefit of being healthier. We do eat out some, but we plan it around our activities and actual travel time. I like to take along my slow cooker and use it. I can start a meal in it right after breakfast, we can leave for the day and not worry about trying to find something to eat or spending all my vacation time in the kitchen. You can do simple breakfasts of cereal and fruit, and simple lunches of sandwiches and soup. I usually pack a few snacks of homemade fruit rolls ups, nuts or whatever is in the pantry and even make a couple of loaves of bread. I make a grocery list and shop when we reach our destination. If you had the food on hand and the room for a cooler you could go that route but we are 7 in a minivan and normally do not have the room. Also packing lighter makes it much more enjoyable for the person who does most of the loading/unloading of the car, my husband.

Tip#3:

Be very careful protective with the money you have budgeted for discretionary use. If you are in a area with lots of tourism, there will be tons of souvenir shops around waiting for you to part with that hard earned cash. We usually set a per person souvenir amount, say $20 max per person. Most of the money is used for fun activities. We often have to remind the kids “we can either buy a bunch of junk and spend all our money or use the money for something better. They always choose the something better.  This year my husbands parents bought us season passes to Dollywood as our Christmas present. In years past we would have bought them ourselves and that would be our fun money spent. This year we are able to use that money to do other things like go to the Dixie Stampede and some other places we haven’t been able to see. Oh, another tip- research some of the things you would like to do on the internet, often you can find discounts on the web by purchasing them in advance or by using coupon codes. You can also just give them a call and ask for a discount. It never hurts to ask!

Tip #4: HAVE FUN!!

As homeschoolers we are tempted to make even family vacation an opportunity for teaching. Of course it is always a great idea to visit historical sites and points of interest around where you are staying. Often they are fun and even free. You can almost never go wrong with a state park. Most of them have some great activities for families planned. Your children will learn from it guaranteed. But try to keep it fun. Don’t turn it into a lesson. (Wait until you get home to do that! …Remember when we went to ____?, let’s talk a little about that…)

I hope this gives you some ideas for a great family trip that doesn’t break the bank.

Here are a few more:

Try finding somewhere within 4 hours drive. Cuts the cost of airline travel, fuel cost is minimal and you don’t have to worry about along the way lodging.

Go in the off-season. You can always get great deals on the off-season.

Pack snacks for the car trip instead of stopping at the gas station for expensive and unhealthy snacks and drinks.

Make use of rest areas. Pack brown bag lunches before you leave home. Most rest areas are very nice with clean rest rooms, have 24 hour security, great picnic areas and even play areas for kids.

Happy Travels!