Amidst my hectic work life, I feel like taking a break for a day or weeks. We all do want to rest and, after all, our bodies deserve to recharge. The best way to escape everyday work life is going for a family vacation. I, however, have found myself trapped in debt after going for a family vacation. Many of us have found ourselves in this same situation. Here are tips on saving money during travel that I have learned over the years.

Travel During Off-Peak Season

Planning a vacation during the low season has major benefits. The first benefit is saving our money. Most hotels and Airbnb’s are cheaper during the off-peak season. The food is also cheap because there are few people. Most of the popular destinations are also not as packed during the low season. That means we can enjoy the beach along with our family. The other important thing is avoiding travel during summer. Everything is expensive during summer. Entertainment and attraction spots also have discounts during the off-peak season. It’s ideal to always ask them if they have any current offers in case, they haven’t listed them on their website. If you have decided to take your children out of school to get a cheaper summer vacation then you will also need to be aware that this can come with some challenges from the school and other authority types. In order to achieve this in the correct way heres a good guide to follow, so you do not get in trouble for taking your kids out of school early, there are also a variety of other resources online that can help you too!

Make Early Bookings

Booking flights and hotels early not only saves us money but also saves us time. We also get to enjoy the best seats. We also get a chance to plan our travel vacation well without the worry of leaving some luggage behind. The important thing about making early bookings is also because flights and hotels offer discounts for those who have booked early. For example, I have enjoyed 10% incentives in most of my travels the times that I have booked early. Early air booking also reduces the chances of us missing a flight at the last minute. If we miss a flight at the last minute that means that we will end up using a lot of money than we had planned for. The Family Vacation Guide’s list of the flight booking sites might be a good place to start, to find those deals and get those early bookings in.

Travelling Light

Airlines are known to add extra luggage fees without informing travelers. Many are the times that I have had to pay extra money for my luggage because I was not aware of what they were charging. The only way of avoiding paying extra money is by packing light. We should never be those people who carry 11 pairs of shoes and extra heavy clothes that we will not even use. I have learned to be checking the per-bag maximum weight charge of every flight. The secret is to distribute the luggage evenly in all the bags we are traveling with.

Renting a Home

I find hotels, resorts, and lodges to be small, and yet they account for half of our travel money. They also don’t have all the amenities that we require. That is why I prefer renting a home possibly in the form of a timeshare agreement, or an Airbnb house because the two have all the amenities I am looking for and they give me value for my money. It wouldn’t even be that difficult to find nice rentals, especially if I do enough research on a popular Property Blog from the area. Moreover, I find renting a home to be cheaper if I am planning to stay at a certain location for months or weeks. Hotels have a daily charging rate and that is why they eat all our money. The other benefit of a home is the ability for us to cook our own food and hence reducing food expenses. However, if you do decide to enter a home rental agreement such as a timeshare, then you may also want to consider staying in contact with various timeshare exit companies, just in case you ever decided that you needed to exit the agreement in the future.

Choosing a Destination Carefully

Selecting a destination wisely gives us the chance to plan our budget carefully. Some places are more expensive than others for example some destinations end up having expensive food that most travelers can’t afford while traveling with family. There are also places that have high flight charges. I also ensure to check the exchange rate of money in the location that I am going. By doing this, I get the opportunity to save enough money.

We don’t have to break the bank while going on a family trip. Simple money planning will ensure that we get to enjoy our vacation to the maximum without worrying about debts after the travel.