How to Plan a Vacation on a Budget – 7 Money Saving Tips

Here at Little Family Adventure, we are all about family travel and making memories together with our children. I will be the first to admit that travel can get expensive, especially with a family of 5, but there are ways to save money and travel on a budget without sacrificing fun.

When it comes to how to plan a vacation on a budget, staying in a vacation rental is one of the best ways to save money. Vacation rentals are usually much more affordable than staying in a hotel, and they offer lots of great amenities like fully-equipped kitchens, multiple bedrooms, private pools, and more.

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Plus, vacation rentals often come with extra perks like discounts on local attractions and restaurants. For our last three visits to Walt Disney World, we stayed at a vacation rental/timeshare on the property (Animal Kingdom Kidani Village) and were able to take save meals, souvenirs, attraction tickets, and more. Vacation rentals are definitely a great way to save money while still having an amazing vacation experience!

Let me share with you 7 travel planning tips that help me save money and priority travel.

1. Make travel a priority and set up a travel budget.

Each month set aside a certain amount of money and use that towards future vacations. Here is how we budget and save for trips. Instead of going for a fancy latte or meal out, that money goes into the travel fund. Our travel fund allows us to travel several times a year with both short weekend trips and week long trips.

2. Travel in the off season or during non-peak times.

You can save money and beat the crowds by traveling during non-peak times. For example, enjoy Colorado in the spring instead of the winter or visit an Orlando theme park when schools are back in season. There are great activities and events to enjoy, just with fewer people.

Look for flights as early as possible. This will give you more time to plan your trip and save money. Plus, booking early can open up discounts or other options that may not be available later on. If you’re flexible with your dates, look at the calendar view of fares to find the cheapest days to travel. You could even adjust your departure and return times by a few hours to get an even lower fare.

I use the Hooper app to watch airfare and hotel rates for specific routes/stays. It’s been an incredibly useful tool for finding the best deals as it will alert me to the best time to buy airline tickets or book my hotel stays. This app is free to use.

I also use Dollar Flight Club to get alerts on airfare deals out of my home airport and up to two additional airports. It’s been great for finding deals on flights all over the world! There is a free and paid option with this one.

3. Think beyond the hotel and stay in a vacation rental.

You rent a vacation rental home or condo for less than you can a hotel room. Plus with a vacation rental, you get the added benefit of a kitchen, in-unit washer and dryer (less to pack = less luggage fees), and room to spread out and relax.

You might also consider vacation rental homes or condos as an alternative to hotels that allow 18 year olds to check in. Not only can you rent them for less than a hotel room, but you also enjoy additional perks such as a fully equipped kitchen, an in-unit washer and dryer (resulting in less to pack and lower luggage fees), and the luxury of having more space to spread out and relax.

4. Travel with another family and split the cost.

A vacation rental will accommodate more people than a traditional hotel room and the cost have be split between families. We recently went to Tennessee and rented a 2 bedroom vacation rental that slept 8 people. We spent less than $100 a night for all 8 of us. We couldn’t have stayed in a hotel room with the 5 of us for that.

5. Cook meals during your vacation.

According to a study conducted by Wyndham Vacation Rentals, on average, vacation rental travelers reported having saved $742 over the course of a week by preparing some of their meals in their vacation rental.

Aside from saving money on eating out, by cooking on vacation you also help reduce the stress of having to go out to eat all the time. For me with 3 children, the idea of getting everyone ready to go out to dinner alone can seem daunting. Plus cooking yourself is healthier because you are controlling the ingredients.

We’ll usually cook breakfast every day and dinner most nights. We’ll go out to eat at lunch when it’s less expensive and then have 1 or 2 special dinners out.

6. Look for deals and discounts

You can find savings on transportation, dining, lodging, and more. Look for last minute deals on vacation rentals on sites like Kayak.com, Hotels.com, and Orbitz.com.

For dining and entertainment, I like to use Groupon and Travelzoo. Also check with your insurance company and your auto club membership for any deals they offer.

Many times, we’ll find great deals with military discounts. We use it every time we go to Disney World. Without discounts, we’d never be able to afford going every year or two.

7. Look for free tours and activities.

Check with convention and visitor center websites for the destination you are headed to and check for free activities. On a recent trip to Nashville, we had a great time at a free local museum that we found online. Google “free tours” for your destination and see what is available.

When we travel, we use these tips to help us save money and travel more often. They have helped us in the past and will help us in our upcoming trip to Orlando this winter. We’ll be staying with friends in a vacation rental home and visiting both Walt Disney World and Universal as part of our 20th wedding anniversary.