A few ideas for an affordable family vacation.

Planning an affordable family vacation is a lot easier than you may think, it just takes a little planning and research. That's why you are here, right? If you came looking for great deals vacation destinations, then go to the bottom of the page, otherwise, keeep reading.

With gas prices being at an all time high, many families are looking for ways to save a little extra, but still take that family vacation they were looking forward to. Often times, an affordable family vacation just means doing a little trip planning. Many times, taking a family vacation that is affordable, can turn out to be just as fun as a vacation that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars more. Of course, by now you should know that booking your flight, together with a hotel and/or vehicle will save you even more money if you do it online with a company like Expedia.com You can also save money on your family vacation if you stay in a timeshare rental. Timeshares are great ways to see the destination and resort you have decided on before purchasing property there. Timeshares are perfect for family vacation getaways because they can accommodate as many people as you wish. They also come in all shapes and styles. There are lakeside suites, slope side villas, beach side cottages and many more including campgrounds and RV areas. Timeshares for rent can also be found on the resale market.

An advantage to a vacation rental is that you will get a kitchen in which to cook, which will save you tons of money in restaurant expenses. If you really want to save on your expenses you should look into doing a home exchange. What's that? If you ever saw the movie "The Holiday" with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, you should check it out. This movie is a great example of what a home exchange is. They are really a unique idea that has started to gain popularity with families who are looking to get more bang for their buck out of a vacation. Simply put, you join a network of people who are willing to exchange their home for yours for a week or two or maybe longer-you negotiate. In your negotiations, you can work out a deal where you can not only exchange your homes, but vehicles as well, saving you even more money. Imagine that! You could fly your whole family to Italy and then have a free place to stay along with a vehicle and a kitchen to cook in. Pretty cool, huh? The only downside to this can be that you exchange homes with someone who isn't much of a housekeeper and there is a possibility that something may get broken. For the most part, anyone you exchange with is not going to cause any problems and if they do, they generally work on the honor system and are very good about replacing or paying for any damage they may cause. There is also insurance you can obtain to protect yourself.

Ideas for an Affordable family vacation

If you are from the Midwest, think about going to either Lake Superior, Michigan, or Huron. All of the hotels and motels around these lakes are affordable. To save even more money, consider bringing along a camper or a tent and camping in one of the many state parks that run up and down the coastlines.

Following the lake theme, find a lake, river, or ocean that is nearby your home. (This works well for families that live on the East and West coasts.) Water always tires kids out and this can be the perfect way for you to relax and the kids can play to their heart's content. You will find that this can be a very affordable family vacation, because many of these destinations have camping nearby. Along with this theme, a beach vacation is always affordable as well. Kids can spend hours, building sand castles, collecting sea shells and jumping in the waves. All you need to do is bring along a good book, pack a lunch and voila-we have peace and harmony in the family.

Consider someplace nearby your home-within a couple hundred miles. Driving is still cheaper than flying, even if you have a small family. Unless of course, gas prices jump over $5 a gallon, then we may all be spending our family vacations in our back yard!

Consider visiting a local state park or national park. Camping vacations are always cheap, and you will find that one of these parks makes for an affordable family vacation-it can be very educational for you children as well. Camping usually requires a little planning and up front expenditures, but once you are at your destination, you won't spend any more money. What is more, camping can be your most affordable family vacation if you plan a 5-7 day camping excursion. You maximize your dollar. Along this line, you can go car-camping also known as boondocking, which is parking your vehicle (RV or car) anywhere you can as long as you don't have to pay. A great place for families to to do this kind of camping is to find a national forest nearby and head there. You don't have to pay anything to camp in a national forest, but please be mindful of others and don' leave your trash behind and clean up your site when you leave.

Another tip you may want to consider is bringing your own entertainment. We do a very affordable family vacation every year in Colorado. Our secret? We rent a townhouse/condo and bring along a Playstation (or X-box), board games, and frisbees for disc golf. These three forms of entertainment have satisfied my family for several years and I suspect for many more.

All things equal, an affordable family vacation is very doable and certainly should be done more often than it is. Just think of how many times you have planned a family vacation, but then given up because you thought you couldn't afford it. Perhaps you were thinking too big. Think local, be creative and don't buy into the hype that in order for a vacation to be fun, you must spend a lot of money. That's a bunch of garbage! You can have an affordable family vacation by following the tips mentioned in this page...see you already have those wheels turning!

All right, here are some sites that will give you great deals on either last minute getaways or destinations that are cheap to travel to:

We suggest this site, because they are tried and true and still come out as one of the best places to get a good deal through.

Cruise lovers know…the best deals on cruises are at CruisesOnly.com

This site offers some of the most competive rates on cruises. Often times a cruise can actually become a very affordable family vacation because once you put up the initial money to get aboard, most everything else is paid for. Beware that this isn't always the case, however, some people decide to take advantage of all the fringe offers and go overboard on their spending.

We provided the above link because of the affordability of the package. You must know, however, that they will require you to sit through a few hours about purchasing a timeshare. You are not required to buy one, however you are required to be there. We think this is a good sacrifice of a few hours to save several hundred dollars, but every family is different.

As mentioned near the top of this page, we firmly believe that going to your vacation destination and booking a rental home for the time you are there, is one of the most best ways to keep the budget on your affordable family vacation getaway. The above link is strongly recommended, if you are looking to find a home to rent.

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