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The money my husband and I earn doesn’t all go toward boring bills like car and mortgage payments. We specifically do our best to keep those larger expenses on the low side so we can carve out money for the things we love, like travel.
Whether it’s kid-free getaways (more of a rarity these days) or family vacations, my husband and I prioritize travel because we enjoy doing it, and because we believe it’s an important part of personal growth. But let’s face it — travel is expensive. And when you’re doing it as a family, certain trips have the potential to really break the bank.
However, if you’re willing to make some adjustments to the way you travel, you may find that you’re able to do it more often. Here’s what I do to make travel more affordable for my family.
My closest airport is Newark, and the Bureau of Transportation Services says that as of the first quarter of this year, the average fare there costs about $400. That would mean spending $2,000 for my family of five, not including extra expenses like checked bags and getting to and from the airport.
It’s for this reason that my family tends to go on car trips rather than fly to our destinations. This past summer, we took a 14-hour drive to Michigan because doing so saved us well over $1,000 compared to the cost of flying out. In the past, we’ve driven as far as Montana when flying has been cost-prohibitive.
My family enjoys what I call active vacations. We tend to do a lot of hiking and exploring, as opposed to lounging at a resort by a pool. As such, it doesn’t make sense for us to splurge on fancy hotels. Rather, we tend to book at modest hotels or private rentals, since we really just need a place to sleep and bathe. And that saves us a lot.
Now, one added expense we sometimes incur is having to pay an extra deposit to bring our dog along. But what we spend on that, we save by not having to pay a dog sitter. Plus, we just plain like having him be part of the experience when it’s feasible.
When you’re on vacation, you don’t want to spend hours standing over a stove. But one compromise I tend to employ is preparing breakfast and lunch myself while we’re traveling, but spending money on dinner at a restaurant.
It’s for this reason, among others, that I tend to favor private rentals over hotels. Most hotels don’t have a full kitchen, so when my family stays at one, we’re often forced to dine out for three meals a day.
Even if you’re not going to use the kitchen at a private rental because you don’t want to do any cooking while on vacation (which is understandable), another benefit is getting access to a full-sized fridge. In my experience, most hotel rooms give you a mini fridge at best. The full-sized fridge is helpful because when we do dine out on vacation, we often have leftovers. That allows us to bring them home rather than have food go to waste.
The credit card I use the most allows me to rack up cash back on my purchases. In recent years, what I’ve done is save up that cash back and then use all of it to cover the cost of travel.
I highly recommend doing the same, but it’s going to take discipline. Credit cards generally give you access to your cash back on a monthly basis. If you take your $50 here or $70 there, you may be tempted to spend it on something like clothing or entertainment.
But remember, over the course of a year, you might end up with $1,000 back from your credit card, which could, depending on your plans, cover a getaway in full. So if you’re able to avoid spending that money along the way, it could make a big dent in your next vacation tab.
I recognize that it’s a privilege to be able to travel a few times a year like I’ve done recently. But I also take active steps to make my trips as affordable as possible. It’s not always easy to spend 14 hours behind the wheel, but we do what we have to do to avoid busting our budget. If you’re willing to make some compromises, you may find that you’re able to travel more, too.
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