Does “stress-free family travel” sound like an oxymoron to you? Well, it really shouldn’t! Whether you’re worried about keeping your kids from getting bored or keeping your budget from getting out of control, there are simple solutions to save you time, stress, and money when you plan your family vacations. You can start with these budget-friendly tips for your next family trip.
Budget-Friendly Tech Will Keep Your Family Content
Limiting screen time at home is a good way to keep kids focused and active. When you’re traveling with your kids, however, bringing budget-friendly tech can be a good way to keep them busy and out of trouble. Now, you may be wondering how tech could ever be considered budget-friendly, but savings websites can help just about any travel purchase fit into your family’s budget. For example, you can use sites like Rakuten to pull up an Apple promo code and coupons to help you afford the tech that can keep kids and adults content during big family trips. You can bring an iPad or tablet on vacation so that your kids will have something to do on long flights, or you can bring a portable streaming device so that you can watch your favorite shows during downtime. Seriously, between these helpful gadgets and essential travel apps, you can’t travel stress-free anymore without having the right tech.
Flexible Itineraries Will Keep Your Stress Levels Low
Creating a vacation itinerary with too many activities crammed into it can actually lead to more stress and tension for both children and parents. That’s because everyone needs downtime to relax and unwind, even when you’re on vacation. So, definitely pencil in some budget-friendly vacation fun, but also leave some free time for the family to decompress and do their own thing. That could mean watching a movie together in your hotel room or vacation rental, but if you have teenagers it could also mean allowing them to go out and explore on their own. If that makes you anxious, know that establishing some basic safety rules and ensuring your teens are connected via their phones can help relieve those worries. Plus, having alone time to explore while traveling can have some serious benefits for teenagers.
Vacation Rentals Can Help Keep Your Food Costs Low
If you’re stressing out overpaying for takeout and restaurant fare on your family vacation, you may want to consider renting a home instead of staying in a hotel room. With vacation rentals, you can have access to a full-size kitchen that will make preparing budget-friendly meals and snacks for your family super simple. Plus, those meals are bound to be more filling and nutritious than fast food, which means you can save money and help save your own waistline in the process. If you’re concerned about having time to cook while on vacation, you can also prep some meals ahead of time and bring them along in the cooler. Flying to your destination or staying in a hotel? If so, use these tips to save money on restaurants and food.
Preparation and Planning Will Keep Your Family Having Fun
Easing up on screen time and your schedule can actually prevent your children from acting out but you still need some structure to keep things on track. If you are planning a family vacation, use a family travel checklist to make sure that you don’t miss any important details during the process. Be sure to include packing lists for each family member as well, because having to pick up extra toiletries or sunscreen at your destination can really eat into your travel budget. If you end up having to splurge on some essentials during your trip, just be sure to check out those savings and discount sites for promos and coupons, or even cash back, so you will have even more savings to put toward your next family adventure.
Taking a trip with your kids should excite you, not stress you out! After all, this is your vacation too. So use the money- and stress-saving tips above, to keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed. Have fun planning your adventure and have fun making memories together!
Content Credit: Daniel Sherwin
Photo Credit: Rawpixel
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