Travelling with Children – How to get the most for your money

Date: 2011.07.29 | Category: Features, holidays, Your Travel Essentials | Tags:

Travelling with the whole family can become very expensive very quickly if you aren’t careful about what you are spending your holiday budget on. A little planning and preparation before you go can end up saving you a lot of money, something we are all keen to do in the current economic climate. Saving money on your family holidays doesn’t mean having to go without anything; a little research can mean you can still have a fantastic holiday all without breaking the bank. Here are some top tips on how to get the most for your money when travelling as a family:

Plan, Plan, Plan

The most effective way to save money when planning a family holiday is to do your research. There are plenty of great deals to be had if you take a little time to find them. Price comparison sites such as travelsupermarket are set up just for this service. Don’t make your decision at the first travel agents you visit, shop around, many have great ‘child go free’ offers that can really help to reduce the price. When you are discussing your holiday with the travel agent make sure you ask if what they are offering is the lowest possible price, there are plenty of added extras that can be removed to make the overall price cheaper, not having the meal on short flights and taking your own packed lunch for example can save up to £15 per person!

Take out Travel Insurance

Now I know what you’re thinking, if money is tight why do I want to pay out for travel insurance? Well if you don’t and something was to go wrong whilst you were away you could end up with a far greater bill than the cost of taking out travel insurance. There are some great family travel insurance policies out there that that can be cheaper than buying insurance for each member of the family individually as many offer free child cover. For great travel insurance deals from moneysupermarket.com.

Plan your meals

Work out what is best for you food wise before you start looking for your holiday, if you are the type who likes to explore and try new restaurants all inclusive is probably not the best option for you. If you don’t mind staying in the resort complex then all inclusive deals can end up saving you a lot of money as you don’t have to worry about paying for the children to have ice creams and drinks during the day, the costs of which can soon mount up. When you are travelling to and from your destination is another time when costs on food can be a lot more than you initially expected. Take a packed lunch with you, meals and snacks at airports and service stations are significantly more expensive than anywhere else and children can become over excited and irritable if they eat too many sweets whilst travelling. Instead take their favourite packed lunch and a few treats to have throughout the course of the day.

Pack their own hand luggage

Allowing your children to pack their own hand luggage will give them a sense of responsibility for the journey and ensure that they have things to keep them occupied for the entire duration of their travels. If you ensure their backpack is filled with pens, paper, colouring in equipment and one of their favourite toys this should keep them entertained without having to pay for expensive toys and games that are available to buy at airports. The sense of being in charge of their own things will make children more interested in their own special hand luggage they have with them than being distracted by the new toys in duty free.

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