5 Ways to Make a Family Holiday Affordable This Summer*

In the last 4 years I have become accustomed to going on holiday. I’ve given up all the extra luxuries like drinking, eating out, clothes shopping and having a social life to be able to afford it, but it’s tough. I only have myself and LM to pay for so I can’t even begin to imagine how a family of four (or more) could afford to do it! People often ask me how I do it, and aside from sacrificing a lot of other aspects of my adult life, I shop around and make educated choices. Our next trip is to LA, I booked flights with stop overs from an airport down the country, I was flexible with my dates and I’m staying with friends. Yeah, it would be nice to fly direct from my closest airport and stay in a fancy hotel for a week, but in a choice between cutting costs or not going at all, I’ll always cut costs.

So today, I’m sharing 5 ways you could cut costs on a family holiday to make it more affordable.

Consider a Stay-cation
As much as I love the thrill of going to an airport and jetting off abroad, you don’t have to to have a great holiday abroad. Especially this summer while the weather is so nice. If you can pack up your car and drive to your destination it’ll make it even cheaper. My friend and I were just discussing how we have seen so little of our own country and there is so much to see. I’m blessed and live beside the beach, but not everyone is. If you live in a city I can guarantee your kids would love a few days by the seaside. You could camp or get a cheap hotel, or even go to a caravan site! For us, a trip to London is a treat, we went for a staycation last summer and it was such fun!

Bag a Last Minute Deal
If you still want to head off abroad the best and cheapest way to do it is to bag a last minute deal. I don’t have the nerve to do this but I love reading stories of people popping into a travel agent and coming out with a week until their trip. Already travel websites will have summer 2019 listed but search for something like Gran Canaria holidays for 2018 and you’re bound to find some amazing last minute deals. Places in Europe like Gran Canaria or Majorca usually have the best deals for September time as it’s coming to the end of the summer season.

Be Flexible on Destination
I’ve alway liked the quote “if you don’t know where you’re going any road will take you there” of course it’s referring to life but I think it can be applied to holidays too. I’m usually flexible on dates and it does make a difference in price, but also being flexible on where you’re going can make it cheaper too. Some places will reduce prices of a holiday if they’re trying to fill rooms, especially at the end of the season. My first trip to Europe without my parents we searched by price rather than destination and booked a very cheap holiday to Rhodes, it was brilliant and less than £200 per person for a week!

Go Self Catering
Yes, the cheapest way to do a family holiday is to go self catering. A lot of holiday destinations will have a near by supermarket where you can stock up on supplies. If you’re going somewhere hot a salad with fresh bread and fruit can be perfect after a day at the beach. Limiting your family to one meal out a day can make a huge impact on your budget and definitely make a trip more affordable! Even when you’re at Disney we still usually have breakfast in the room if we’re not doing a character meal!

Try a Budget Airline
Finally, sometimes it’s cheaper to book everything separately for a holiday. It can be a fuss, but if it saves you money it’s worth it. If you’re planning to fly short haul it’s worth looking into a budget airline like Easyjet for a good deal. I’ve had some flights to Paris for £54 return per person! No fills airlines are exactly that and they can be a bit squished, but just think of it as a sky bus taking you from a to b! Wouldn’t you rather have some extra money to spend while you’re there?

Holidays are a luxury, but it’s a luxury a lot of us need to keep us going throughout the rest of the year but with the cost of getting away ever rising, it’s worth thinking about these points before you book so you can get the best bang for your buck!