Hostels are probably the very cheapest place you can stay during your travels. You may think… whoa, dormitory style bunk beds, backpacks, bathrooms down the hall… and starving students, but that’s not necessarily true anymore.
It is true that the average age for guests is 18-26, and you’ll run into some places that do enforce an age limit, but people of all ages and budgets stay in them these days.
Their buildings are often in good locations in towns. They’re easily accessible by public transportation, though there are some in rural areas too.
Some provide private rooms for couples or families as well as the dormitory style rooms. Still you have to decide if this kind of traveling is for you. (more…)
You need to think about home exchange details for any vacation house swap to be successful.
You want to be trusting, but you also need to protect yourself. The first thing you need to think about is which exchange club to use. You need to see what they specialize in, because most do specialize. Do you need a club that caters to families, or seniors, or people with pets?
Home Exchange clubs are based in countries all over the world; they may list houses mostly their own country, but most have international listings as well.
If you have a certain country in mind to visit, try to get an idea of how many listings they have in your country of choice before you plunk down your money. (more…)
One way to travel within your budget is to consider a home exchange.
Have you heard about it? Home exchanges have been around for decades, but they’ve really gotten easier to arrange with the internet. They’ve become popular with families, seniors and boomers.
You basically arrange to trade your house for someone else’s house from another city, state, or country during your vacation.
You get to spend a week or two in… say London… while that London family gets a beach vacation in, oh, San Diego.
With hotel rates in popular areas so high, swapping houses can be a great way to save money, plus you will have a kitchen, multiple bedrooms, and you’ll probably get to know the neighbors and see some things that you wouldn’t have seen from a hotel room. (more…)
If you’re interested in adding a little budget travel to your itinerary, and who isn’t once in a while, think about getting out into the countryside instead of spending all of your time in the big cities.
No matter where you’re traveling in the world, the countryside will almost always be cheaper than cities.
To maximize the benefit of this formula, you have to refine it even more, and plan when you’ll be in the city and when you should spend time in the countryside.
If you’re on a driving trip in your home country or one next door, this type of budget travel planing is easy. You’ve got your car, so you can do both city and countryside. (more…)
What about a camping family vacation this year? If you’re American and you leave it to the kids to decide on your family vacation, chances are you’ll be heading to Disneyland or Disney World.
There’s nothing wrong with that… those magical lands on both coasts of the U.S. are great fun for kids of all ages.
And there are plenty of things to do nearby to both, but what about something different….maybe getting back to basics and a camping family vacation? Ah-oh. Camping? Where do you go? What do you do?
If you’ve never camped before, you might want to start close to home… so you can bail out if you have to! You can save the beautiful park far from home for another time, once you know you’re all going to like the camping experience. (more…)
Travel with friends and family can be a tricky thing. You may have talked about your dream vacation with your friends… Think about what you’ll do if they say, “Yea, I’ve always wanted to do that! We should go together.”
Maybe you think, why not? You get together a couple of times a month for barbecues. You’ve caught a few ball games together, spent days together getting those house projects done. Why not enjoy a trip together?
A trip together can be a really good thing, but you have to make sure you think things through… You really need to have an idea about who likes what before you start traveling with friends and family. You want them to be your friends when you come home too! (more…)
Many Americans choose London as one of their first destinations abroad. While the majority of Americans no longer claim English ancestry, there is no doubt that the history of the United States is closely tied to England. Combine that with the fact that you don’t have to deal with a foreign language, and it’s an appealing destination.
If you’re not an American or a native English speaker, this grand old city still is a great place to visit. So if you want to go to London what can you expect to see? What should you do?
One of the most iconic things to see is Big Ben…. but you won’t really SEE Big Ben. That is the nickname for the Great Bell, as it’s officially known. The smaller bells chime “Westminster Quarters” on the quarter hours… a little tune you’re probably familiar with. Big Ben chimes the hour. (more…)
Grand Paris! Think of a romantic trip to Europe, and the City of Lights springs immediately to mind! And why not? It’s a beautiful city. Easy to navigate. And the sights!
Well, there is no shortage of sights. And because of the combination of tourist attractions, food, and romance, it is one of the most popular destinations in the world.
So what do you want to do in this grand city? The museums? The Monuments? The markets? The bookstalls along the Seine? Is it the food that attracts you at world class restaurants, or do you just want to sit in a sidewalk cafe and watch the world go by?
There are so many “must sees” that you really will have to choose what is most important to you. Monuments? How about the Eiffel Tower. The Place de la Concorde with it’s Egyptian obelisk. Think of the line up of the Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel through the Tuileries to the Arc de Triomphe, and the grand Grande Arche in La Defense district. Or how about Invalides where Napoleon is buried.
Landmark churches? Start with Notre Dame de Paris. The Basilique du Sacre-Coeur… dramatic and white on the hill in Montmartre. The churches of La Madeleine, Sainte-Chapelle, and the Pantheon. Or just landmark buildings like the Palais Garnier.
There are so many world class museums that it would take your entire vacation to see them. The Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay, the Musee Rodin and the Musee Picasso to name some of the most obvious. Museums can make your head spin after a few hours. To avoid being overwhelmed by them, get a museum card. They are available for 1, 3 and 5 days.
The card will allow you can go in and out of the museums over the period of your stay and not get “museum head”. The museums are fantastic, but you want to get a feel for all of Paris don’t you?
Take time to stroll in a garden or two. The Tuileries stretches in front of the Louvre. The Luxembourg Garden is a great place to watch children of all ages sail small boats on the ponds. Sit in one of the cafes and have a glass of wine.
Wander in some of the neighborhoods. See Montparnasse with it’s artists and cafes. See the delectable food displays in stores around La Madeleine. Explore the Latin Quarter… see the Sorbonne and visit a bistro or two. Or just wander along the Seine and see what the booksellers have in those green metal boxes.
The food is… well so French and wonderful. You can certainly eat expensive meals at restaurants with who knows how many Michelin stars, but the food will be good almost everywhere. Pop into any bistro or neighborhood restaurant and order a “prix fixe” menu and you are sure to have a great meal. You have to try the favorite street food of Parisians…. crepes… try one with Nutella, or sugar and butter.
Food, wine, lots of action….. If we haven’t got you packing your bags for Paris, we hope we at least have you dreaming of the City of Lights.
Everyone needs to take a vacation with their family, but it is not always easy to do when you don’t have a lot of money. The truth is, it doesn’t require a lot of money to take a vacation. All it takes is some planning, searching and time to find the best family budget vacations that are available.
This article is going to give you some important tips to help.
- Plan ahead – It is imperative to plan ahead if the family will be taking a vacation on a budget. This is the only way to save the most money possible while still allowing your family to have fun.
- Go on vacation during the non-peak period. This will help to save money on everything because it will be much cheaper. Plus, it might be possible to find special discounts available only during this time.
- Check with hotels, airlines, car rental services and anywhere else that is needed to find the best deal possible. This will take time, but there are many times that a good deal will be available, especially for families. Always take time to look because this can provide a way to save money and stay in your budget.
- Food on vacation can get expensive so it is a smart idea to pack a cooler with food to take with you. This will help to cut down on eating out because this is something your family can enjoy once you arrive at the vacation destination.
These are not all the tips that need to be known, but they are the ones that are most important for helping keep the family in the budget. Family budget vacations are definitely possible, but will take time to plan. Get started now so your family can start having fun.