Frugal Family Travels (Part 1) 12.29.12

I often talk to people who haven’t taken a real vacation in a long time. Between their bills and children, they feel like money is always an issue and their small budget won’t allow them to travel anywhere far from home. Traveling doesn’t have to be a burden, and with the stress of everyday life weighing down on you, a trip may be just the thing to re-energize you and bring your family closer together. You don’t have to spend a fortune to still have a great time. In fact, I spend my time researching ways to spend less, while still doing more on every trip I take. Here are just some of the ways to save when traveling with your family.

Travel in the off-season or during winter break. If you have smaller children, you have the luxury of traveling all year long. With this in mind, avoid traveling in the summer. Summer is easily the busiest and most expensive time to plan a vacation. If a beach or other warm-weather location is your destination of choice, plan a trip in the spring. Springtime is always less crowded and one of the best times to find sales on both airfare and hotel rates. If your children are in school, wait until Christmas break to make your journey. If you fly on Christmas Day, you can get rock-bottom airfare, since most travelers want to be at their destination by that day and it’s one of the lightest travel days of the year.

Trade in the ocean for the lake. If you are longing for a beach getaway, you can do many of the same activities at a lakeside destination as you can oceanfront, but with the upside of vast savings off your vacation total. You can still build sandcastles, go boating, snorkeling, diving, fishing, parasailing and more, but at a lower cost.

Rent an apartment, condo or house. When you travel with your whole family, even if it’s just four of you, a hotel room can feel claustrophobic. Hotels rarely offer more than just one room and an attached bathroom, so if you’re planning to be in your room for more than just sleeping and changing clothes, nobody has any personal space. Check sites like HomeAway and FlipKey to reserve a vacation rental for your stay. Not only will you have more room to spread out, but you’ll also save money over a bigger hotel room and have a kitchen, where you can make some of your own meals reduce your dining budget.

Avoid ordering off the kids’ menu. When you go out to eat, almost all restaurants have the dreaded kids’ menu that usually has the same five food items to choose from. Sometimes your kids are just not going to be happy with anything but chicken nuggets, but for the rest of the time you’re out, you can be more frugal and get your children to try new foods (and eat some vegetables!) by splitting an entree with them or between children. They will have options that are more nutritious than pizza and hot dogs and if they don’t finish what’s on their plate, you haven’t wasted money on a separate dish.

Use your zoo membership. Almost every family I know has invested in a zoo membership, because for one price, they can go to the zoo and aquarium all year long. This helps when money is tight and they have to get out of the house, and I don’t know any kid that doesn’t love fish and other animals. If you have a membership, you can use it to visit other zoos and aquariums across the country and, in some cases, in other parts of the world. It can be fun for kids to feel like the day is totally about them and they can learn about new animals in different parts of the world that your zoo might not have.

Traveling with kids can give you a whole different view of your vacation destination and cause you to be more creative in planning and traveling around each day. Children can be great world travelers, if given a chance, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for them to learn about new cultures, food and countries.

This post originally appeared on Totally Temberton.

Frugal Holiday Activities 12.26.12

Christmas is over, but that doesn't mean that there are no more holiday activities to engage in on your days off. Take a break from playing with your new toys and go outside. We were able to spend our Friday night doing something we hadn't done for a while. Going to the zoo.

The Oregon Zoo in Portland holds their Zoolights event between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. They decorate the zoo with millions of lights. You'll see animals, but only lit up ones, as most of the real animals are asleep for the night. This is a super popular event in the Portland area. The lines were long when we arrived, but they were crazy by the time we were leaving. Weekends are the busiest and also the days leading up to Christmas, so going before the end of the year is perfect and a good way to spend quality time out with your family before school and work starts again.

With a zoo membership, you can get into this event for free. We happened to be in the right place at the right time and some wonderful people saved us $24 by handing us their two extra member tickets that they couldn't use, so this activity ended up being even cheaper. We spent a total of $9 once we made it in and that was on hot chocolates and treats. Even though it was rainy, we still had a good time and got some fun photos. 

What are some of your favorite local holiday traditions?

Last-Minute Gifts for Travelers 12.22.12

The Holidays are upon us, which means you’re probably visiting friends or relatives and you have to show up with gifts for Christmas, Hanukkah or, in some cases, a birthday. But what to get for people who already have everything, are super picky, you don’t know as well as you used to or you just don’t have time to shop for? If you will be traveling to see them and you don’t want to wrap stuff up to ship ahead of you, or are a super procrastinator and do things at the last possible moment, then you have options! First of all, your carry-on bag is probably not big enough to hold much more than your clothes and toiletries, so consider some small, but amazing options:

Get them a copy of Shereen Travels Cheap – You know I had to say it. But if you truly have someone who is always searching for bargains on everything or for the person who aspires to travel the world, but then never goes because they say they can’t afford it, this is the perfect gift! There are hundreds of tips in this book to help even the most inexperienced traveler or Internet researcher get the most for their money. College students, seniors and every age in between have said this book was easy to read, was amusing and gave them excellent money-saving tips within even the first few pages. It packs small, but is a wealth of information. Pay $14.95 and help them save thousands!

Get them gift cards – Usually, this is a big no-no on my list of gift ideas, because I feel like it’s not trying, but if you know someone who loves to travel, this is the most useful gift you can get them. Choose from their favorite airlines, hotels or get them an annual pass to airport lounges. You can get them something for where they are going, like Disney gift cards. If you are simply clueless, buy a gift card for a reseller site, like Travelocity or Hotels.com. At this late stage, you can get a lot of gift cards emailed, too.

Get them a QuikPod – For the solo traveler on your list (or even a couple), this thing is the greatest invention ever, and super affordable. The QuikPod has a camera mount and a telescoping handle, so you can take pictures of yourself – or you and your travel companion(s) – and also get some cool background in the shots. It takes up minimal space (even in the package) and is one of the best things I’ve ever bought, because I no longer have to ask passersby to take a photo or figure out how to angle the camera on my purse while also hitting the timer button and running back to position. It’s fabulous when you are traveling off the beaten path…or need to use it to beat someone, as it’s very sturdy and could make a good self-defense weapon. Ha! Two useful products in one!

Get them an Eye-Fi memory card – Got a budding photographer on your list, social media addict or a blogger to buy for? The Eye-Fi card is perfect! With built-in WiFi, it magically sends any photos or videos taken with it (you know, with a camera) to an iPhone, iPad, Android device or computer. Instant back-up! Not only that, you can set up your card to also send your photos and videos straight to an online sharing site, including Flickr, Facebook, Shutterfly and even YouTube. Pictures don’t need to be uploaded at the end of the day to be able to add them to a blog, making it so much easier to share and save. While they aren’t technically inexpensive, starting at $40, they can be a lifesaver, especially if a camera gets stolen on a trip, because all their memories will be backed up. It also saves a lot of time for those that make a living with photos or a blog, or just like to take many pictures everywhere they go. Plus, it’s smallness will make it easy to slip into your carry-on.

Get them some iTunes credits – Is your traveler all about their gadgets? Do they have a smartphone, iPad, iPod and more? If they are a connected traveler, then a card full of audio and visual possibilities is perfect. They can buy apps, music, movies, games and more to keep them from ever getting bored anywhere they go.

Get them a universal gadget wrist charger – This is one of the new fun things I’ve found over at ThinkGeek, for the person who is always running out of battery! Give them this futuristic looking “bracelet” and they can charge their device while using their phone, iPod or gaming device. When you can’t plug in for more juice, plug your device into yourself…sorta. Fantastic gift for those that are forgetful or always in transit. Comes with 9 connectors to be used on the most popular devices.

Get them a BackTrack personal GPS – For the person who habitually gets lost wherever they go. The BackTrack is a small, digital GPS from Bushnell that can clip onto a bag, belt loop or fit in a pocket. It comes in many colors, too, though I think the pink is fun. They can save their starting point, run around and sightsee and then find their way back to their car, hotel, a coffee shop or wherever else they originated from. Super easy to use and highly portable. Does not work inside, so if they get lost in a parking garage or mall, they’re out of luck.

Get them a CityPASS – Last week I posted about a great deal on five cities that offer the CityPASS. Buy them for the holidays and if they are used for the first time December 15^th or after, they remain valid until the end of February, instead of the normal 9 day validity. CityPASSes are great for travelers, because they allow them to see and do more on a budget. Pay one price and get the most popular (and sometime obscure, too) attractions included. If you have a gift recipient that will be going to Hollywood, Philadelphia, Seattle, Atlanta or Boston, then get them some cool experiences. On average, CityPASSes save half off regular attraction rates, which is a huge savings if they get to all of them. Even if they are just going home to one of these cities, chances are they haven’t done some of the activities included and would like the chance to go back to the ones they have.

Do you like these ideas? They can certainly fit the bill for travelers you need to buy for. Do you have other ideas that are useful, fun and easily packable?