Introducing Jeana Mitchell:
Jeana is the mother of seven kids. An expert on crowd control and stretching a buck, she recently found the time to give our readers some terrific advice in the comments sections of our posts “The Slacker Parent and the Travel Friendly Child” and the “10 Essential Packing Rules”. We’re very pleased she has agreed to share some additional travel tips with Family Hack.
Vacation “packages” are set up for families of four. Having a family of nine can make vacationing on a budget a real challenge. However, it can be done! Here are some tips we have used to cut costs on our vacations without cutting out the fun.
1. BE NICE!
Make friends with the staff at the hotel or campground you are visiting. Tipping well once or twice will make you a friend of all the staff. Train your children to be polite and helpful to the staff. This goes miles if you are a large group and works on several levels.
- The staff knows the area, and normally is happy to help you find great deals.
- The staff knows if there are discount tickets behind the counter, and they do not have to make it public knowledge.
- They will share if they like you.
2. SHOP LIKE A NATIVE!
Before getting to your destination, locate at least two shops you would like to visit. When you’re there, ask the shopkeeper if they can recommend any other shops…they can! They will also usually tell you which grocery has the best deals as well. Also, grocery coupons that work in California, will work in New York.
3. BUY A MEMBERSHIP!
For our family, the cost of a membership is roughly the same as visiting one time. Even if your family needs two or three visits to make up the cost, check out the fine print and see if your local museum, zoo, or science center has a membership program, find out if they are partnered with reciprocal facilities. If so, most will honor your membership and let you in free or at least for 50% off. Children universally love these places and they tend to be very different. As a bonus, most reciprocal facilities offer discounts in the gift shop as well. Check these websites for science centers and zoos that have programs nationwide:
Association of Science-Technology Centers
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
4. MAKE A CHECKLIST!
Make a travel checklist on fun or brightly colored paper and use it. This gives you time to figure out what is missing and put it in the bag before you go. Personalize a checklist for each member of the family, leave a few spaces blank so kids can add their own items to the checklist. Pack the checklists in each individual’s bag so nothing is left behind.
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