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We dream, we anticipate, we spend hour upon hour planning every detail, we scrimp and save...and at last it arrives..."The Family Vacation." Unfortunately, it also takes us broke, or throws our credit card balances within a hairsbreadth of their limits. This is pretty par for the course for many normal-sized families. You know..Mom, Dad and the cookie-cutter, requisite, two children.
But what happens to those families who don't quite fit in the mold? We aren't all cut from the same cloth. What about those of us who-in the eyes of airlines, hotels, and package deal plans-have committed the unforgivable sin of having more than two children? The extra vacation costs incurred by those who dare to have a large family in this day and age can make the said vacation seem like an unattainable goal.
Hotel rooms are designed for families of four. Package deal prices are based upon a standard family of four, even campsites have limits as to how many people can be on them. And amusement park admissions, which are astronomically priced as it is these days, for a family of 6 or more persons, can easily add up to several hundreds of dollars.
However, if you do happen to have a family that is larger than the norm, the great news is, there are ways to cut the costs of a vacation, and make it affordable.
One of the easiest places to cut corners is with accommodations. Many hotels do have "Kids Stay Free" policies. However, they may also have rollaway charges, or limits as to how many persons can occupy one room. The best, and by far the cheapest way to stay, is simply to camp.
If you have a larger family, one of the best investments you can make is to purchase a used pop-up camper. These can be found relatively inexpensively, usually at the beginning and end of the camping season. Campgrounds charge much less than hotels, and your pop-up will quite possibly pay for itself with just a handful of uses. Nearly every known place that is worth visiting has a campground somewhere in the vicinity.
Camping will also enable you to save on another major vacation expense..food. You will be able to bring along much of your families meals and refreshments, thus saving tons of money that would otherwise be spent on fast food.
You will also want to be more careful when choosing a destination. Certain destinations are well known for their cost, and you may want to avoid those until you have an adequate chance to save up for them. For instance, Walt Disney World is a place that every family should visit at least once, but you may want to wait on that until you have had some time to plan and save. This can make the difference of being able to go at all, or not.
State parks are sometimes overlooked as vacation destinations, and this is a shame. Often these gems have wonderful campgrounds at very reasonable rates, vast recreation opportunities such as planned activities, lakes, boating, fishing, and family oriented campfire programs.
You can find state park camping facilities on the ocean, with pristine beaches, wild horses, bike rentals, and just far too many things to even list.
Most campgrounds offer comfort stations with modern bathing facilities, and water and electrical hookups for recreational vehicles, also.
The hardest aspect of saving money on vacation, is amusement park admission rates. There are usually discount tickets for most parks that are available at local groceries and fast food establishments in the locale surrounding the parks. The best and quickest way to find out about these coupons is to find a travel discussion board for the area you are interested in visiting, and just ask.
Another place to obtain discounted tickets is AAA, so if you have a membership with them, you can call and ask about the specific park you are interested in. Also, if the destination happens to be in a neighboring state, and you work for any type of government agency, including local government, you can often obtain discounted tickets through your place of employment, or credit union.
What many people do is to earn gift certificates for hotels, restaurants, and even some amusement park admissions online. This does take planning and time. It takes at least a couple of years to "Click to Disney" as it as commonly referred to, but it can be done. Just check the Rewards section at mycoupons.com and usually someone regularly will write a post asking about this. Do note that for a larger family, it may be a more feasible goal just to go t a huge savings or discount, than to get the whole vacation for free, as may be possible with a smaller sized family.
It is possible for a larger family to have a nice vacation for a reasonable price. It sometimes takes creativity, a willingness to make do with less comfort and convenience, and a lot of planning and research..but it is very much something that can be done.
Good Luck, and Happy Traveling!
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