How to Budget Your Next Family Vacation + Free Worksheet

It seems like most big vacations for our family of 5 range from about $3k-5k.  I will tell you that we typically don’t stay in luxury hotels—we are Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express kind of people.  Hotels from these brands are typically clean, have a pool and offer a free breakfast, which my kids love.  Plus, it saves us money.

Ready to Plan?

If you’ve kept up with this blog, you know that I love to plan our vacations! My vacations are planned out pretty far in advance (typically 6-8 months).  I also need to save money for our trips so I like to get an idea of exactly what amount I need save before we leave.  Don’t get me wrong, I love spur of the moment trips too! We make sure to include those when we have a surplus of vacation funds!

How do I budget my trip?

There are two ways you can budget your trip: 1. Decide on your budget and choose a destination that easily fits within your budget, or 2. Choose your destination and do your research to determine how much you’ll need to save/budget to make it a worthwhile trip. The last thing you want is to plan a vacation where the cost of your accommodations, airfare and food leave you with no money to sightsee!

Come up with a bucket list of things your family enjoys and plan your trip around that! For our family, the beach is always enjoyable for us. Depending on our budget, we may choose to take a road trip to Myrtle Beach or we may fly to Cancun, Mexico to stay in our timeshare at Sandos Resorts! We also enjoy camping and outdoor activities so we use what we love most to create our next adventure!

What to include in your Family Vacation Budget

• Accommodations
• Flight Costs (don’t forget bag and/or seat costs)
• Transportation during your vacation (i.e. rental car, train, bus, uber, etc.)
• Parking/Tolls/Gas/Tips (don’t forget about airport parking)
• Activities/Excursions
• Food
• Other Expenses (souvenirs, shopping, pet care, etc.)

My biggest suggestion is to DO YOUR RESEARCH!  Before booking hotels, activities, cruises, flights, etc. do your homework.  Often times, you can find better prices by just doing a little research first.

Accommodations

Will you have a vehicle?

• Think about where you’re going to stay and how you’ll get around once you’re at your destination.  If you’re not going to have a car, it may be best to stay at a hotel with a shuttle to/from the airport or close to public transportation.  Some hotels even have a complimentary shuttle that will take you within a one to five-mile radius.  Typically, hotels in the city are more expensive than those farther away.  Depending on your needs, staying right in the city may cost you more for a hotel, but will allow you to walk to restaurants and other destinations, which saves you money on Uber, taxis or other means of transportation.
• If you’re driving or renting a car, it may be worthwhile to stay at a hotel farther away from the city because they tend to be quite a bit cheaper and don’t normally charge for parking.  Remember that most hotels in the city also charge an extra parking fee, which could be an extra $15-$30 per day.  Those additional fees add up quick so it’s a good idea to pay attention to those details when choosing a hotel.

Hotel Before/After trip

• Don’t forget to include accommodations before or after a trip. When we do a long road trip, we tend to leave after work and drive half way to our destination and stay in a hotel. When we cruise, we like to fly to our embarkation city the day before so we don’t risk missing the boat! Be sure to add these accommodations into your budget.

Amenities

• Consider what amenities mean the most to you.  For our family, we always look for a hotel with an indoor pool and/or hot tub.  Our kids love to swim so it’s the thing that excites them most.  We also try to choose a hotel that has a free breakfast (Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express both offer free breakfast).  Our kids are up at the crack of dawn begging to go make their pancakes or waffles!  It’s important to us too because it’s one less meal we have to plan and pay for each day. 
  • If you’re hotel doesn’t offer free breakfast, but it’s a great deal, consider bringing your own breakfast foods such as cereal, bagels, cereal bars, granola, fruit, etc. 

Decide on the type of accommodations you need

• Remember that hotels aren’t your only option! We’ve used Airbnb and VRBO several times and found really great deals! Sometimes they are more affordable and give you the added benefit of having your own kitchen. Typically they are pretty well stocked with the things you need such as pots and pans, linens, toilet paper, etc.
  • Just be sure to read the description to know exactly what’s included. Some have linen charges, extra cleaning fees, etc. Be sure to incorporate those into your budget. Even with those added fees, it may still be a more affordable option.
• Maybe you’ll consider camping. You can either bring your own tent/RV or even rent one!

Flight Costs

Don’t forget to budget for added costs

• As soon as you have an idea of where you want to go, start looking at flights and get an idea of how much they’ll cost (if you’re flying).  Don’t forget to factor in the cost of bags, seats, and any other extras that may not be included in the published price.

Check nearby airports

• We live about an hour away from three different airports so I also research flights to and from all of those destinations.  Cleveland and Pittsburgh are two airports near us that tend to flip flop prices often—one is almost always cheaper than the other.  Google is awesome!  You can type in your airport and destination and select “Flights” and you can see flight costs for any date!  You can easily switch the departure and arrival cities to find the best deal.  If your destination has more than one airport nearby, check the cost to that airport too.  You may find a better deal!  And remember that Southwest Airlines is not listed in these searches so be sure to check them out separately.  Southwest allows each passenger to check two bags for free so if you are an over-packer, their flights may save you some major dough!

Check cheaper airlines

• Don’t be afraid of the cheaper airlines.  We’ve flown pretty much all airlines and had some really good flights with Frontier Airlines.  Remember that if you want to sit together, you will need to pay for seats.  We’ve paid anywhere between $5 and $11 per seat (and beware of flights with layovers because seats normally need to be paid for on each leg of the trip).  These costs add up (along with baggage) so I always factor those costs into our ticket price when I compare them against other companies.

Consider flying into and departing from different airports

• Did you know that you don’t have to use the same airline getting to your destination as you do coming home?  You may actually find better prices by choosing one-way flights with different airlines.  Round-trip flights aren’t always going to be your best deal.
  • An example of this is Fort Lauderdale and Miami airports. They are 30 minutes away from each other, but we’ve flown into Miami and came home from Fort Lauderdale because the flights were significantly cheaper than booking both flights from the same airport!

Save More, pack less!

• Save on the amount of checked bags by packing less.  I know, I know, this isn’t always easy, but it’s totally do-able!  One of my favorite things are packing cubes.  I have these and they allow me to pack more and stay organized!  You can read this post to see why I love them so much!
  • And remember that most airlines allow you to take a personal item, which is usually the size of a back pack (needs to fit under your seat).  You can fit a decent amount of stuff in those bags that can help cut down on the amount that is in your actual suitcase.  I always wear my heaviest clothing and shoes on the plane (i.e. wear a jacket and tennis shoes) and pack my lighter/less bulky items like flip flops. 
  • Plus each kid gets a carry on, so my kids bring a backpack with the stuff they need for the plane (and sometimes even an extra outfit just to cut back on our packed luggage).

Transportation

How will you travel once at your destination?

• First of all, you need to decide on how you’ll get around once you’re on vacation.  Maybe you’re driving your own car or maybe you’ll rent a car, use Uber or a light rail system.  Either way you choose, you need to budget.  The internet is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to budgeting.  Most public transit systems post their costs online.  You can even get an estimate on Uber’s website so you have an idea of how much a trip will cost. 
  • If you’re using Uber, just be sure to pay attention to the size of Uber you need.  Since we’re a family of five, we need an Uber XL, which is a little more expensive than an Uber for four people.

Ways to save on transportation

• Check rates for rental cars websites like Travelocity or Expedia in addition to a company’s direct website.  You may also have access to discounts via websites like Ticketsatwork.com or shopping clubs like Sam’s Club or Cosco.  Sometimes credit card companies offer discounts as well such as American Express Travel.
  • If you are booking directly on a company’s website or even using sites like Travelocity, consider using Rakuten, Swagbucks, Ibotta or Retail Me Not, that allow you to earn extra cash back and/or coupon codes.

One-way rentals

• You also have the option of doing a one-way rental so you can pick up at one location and drop off at another.  We’ve done this several times. 
  • For instance, when we went on our last cruise, it was cheaper for us to fly into Tampa and drive to Port Canaveral than it was to fly into Orlando International and pay for a shuttle to the port.  We were able to rent a car in Tampa the day before our cruise, go sightseeing and shopping and drop it off right at the cruise terminal before we embarked.

Parking/Tolls/Gas/Tips

Airport Parking

• Be sure to budget in any additional money you’d spend on parking either at the airport or at your hotel or during destinations on your trip.  One of the things we’ve found is that the airport is the most expensive place to park.  Most airports have nearby parking facilities at a fraction of the cost.  We’ve also found that hotels in the area also offer parking at significantly discounted rates and will shuttle you to and from the airport.  Again, do your research to find the best deal in your area.

Tolls

• If you’re driving either to your destination or while you’re there, don’t forget about tolls.  We purchased an EZ Pass from a different state because the cost was actually cheaper than Ohio (where we live).  Some states, like Florida, will charge you tolls directly to your rental car so be on the lookout for those.

Gas

• Be sure to factor in the cost of gas, whether you’re driving your own car or renting a car. If you are renting a car, don’t forget to fill up BEFORE you return your car (unless you opt for the company to do it for you).

Small Bills for Tips

• Whenever we travel, I make sure that I have a lot of small bills.  It’s helpful when you’re tipping shuttle or taxi drivers and luggage porters. 

Activities/Excursions

CityPass

• If you’re heading to somewhere within the United States, many big cities have City Pass, which allows you to pay one price for several different activities over the course of your stay.  You can check out the pass and see exactly what is included.  

Memberships

• We are also huge proponents of having a Science Center Membership.  We’re members of the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, but there are over 250 additional science centers around the US that we get into for free with our membership.  This is a huge cost savings for us as it gives our entire family a fun activity to do for free!

Excursions

• We are cruisers so we have done excursions both with the cruise line and without.  Often times, the cruise line prices are significantly more than if you book from a third party.  One thing I will say is that when we’re in another country, we like to stick with the cruise line because we feel safer.  However, for our Alaska cruise (that was canceled due to COVID), we booked excursions we with third party vendors and not the cruise line.  We saved (literally) hundreds of dollars for each excursion by going with a local company rather than the cruise line.  Prior to booking these excursions, I did my homework.  I used Trip Advisor and other websites to find recommended companies.  I have to give a shout out to Juneau Tours because we were fully refunded for our excursions.

Coupon Books

• Check the local coupon books that you find at the airport or hotels.  Many times you can find discounts for local activities in those as well.

Food

Research Restaurants

• I consider myself a foodie!  I avoid chain restaurants anytime we travel because I can eat at those anytime.  When I travel, I want to try new things and dine in restaurants that are highly rated.  I’ll ask locals for their suggestions because they know the best places!  I google “best restaurants in _____” or I’ll search Pinterest for other blogs that give me insight into the best local cuisine. 
  • Typically we’re not choosing luxury restaurants—we’re more of “hole in the wall” or budget-friendly kind of people.  It seems like the best food we’ve found are small family owned restaurants.  I research menus and get an idea for what the cost will be.  I know that for our family, we tend to spend around $55/dinner and use that as a starting budget knowing that we may spend more than that at certain restaurants or if we splurge on drinks or dessert.
  • Check out our suggestions for Myrtle Beach, Gulf Shores and our hometown Youngstown, Ohio!

Choose a hotel with free breakfast

• I mentioned earlier that we like to stay at hotels with a free breakfast, which cuts down on the amount of meals we pay for each day.  I’m also a snack packer.  I typically have a bag of snacks that my kids can grab in the hotel or while we’re out and about.  This saves us from having to purchase extra food. 

Eat a late lunch or early dinner

• A lot of times, we’ll share a few meals or eat lighter fare rather than eating a full lunch.  We like to eat a late lunch/early dinner, which gives us the opportunity to eat off the lunch menu and because we’re eating at a non-peak time, we can get in and out quicker.  Then we’ll have a dessert or snack later that evening saving us on daily food costs. 

Grab some groceries

• If you’re planning to stay in a house or condo, cooking some of your meals is a huge money saver! Be sure to add in a grocery budget if you plan to do this. When we rent a house/condo, we usually purchase breakfast food as well as lunchmeat and snacks. When we can eat breakfast and most lunches in our house, we save a ton of money. We still go out to eat for dinner so we don’t totally eliminate our restaurant budget, but it’s a perfect way to make a vacation more affordable for your family!

Other Expenses

Give the kids a budget!

• Be sure to add in any other expenses you may have forgotten. We are not huge souvenir people, but when we go somewhere like Disney or Universal, the kids are definitely going to want something! We try to give them a budget to spend for each trip and they can use their money to buy anything they want. Sometimes they choose a toy, Legos or apparel, while other times they’ll use it for a treat. My kids LOVE snacks and sometimes it’s just not in our budget to purchase a bunch of extras so my kids will use their own money to get that Mickey Ice Cream Bar or that fun smoothie in a pineapple!
  • For places like Disney and Universal, we usually get them a gift card to spend. It gives them a budget and a feeling of ownership, plus we get a kickback with Fuel Perks since we purchase them at Giant Eagle.
  • We usually know, in advance, where we’re heading for our summer vacation so we usually add these gift cards to their Easter Basket. We cut back on the candy and give them something they’ll enjoy. Often times, grandma and grandpa purchase gift cards for Easter or other holidays/birthdays to add to their spending.

Factor in any pet costs

• If you have pets, don’t forget to factor in the cost of a kennel or pet sitter!

Cruising? Plan for gratuities

• If you’re cruising, don’t forget that you’ll have gratuities added to your bill for each day of your cruise.  Our most recent cruise charged $14.50/day per person.  A lot of times when people book cruises, they see the cruise fare and think that’s it.  Unfortunately, gratuities aren’t published as part of your cruise fare.  I should note that they are added automatically, but they aren’t required.  You can choose to have the gratuities taken off your bill, but know that your wait staff, bar tenders and cabin stewards work really hard to make your stay the best that it can be.  We pay our gratuities and even set aside extra money to tip our waiters and cabin stewards (especially when the service has been exceptional).  

Vacation Budget Worksheet

Need help creating a budget for your family vacation? Look no further! Download our free Vacation Budget Worksheet to help organize your next trip! You can change any of the white boxes with descriptions or costs. The numbers currently in there are from our Universal Orlando Trip.

Did we forget anything?

What other budgeting tips do you consider when you travel? We’d love to hear your thoughts!