Summer fun means vacations! I'm going to share how to plan your family vacation without going broke. Start with your budget and use these steps to stay out of debt.
Planning a vacation can be exciting. Exotic places, new activities, crossing things off your bucket list, etc. That is until it comes to paying the bills. There is nothing worst then going on a vacation and coming home and opening the credit card bills and realizing you will be paying for this for the next 5 years.
How to Plan Your Family Vacation Without Going Broke
What if you paid for your trip before you went and you could really enjoy yourselves?
It used to be a struggle and we chose not to go on vacations because there was never enough money by the time we wanted to go on the trip and we never wanted to put that much money on a credit card.
It became clear the only way to make this happen was to plan it out in advance. We live on the Zero Based Budget. That means every dollar has a place to go. We are in control of our money, it is not in control of us. You can get access to our 5 Day crush your budget challenge here to learn more about it.
Do you dream of going to
- Hawaii
- Disneyworld
- Florida
- The Caribbean
- On a Cruise
- Europe
How to plan for a Vacation Fund
Start with a savings chart. You can get a free printable Weekly vacation saving fund chart. Write down the cost of the trip and the miscellaneous money for expenses you will need before you commit including, hotel, airfare, food, souvenirs, taxis, and tips.
Now decide if you can afford it and save for it in advance.
Take the total amount of the trip and divide by how many weeks you have left. If you are planning more than a year out, take that into consideration with the chart and adjust according.
Where will you save the money
You can open a separate savings account and automatically transfer the money each month or week.
You can take a large 5 Gallon Water Jar, decorate it and save each month into the jar. Let the kids help with this one.
Get a small safe at home and save it there. No dipping into it.
Keep it in an envelope.
Ways to Save if you don’t have any money left at the end of the month.
- Get a Part-Time Job on Weekends until you reach the amount you need.
- Offer to Pet Sit
- Take an Uber or Lyft Job
- Have a Change Jar to drop all extra change in every day
- Work for Surveys for Extra Money
- Work extra shifts
Ways to Vacation on a Budget without going broke
Go on a Staycation – Staycations are great. First, there is no travel. You save money on gas and travel. Since you already know the weather, there will not be clothing purchases. You are familiar with the area and hotels. You may know someone working there that can get you a discount.
Plan your vacations in the offseason and you will get better room rates.
Exchange homes for vacations- This is a real thing. You can Google it for companies that provide information.
I hope you enjoyed these tips on how to plan your family vacation without going broke. Don't forget your Free Printable Savings Chart.
For more info on traveling with families, check out Ang's ultimate guide to Summer Road Trips:
About the Author: I am Candi from A Day in Candiland, where I share encouragement for family, food, and finance.
Lillianna says
Thanks for the printable, and the tips!
Diane says
I love the idea of getting the kids involved in saving for a family vacation! Any other tips on how to do that?
Katie says
Swapping homes with another vacationing family is such a good idea! I'm definitely going to look into it. Thanks for the tip!