The cure to your post-covid cabin fever? A vacation, of course. But couple a nation itching to travel with higher costs for everything, and a vacation might seem out of reach. Taking your family on the road can be affordable with a few travel hacks.
Eat in! Especially if you have small children, eating in will not only save you money but plenty of headache as your wait for table then wait for a meal. A room with a kitchenette is worth the extra money, but honestly, if you have a mini-fridge and a microwave you can keep everyone fed in your room. For our Florida theme park trip, we brought along our electric kettle. This allowed us to make oatmeal, grits and mac & cheese. We added hot dogs for a full meal. I picked up some frozen dinners for the grown-ups to microwave.
Instant-Pots travel well too and offer an all-in-one approach to cooking. You can make ahead chili, spaghetti sauce and soups, freeze, then add to the instant pot for meals. As much as I enjoy dining out, staffing shortages and supply issues made this difficult and unpleasant with kids present. Eating in allowed us to enjoy the hotel pool more and made for good spirits all the way around.
Lunches All Day Long– no time to return for lunch? Take it with you! Back in the day, my mother had theme park trips down to a science. Breakfast and dinner in our rooms, lunch in the park, but we brought our own food. We had PB&Js-frozen, juice pouches-also frozen, cut fruit and granola bars.
These were the days before Go-Gurts, Lunchables and Uncrustables, which are great choices today. You can save money by making and freezing your own sandwiches. Freezing them allows them to thaw in the heat and they hold up throughout the day.
Cheese sticks, trail mix (with no chocolate) and convenience packs of tuna salad and crackers are also good bets for a long theme park day.
Check with your park before you go. We discovered Six Flags has a no outside food or drink policy and the parking was so far away, returning to your car wasn’t worth it. We just ate a big breakfast that day and planned on a popcorn and shared refillable drink bottle.
Water Water everywhere! Invest in a refillable water bottle. We bought some collapsible water bottles off Amazon.com. These could fit in a purse or backpack empty, and then attached with a carabiner when full. Theme parks encourage you to fill up your water bottle and it’s free. These are also great for hiking and beach trips. Fill up at home with free water. For kids who don’t want to drink water, you can add a flavor pack, which is still more affordable than buying water on site.
Alternative Theme Parks-
If you’re looking to take your family to a theme park, but find the big movie company parks unaffordable, check out some of the other parks who offer family fun for much less. Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee offers a 2-day pass for around $100. Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia offers 2-day passes for $70.
Great Wolf Lodge is another place aimed at families where you can enjoy the water park and the evening kids activities and bring in your own food to save money. Many states have smaller theme parks and activities to check out too. We enjoy Stone Mountain Park in Georgia and find the yearly pass to be a good value for us.
Double up
Team up with another family or relatives and share the cost of lodging and food expenses. Beach trips, outdoors trips and even places like Dollywood have plenty of homes and cabins just for multi-family groups. Not only does it help on lodging expenses, kids play with kids and adults can enjoy each other’s company.
Hit the road this summer, enjoy your loved ones and make memories in the process and don’t forget to share your frugal travel tips with the rest of us!
