Anyway, I just got back from a conference in Idaho, and I took my son John-Paul with me. I am a big believer in taking kids along for any sort of travel when I can, but with him it was necessary because he goes on hunger strikes when I am not around (he is not a fan of the bottle, apparently). All of this got me thinking of ways to save money while travelling with children.
The first order of business is the actual travelling itself. I have to admit I am not a big fan of flying with kids because people always feel that they have license to be jerks on planes. Take my flight home on Saturday, for example. I had my infant son with me, and as I boarded the plane JP was whining a little because he was hungry. The man next to me literally swore at me for having to sit next to him.
Nice.
But anyway, assuming you must fly, you can save money (but probably not your sanity). First is with suitcases. As you know, most airlines now charge at least $25 for your first bag. If you can, combine all the kids' clothes together into one bag (just make sure you don't go over their weight limit or you will face other steep charges). I have been known to stop at a laundrymat and do a load of wash rather than bring a change of clothes for each day. The $4-$5 you spend on a wash and dry is a heck of a lot cheaper than bringing an extra suitcase or two.
Next, make sure each child has a sippy cup or other non-spill cup. That way when they come around with the free beverages you can ask them to fill their cups with juice and then take it with you, thus saving yourself from having to buy juice at the airport. (This is, incidentally, also more ecologically responsible than throwing away a plastic single-serve cup.)
I shouldn't even have to tell you to pack your own snacks, right? But what about your lunch? Sandwiches and apples travel pretty well and there is another $20-$50+ dollars saved.
Now for the hotel. Always, always pre-book. If you have a lot of kids like us, most likely you can still get by with one hotel room. I recommend getting a suite. Hyatt Place is a good one to stay at - it will run you about $80-$120 on hotels.com in most cities (I know because we always try to book there).
At this point, you may be asking yourself, "Why get a suite? Why not stay at a cheaper chain?" A few reasons. First, a lot of the cheaper chains, like Days Inn, have really gone downhill in the past few years. I have stayed at a few around the country recently and you will very likely get a dirty room, non-working air, a really stingy breakfast, broken furniture, or all of the above. And for $50-$80 a night. Nooooo thank you.
Aside from that, a suite has several advantages that you may not have thought of. For instance, Hyatt Place has a huge sofa in the main room where my girls like to camp out, thus saving the cost of a roll-away bed or two. Second, they all have fridges for your extra pizza or whatever else you get. If we are driving we stop at a local grocery and get fixings for lunch for the next day's picnic. Aside from that, the closets have extra blankets and pillows that you can use, and the free breakfast usually has hot options as well as decent yogurt and fresh fruit. All of these make a suite a much better value than the Knight's Inn down the road.
So there you have it. All of these savings can mean the difference between having extra spending money or not. We use our savings to eat at a better restaurant for dinner - thus saving our arteries from the added cholesterol of too many fast food meals.
If you have other ideas for travelling cheap, let us know on the comments or simply e-mail us at living.cheap.lone.star@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment