Monday, March 7, 2011

Top 10 Tips for Getting Away with Great Family Travel Deals

Social Moms is at it again:) You gotta love them! This time they are teaming up with an old but good company, Alamo. Remember the travel one I did before? This is that same group but this time the opportunity is to write about 10 tips for getting away with deals:)

We travel quite a bit so I am going to give you some of our favorite tips on getting deals as a family. I am sure you all will have more so please join in on the fun and let me know in a comment.

1.Travel in Off-Time.
We often go to places during the off season. Travel to the beach areas during the fall, etc. This can often help with prices and not as many people too:) Many times the hotel prices are way lower and the tourist attractions are not as full. Every once in a while prices will be higher on something but we found that to be the occasion.

2.Plan Ahead.
This can be a big help. Look online and plan what you want to see, where you want to go, etc. Many times we have all of a sudden found something we want to go to but don't have the finances planned. This can be a big problem:) So we take the time to plan and then our money is all sorted out ahead of time.

3.Pack for the Trip.
This is not really a deal but I couldn't, not, mention it. Pack snacks and drinks and this takes a big load off of your finances. And this also frees up your money for other things.

4.Look for Coupons.
This can be done online but also in local areas. Many places put coupons in the local thrift savers and even in the rest areas. Take the time to check them out and see what you can find. We have been stopping for gas and happened to find coupons in a little coupon book that was for what we were going to do that evening.

5.Look for Deal Places.
There are tons of places online that have coupons and deals. There is a place called Groupon and another place called CincySavings and they have lots of deals. Sometimes they are for a different area but you never know what will show up.

6.Read Reviews Online.
Sometimes we hear about a place that sounds neat but then we read a couple reviews and decide not to go for some reason. Often other people who have the same amount of children or the same likes and dislikes will be able to help you out on something. This is a big way to save on money while traveling.

7.Sign Up For Reward Programs.
Many restaurants, hotels. etc have reward programs. We often get free nights at hotels because they add up points. Frequent Flyer Programs, etc may not help on this trip but they will in the future. Don't take these for granted!

8.Check with Friends and Family.
Maybe you are going to the same area or at the same time? Going as a group can really help and that way you have a bigger group and more people paying. Often places have group discounts which you won't get as a family but you could get if there were several families. Take the time to see if they have friends in the area who might have coupons or a card where they get a percentage off. It never hurts to ask:D

9.Leave the Pets Home.
See if someone can watch the pets. While it is fun to bring them, many times hotels charge extra for them and sometimes they would be better left at home. If a friend can watch them while you are gone, it will take some money off of you.

10.Reserve Ahead.
Last but not least, make your reservations ahead of time. With our hotel program it goes to the cheapest rate. If we reserve it in August and the price drops by the time we arrive in September, we pay the lower price. It always pays to reserve ahead of time. Same thing with a restaurant. Some places have a wait time of hours so make sure you don't waste time by waiting. And time is money so please take the time to reserve.

So, there are some of my tips. Definitely did not come close to all the ones out there but I am sure you all have some so please leave me a comment:) I love hearing from my readers!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here

1 comment:

Gale said...

Hope you don't mind if I post something off topic. I'm looking for books to give my dad, who just had to be confined to a home and is feeling discouraged. He loves westerns, mysteries and thrillers and like Louis LaMoure, Tom Clancy, John Grisham, etc. I was looking for something with a Christian focus and with a male main character. Love Peretti but I think my dad would like something less "angels and demons". Any suggestions?

ecarian at yahoo dot com

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