Travelling with a family of four equals to a lot of money spent. We are here to share some great tips to travel with your nuclear family of four. Keep reading.
If you’ve ever looked at an atlas or a globe, you realise that there are so many countries in this world and that perhaps you will never be able to visit all of them. Alas! But if you’re a family of four, then you have bigger things to worry about.
Yes, travelling with your entire family of four members is a very expensive affair and we hope that by now you know that very well. Forget getting out of the country, but even a small trip to the closest mall or a restaurant can burn a huge hole in your pocket.
So, what can you do about it?
Additional Reading: How To Travel The Pocket-Friendly Way
Well, for a trip to the mall and the restaurant, we suggest you carry a smart Credit Card that helps you leverage your spending with multiple benefits and reward points. But then again, the question still persists – how to travel with a family of four?
Don’t get frustrated yet, we can help you out with some amazing tips on how to achieve what may seem like an unattainable dream. Are you ready?
Additional Reading: Purchasing Travel Insurance!
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Travel when the kids are young
Did you know that you don’t have to pay for a seat on a flight for kids below the age of two? Well, now you know! And if you’re in any case a fortunate or unfortunate parent to have two (kids) under (the age of) two, then you can avoid those expensive flights to any destination.
That said, when you travel with your young kids, you can easily avoid paying for other things like entry to certain places, parks, rides, shows etc for children under a certain age. So, make use of the opportunity and travel while your children are still small.
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Meticulous planning helps
Once you have kids, you automatically learn the importance of planning. Everything needs to be planned to the T. Now, when you travel too, you need to use this tactic to get through your vacation without overspending.
Plan everything from the airport cab fare to the meal that you will eat well in advance. By doing so, you achieve two things – a) an estimate of how much you are likely to spend, and b) you’ll avoid unnecessary costs.
When it comes to kids, everyone knows that parents need to master two skills mainly, planning & organising. And you should apply the same skills when it comes to travelling with your kids as well.
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Book everything in advance
Early bird gets the worm. This saying doesn’t get old. And if you’re a family of four then you’ve got to get this saying printed on every wall in your house! We understand that paying for 4 tickets at once to go on a vacation is a bit too much. But then the only way you can save on a few things is by booking it all well in advance.
Last min fares are usually way too expensive and by booking in advance you can sometimes enjoy discounts and other rebates. So, be it flights, hotels or any other reservations, be sure to book them all in advance.
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Avoid the holiday season
This is a rule of thumb. Travelling during the peak holiday season means that you’ll end up paying twice or three times the amount for anything that you could have easily obtained in an off-season period.
Most places are either fully booked or have shot up their prices to make some quick buck during festival seasons and other public holidays. This won’t work for you as a family of four because you can’t afford to pay for anything that has skyrocketed its prices and pay for four people at a time.
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Set aside a holiday fund
You may shake off this idea, but if you really don’t want to cringe and compromise on your holiday then you should make enough money to spend for it. A great way is by investing smartly.
There are a bunch of Mutual Funds out there in the market that have a short lock-in period and have really exciting SIPs too. Investing as little as Rs. 500 per month will go a long way when it comes to saving up for some quality time with your family on a nice holiday.
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Get the kids to save up
Want to teach your kids a thing or two about money? Teach them to save first. Yes, just like how charity begins at home, awareness too begins at home. Teaching your children the value of money in these days may seem like a task. But you can always ask them to do their bit to contribute to the family’s annual vacation too.
Give them options. For instance, if they have been after you to buy them an expensive pair of shoes that cost Rs. 3,000, you can tell them that if they don’t buy those shoes now, you will put aside that money which will be their contribution to the annual family holiday.
Likewise, you can do away with their unreasonable demands of a fancy birthday party, expensive mobile phones etc. Want to go one step further? Give them targets! (Evil grin).
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Do your homework
We are lucky to be living in an era where there is so much information available at our disposal. So why not make use of it? There are multiple travel blogs and articles available online to help you plan your holiday, choose destinations and get a variety of offers on flights, hotels etc.
Use the power of social media websites like Instagram to search for famous bloggers recommend, sometimes if you use their code on certain bookings you can also get small discounts. Do everything beforehand so there are no scary surprises later on.
Additional Reading: Make Optimum Use Of Your Leave Travel Allowance
Although, these tips will help you plan your vacay with the family, remember that at the end of the day it all boils down to one simple thing – money. And the only way to multiply your money is by investing it. So, don’t leave that cash idle, get smart and begin investing.