Travelling with kids might multiply your travel costs exponentially, but these smart, budget-friendly tips unlock unforgettable family adventures without breaking the bank.
It’s a wild, occasionally messy, joy-filled rollercoaster, and done right, travelling with kids is also just about the best education your offspring will ever get. That said, let’s be honest, it doesn’t come cheap. Between the cost of flights, the constant snacks (so, so many snacks), and the occasional garish souvenir (I’m looking at you, coconut-shell ukulele) that the kids “can’t live without” (spoiler alert: they can), the costs can spiral faster than a toddler’s (or teenager’s) mood.
The good news? With a little forward planning, a dash of creativity, and a few sneaky travel hacks, you can embark on an unforgettable family adventure without the need to hawk a kidney on eBay. So, if you’re keen to save cash while making memories on the road as a family, here are seven smart ways to save while travelling with kids.
1. Choose the right destination
Photo by My Tran via Pexels
Choosing a travel destination with a favourable exchange rate can be one of the smartest ways to save money while exploring new places. When your home currency stretches further abroad, you can enjoy more experiences for less. For example, countries like Vietnam, or Indonesia often offer a great bang for your buck, where daily expenses such as meals, transportation, and accommodations can be much more affordable. This means you can indulge in local delicacies, explore hidden gems, or treat yourself to extra activities without breaking the bank.
2. Choose your accommodation wisely
Accommodation is one of the biggest travel budget busters, especially if you’re venturing overseas or planning a longer escape. But before you resign yourself to a shoebox-sized hotel room with a mini-fridge that charges15 bucks for a packet of peanuts, there are plenty of ways to save without sacrificing too much in the way of comfort.
If you’re open to adventure (or just want to stretch your travel budget further), we love a holiday park. Not only do they offer affordable stays, generally in awesome locations, but they come with the kind of built-in entertainment that keeps kids busy for hours – think pools, playgrounds, and the occasional giant jumping pillow. Plus, with options ranging from powered campsites to fully equipped cabins, you can tailor your stay to suit your budget and comfort levels.
Swapping a hotel room for a holiday home or apartment stay through Airbnb, Stayz, or Vrbo can be a game-changer. Especially for bigger families. There are more rooms, more space, kitchen facilities (because feeding kids on holiday is an extreme sport), and they tend to come with a much friendlier price tag.
Traditional B&Bs and properties just outside the usual tourist hotspots are also worth considering—often cheaper, quieter, and packed with charm. And for the truly savvy and super organised traveller? House-sitting or home swaps can score you a comfy home for free (or next to nothing), leaving more in the budget for ice cream and adventures.
3. Plan your meals
If there’s one thing that can devour your holiday budget faster than a teen let loose on a buffet, it’s food. Between breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the inevitable snack stops, feeding the family while travelling can get wildly expensive, especially in big cities or tourist traps. Especially when travelling with someone with an insatiable appetite like my offspring.
While we tend to follow the locals to street markets for bargain-basement regional food that’s inevitably ultra-delicious, that’s not an option in every city, so an easy way to save while travelling with kids (or at least to minimise the damage to your wallet) while travelling is to plan your meals in advance.
For this reason, self-catering can be a savvy choice, especially if you have picked accommodation with a kitchen. Booking a stay with a kitchen means you can knock out easy breakfasts and picnic lunches, leaving more in the budget for the fun stuff (or an extra cocktail or two for Mum). But if the mere thought of cooking on holiday has you breaking into a sweat, meal delivery services like Soulara can come to the rescue with nutritious, no-fuss meals so you can dodge restaurant markups without resorting to sad supermarket sandwiches.
4. Be flexible with flights
Flights are one of the biggest expenses in travel, especially for families heading long-haul. While booking in advance is a solid first step, but flexibility (or putting your kids on the airline payroll) is your secret weapon. Being open with your travel dates – like flying mid-week or dodging peak school holidays – can make a world of difference (though having a kid in senior high school has put a kibosh on travel outside of school breaks for us momentarily).
But to be deterred, we did our research and discovered that the difference between an eye-wateringly expensive flight and a reasonably priced one could be as simple as shifting your departure dates a little. Case in point: last month, we booked last-minute flights to the UK and nearly had a heart attack when we saw the cost was $3k plus each. Changing our dates by just one day on either end of the trip saved us $900 per ticket. Same airline, same route. Do the math for a family of four, and that’s a serious chunk of change.
If your kids are young enough to score discounted or free tickets on certain airlines, take full advantage of that perk. And don’t forget about rewards programs. Signing up and using frequent flyer points might seem like small wins, but those points add up, and before you know it, they’re taking a bite out of your fare and reducing costs in the long run.
5. Minimise on the ground transport costs
Once you’ve arrived at your destination, the cost of getting around can add up faster than your debit card can say, “declined,” so it’s worth considering alternative ways to get around.
Public transport is your best friend here – one of the easiest ways to save when travelling with kids, it is cheaper, quicker, and usually far more reliable than renting a car or relying on taxis. Plus we find doing as the locals do is a great way to really see a city. Many cities also offer family discounts on buses, trains, and trams.
Now, if you do find yourself needing to hire a car, don’t just walk up to the counter and hand over your credit card. Book in advance and shop around. Rental prices can vary immensely between companies, as can the size of the vehicle. Sure, you might be tempted by that flashy SUV, but you’ll get the same job done with a compact car and save a good chunk of cash.
If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, walk! Or hiring a bicycle can be a fun and cost-effective way to explore, especially in cities with shared bike systems. But if you’re really in the mood to see the country, why not go all-in and hire a motorhome? It’s not just transport; it’s accommodation too, and it gives you the freedom to change your route at a whim.
6. Choose Free or Low-Cost Activities
There’s a reason why tour companies make a small fortune, and that is because they charge a pretty penny just to take you to the same specific tourist spots everyone else is seeing.
But here’s the thing… most destinations have a goldmine of free or low-cost attractions that kids will love. From playgrounds and nature trails to museums and botanical gardens offering free entry days, there’s a world of wonder waiting for you, without a hefty price tag.
Before you travel anywhere, it goes without saying that you should dig into some solid research about what’s on offer for families that won’t make your wallet weep. And seriously, it doesn’t hurt to pack a few travel-friendly games and books, and yes, if you must, devices packed with the kids’ fave shows to keep your little ones entertained without having to resort to constantly spending money on overpriced activities.
7. Travel Insurance
When you’re travelling as a family, one thing you cannot ever skimp on is travel insurance. You might not think you need it – trust you do. Trust me, when things go sideways, you’ll be thanking yourself for having a safety net that could literally save you thousands of dollars in the event of an emergency. Medical emergencies, lost luggage, or those dreaded last-minute cancellations can quickly turn what’s meant to be a good time into a logistical and financial nightmare if you’re not properly covered.
It’s worth taking the time to shop around for family-friendly policies and to make sure you understand what’s actually covered. You don’t want any nasty surprises when you’re in the middle of a trip. Here is a good guide for what a decent policy should have.
If you want to save a while travelling with kids, safely, some credit cards offer complimentary travel insurance, so it’s worth checking if you’re already covered before splurging on a separate policy. Just check the fine print and make sure the coverage is adequate. You don’t want to be left scrambling when things go wrong, thinking your card will save the day, only to find out it’s not enough.
Aleney de Winter is one of Australia’s most influential family travel journalists. She has been writing about travel and food for almost 20 years and is the long-standing editor of Holidays with Kids and its sibling titles, Caravan & Camping with Kids and Ski & Snowboard witk Kids. Her travel stories also appear in Signature Luxury Travel & Style, Escape, 9Travel, Vacations & Travel, Mindfood and Concierge, among others. Her work has earned a PATA Gold Award for Travel Journalism and eleven Australian Society of Travel Writers awards, and she served seven terms as the society’s Vice President. This website, which she started in 2011, has been named ASTW Best Travel Website three times. 