We’re excited to share some ideas for pennywise family travel that you’ll enjoy! As much as we all love to travel, we’re the first to admit, sometimes it’s a little challenging with kids. Longer trips can be tough; we have more loo breaks and feeding a huge family can cost an arm and a leg. For those who travel with kids, here’s ten tips that’ll help save your money and your sanity, while creating an unforgettable experience for everyone.
‘… save your money …’
1. Plan Travel into the future.
The further out you plan your trip, the more prepared you will be. Give yourself time to think about what you will wear, what you will eat, what types of things you will want to do, etc.
‘…more prepared…‘
2. Pack snacks for kids travelling
Hungry kids never make for good times, pack snacks that will keep them from getting too hungry between meals. This will save lots of money because grabbing snacks while ‘on the go’ can become very expensive.
‘…keep them from getting too hungry…’
3. Plan picnic lunches and run around breaks for travelling kids.
Plan a picnic at a rest area where the kids can run and play, or stop for bathroom breaks at a park or visitor’s centre that has a built-in play area. You save money by not eating out, and you keep your sanity intact by allowing the kids to burn off their extra energy before your journey continues.
‘… burn off extra energy ..’
4. Make travel fun for the kids
Play games such as Travel Bingo, the licence plate ABC game, 20 questions and you’ll notice you can travel a whole hour without whining, arguing or any other misbehaviours. You can reward good behaviour with a snack, a piece of gum or candy, they will love it.
‘… reward good behaviour …’
5. Save travel electronics for when you’re desperate.
Instead of starting a trip with electronics in hand, let your kids play thoughtful games, read books, or listen to music. Then when they start being restless, bring out the electronics, they are easily distracted with a movie and you give yourselves another hour or two of uninterrupted travel time.
“… easily distracted …”
6. Take an extra outfit or two in your check in luggage when you travel.
It is always a good idea to take an extra outfit or two, if someone gets sick or extremely dirty, you’ll have fresh clothes and won’t need to break your travel budget by having to run to the store for extra outfits.
“. . . won’t break your travel budget . . . “
7. Have extra clothes in your carry-on when travelling.
We’ve heard horror stories about lost luggage, and can only imagine how expensive it would be to arrive for a week’s trip with only the clothes on our backs. Can you imagine how much money it would cost to buy a whole week’s worth of clothes for the family? A lot! Whenever you fly take extra clothes in your carry-on. If the unthinkable happens, you will still be clothed.
” . . . only the clothes on our backs . . . “
8. Gives the kids some trip ownership when travelling.
Before you leave, do some research together to see what there is to do around your destination, let them point out some of the things that interest them. Or if your itinerary is already set in stone, allow them to pick where you will eat for dinner. However you do it, make them feel important and valued, and let them have a say. Encourage them to save their money for the trip or earn extra money around the house to save for an outing of their choice. This teaches them the value of money while instilling an age-appropriate appreciation for sticking to a budget, even on holiday.
“. . . feel important and valued . . . “
9. Travel rewards for good behaviour.
Long trips can be stressful on everyone, little ones included. Find ways to reward good behaviour, different things work with different age groups. A goodie bag filled with treats or money is an excellent idea, you can reward your kids for each hour of good behaviour during long trips.
“. . . reward your kids . . . “
10. Gives kids their own travel spending money.
By giving kids a little bit of their own spending money, enables them to make their own decisions about what’s important to them. They can spend it on a tangible memento or a cool experience. But, most importantly, that decision is up to them. Will they make some poor choices at first? Absolutely, but they will learn from their mistakes, recognize the value of money and learn to wait on some things so they can spend on what is most important to them. This also allows you to save money because you aren’t buying little things left and right.
