Family Beach Holidays on a Budget

after the latest guest post on how to select best hotel, here’s another travel related guest post offered to me by Michelle green. This talks about general money-saving tips on beach holidays. Living in south Florida, is like spending days in and days out on the beach. The nearest beach is just about 30 mins drive from our home. But, for people not-so-near to the beaches, it is often expensive affair. This post might help such families. Enjoy the post!

It’s never been easier to book family beach holidays. By taking a look online, consumers choose from a host of destinations around the globe. However, families on a tight budgets can struggle to select vacations that fall within their spending limits. By the time flights, accommodation and living expenses are factored in, moms and dads can find themselves in financial strife.

The good news for cash-strapped families is, with a little planning and research, it’s possible to arrange affordable holidays and other beach breaks. Although it takes a little nerve, booking at the last-minute can save consumers cash. Check out this post on ways to reduce airline ticket cost.

A couple of weeks before departure dates, airlines, hotels and travel firms tend to significantly reduce their prices in a bid to fill remaining places. Also, before making any bookings, consumers should compare prices across a number of sites and options. This way, they can be sure they’re getting maximum value for money. In addition, by traveling midweek, consumers stand to get better deals.

(Related – Getting ready financially for vacation travel)

Another way to lower spending is to shop around for insurance. Travel cover is essential, but there is no need to buy this from tour operators. In many cases, the same policies are available from other providers at a dramatically reduced price. learn few more tips on travel insurance.

Rather than opting for half or full-board hotels, families can bring down their spending by selecting self-catering breaks instead. Being able to make cheap meals is really important, and by creating packed lunches to take to the beach or on other day trips, moms and dads can bring down their spending.

In certain resorts, holidaymakers have to stump up cash to use parasols and loungers. Of course, some shade on sunny days is a must, particularly when kids are involved. However, rather than shelling out to pay for parasols and recliners, parents can buy their own sunshade and take towels to lie on. Over the course of a week or two, this can save them a tidy sum.

A little forward planning is a must for frugal holidaymakers and it really does pay off to get local currency in advance. Banks often charge high commission rates to those who rely on their debit cards to get cash abroad.

Being able to use smartphones while on vacation can be handy, but cash-conscious travelers should make sure they check their roaming charges with their mobile operators first. Being hit with a hefty cell phone bill is not the ideal end to a break abroad.

The main tips to have a beach holiday on a budget

• Aim for last-minute travel deals, there is a risk but no harm in trying
• Book your hotel near to the beach to save on transportation cost
• If there’s a roaming charge, switch off your cell phone
• Avoid using credit cards if there’s an international currency charge is applied, pay with cash or travelers’ instead
• Lookout for well known budget beaches, one such list from travel channel is here.
• When travelling on a low-cost airlines, travel light to avoid baggage fee
• If possible, book a villa and cook your own food, instead of dining out. When you stay near the beach, cooking outdoor become more fun
• Sometimes all-inclusive vacation are the best deals available then booking your airfare, lodging and car separately

As long as moms and dads pay attention to the details of their beach holidays, they should

be able to enjoy relaxing and memorable trips without suffering financial strife as a result.

About The Author: Blogger Michelle Green regularly travels abroad with her family and is always on the look out for cheap deals.

SB’s thoughts: As stated at the top, we live very close to the Florida Atlantic (and Gulf) cost. On a weekend we go to the beach and spend our day there. Sometimes we do book resorts along with other families and stay for few days. We cook, we BBQ and we party.

The cooking ingredients and drinks are purchased from Costco. Which makes the cost of food very cheap, compared to having meals at the restaurant. We also avoid flying, driving to the beach on our own car is way cheaper than airfare or rental cars.

Also, you may think about camping on the beach, which is adventurous, fun and extremely cheap. You’ll get a whole new experience while spending your nights on the beach listening to the sound of breaking waves while you fall a sleep!

Readers, how do you save money on your vacation? Any other tips you’d like to share with other?