Judging by your willingness to travel with children in the first place it is probably safe to assume that you and your family are the adventurous types. Luckily, this attribute helps broaden your scope when choosing a holiday destination. However, it can be demoralising when you then have to narrow your search and curb your wanderlust due to the ever rigid burden of finances. But don’t let the budget blues beat you down.Where there is a will there’s a way – and usually an adventure in the making. Prioritise Some expenses are simply a necessary evil and cannot be sacrificed when travelling. Obviously, travel to and from the destination, comprehensive family travel insurance, and accommodation upon arrival are the basic ‘must-haves’. Although t hese elements are important, some of them can be trimmed down expense-wise while still maintaining the ultimate goal. Cut corners where you can but resist the temptation when you shouldn’t, such as only signing up for minimum family travel insurance when you know a greater coverage is wiser. It is possible to save on your travel insurance if you choose a company like InsureMore. We have extremely affordable rates and children go free. The other two; transportation and accommodation, can also be made cheaper with a little imagination and thinking outside the box. Wherever your holiday destination may be, do a cost comparison between flights. If you are willing to make a few connections your flight will be dramatically cheaper. Also, consider the possibility of trains, coaches, ferries or even shared vehicles if they will get you and your family to your holiday for less money. Accommodation Frustratingly, accommodation can take a huge chunk of change away from any holiday. Although it is important to be comfortable, especially when travelling with children, most people loathe having their single hotel room swallow the majority of their vacation ‘play money’. Fortunately, this is a prime opportunity to let your adventurous spirit fly, discard the notions of having to stay in a hotel, and embrace any and all alternative ways of putting a roof over your head! Creature Comforts Camping can be fun, for about one night. However, many families find that the experience begins to go downhill after the novelty wears off. So, try Glamping instead! Check out www.glampingsite.com for any number of pre-erected tents, yurts, tepees, safari tents, treehouses and even vintage airstream trailers. Hostels will probably become your favourite ‘go-to’ accommodation type for any travel destination. The days of dank, rundown buildings filled with uncomfortable beds and questionable fellow travellers are long gone. Today’s hostels are bright, welcoming, comfortable and very affordable. Recent hostel refurbishments have created a number of boutique accommodations around the world and each one certainly has its own flavour! Farm stays are a fun way of making your accommodation the holiday itself. Families are put to work in a world that is hard to imagine when we are immersed in our daily hustle and bustle of technology and electronics. Farm stays can offer you and your family a completely unique education while you learn to tend to farm animals and crops. The fresh air and delicious food alone makes most people feel that the experience is more than worthwhile. To almost make your trip pay for itself, consider a home swap. Sites such as HomeExchange.com act as household matchmakers. Simply find a home at the destination of your choice, and offer to swap abodes for the duration of your holiday. To really push the boat out on the adventure front, consider a boat! Narrow boat holidays are proving very popular amongst families as they learn an alternative way of life. If you’re not keen on the work involved, organise a group sailing holiday or book a last minute cruise for a fun and affordable option. No Longer a Burden Finding a place to stay for your family no longer needs to be a cumbersome and dreaded process. Finding accommodation with local flavour is simple and fun if you abandon searching among the numerous generic hotel listings. Spend your money on the important things such as family travel insurance, entrance fees for various attractions and maybe some new flip-flops for the beach! Enjoy the adventure that awaits you in your own personal tent, yurt or treehouse! Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of InsureMore, an award-winning team of specialists in global single trip, annual and family travel insurance. Besides offering great deals on travel insurance, Patrick also collects and shares the best free travel competitions to help his clients get the most out of their holidays.
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