Budget Family Travel

The financial face of the world is changing. Whereas before we may have been more or less certain of our jobs and our income, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to uncertainty over what tomorrow might bring in terms of job security for us all. Nevertheless, we all need to take a break from time to time. A chance to refresh our minds and find new things in life that excite us. What’s the fastest way to find an escape? Travel. Keeping in mind that we all might be conscious of the global financial landscape, it’s perhaps sensible to think about how budget family travel can be achieved.

Budget Family Travel
[ image: pexels.com by olle ]

First, if you have been affected by the issues surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, you may wish to research information on how to move forwards with your plans - see details here, for example, on booking cancellation.

Book last minute

If you have a vague idea of the type of climate to which you would like to travel, but you are open to suggestions in terms of which town or city - or even which country - you would like to see, booking last minute is a solid option that could see you save sometimes more than 50% off the usual booking fee. There are many websites that offer such services, and although you may have to compromise on things like hotel location and flight times, the savings should hopefully more than make up for these minor details.

Book tickets for attractions before you leave

This is a tip that can save you untold time and money (I know because I’ve done it!). What is the big idea? Simple. Research the attractions that you might like to visit and book your tickets before you leave for your getaway. On the day tickets are often so much more expensive compared to the tickets bought by people who planned ahead, and you will often find that queue jump or a time slot is included with your ticket. A few years ago, before visiting Paris, I booked a ticket for the Louvre, which I was told to pick up from a kiosk across the road from the museum entrance. Not only did I save some serious Euros, but I walked straight past a queue of hundreds of people. I would highly recommend booking your tickets before you leave.

This is more conjecture than actual travel advice, but there is speculation that airlines may use cookies (details relating to your online activity) to gather information about the things you have been browsing - where you have been clearly checking out prices of similar flight times and destinations across different websites, an airline may use this information to raise prices the closer you get to your preferred travel date. Most people know that airline prices are increased for peak travel, but this is potentially one way that your price could be affected at any time. If you’re browsing airline tickets, there’s no harm in clearing your cookies, just to be on the safe side.