Travel Tips
Cost Saving Ideas –Gotta Love ‘Em!
Traveling—it’s so incredibly educational! And for
homeschoolers—often an integral part of our
homeschooling activities. So how do we do it?
We asked our Homeschool.com Product Testers
(more than 10,000 of them!) to share their ideas and tips
on how to make family travel enjoyable….stress-free….
meaningful…..and yes—affordable!
From their responses, it’s clear — homeschoolers know
how to save money!
Hotels and Food
JoLinda writes,
“We always travel in May or September/October.
The off season is great because
it's much less crowded. Also, you can usually get discounted hotel prices
everywhere, but especially near state parks and tourist areas. To save money on
food, we stay at hotels with a free breakfast. For lunch and snacks, I stock up on
food months before (using coupons and sales to get really good deals) and then we
eat that food during the middle of the day. We usually eat a nice, early dinner that
fills us up for the evening. We look for coupons or Groupons or discounted gift
cards to use for these meals.
”
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Travel Tips
Grace prefers renting homes to hotels, and here is her advice on saving money,
“I go through listings on a vacation rental website such as HomeAway and
www.vrbo.com I scroll through multiple listings of vacation homes, villas, and
condos being offered by individual owners. I contact the OWNER by email and
offer a FAIR price, usually lower than they are asking. Nine times out of ten, the
owner accepts because they would rather rent it for less than not rent it at all.
Keep in mind, I seek out listings that have an owner contact and they forward the
information to the vacation broker. This is how my family is able to stay for three
weeks instead of one. Our villas overlook a golf course usually, are fully furnished
with beach access, golf, tennis, and located in private, gated areas. We can rent a
1,800 sq. ft. homes that sleeps 6, complete with dining room, kitchen, two baths
and more. I plan a grocery list (coupons come in handy) and my family eats most
of our meals in our rental. But, we always allow ourselves to eat out 5 times per
week plus treats. After all, we are on vacation! I search the Internet-www.Restaurant.com for location specific restaurant deals and I purchase
restaurant gift certificates.”
Dawn suggests buying snacks in bulk and then dividing them into smaller units.
Everyone suggests healthy snacks such as dry fruit, pretzels, peanuts, trail mix, etc.
Also, these snacks are easy to vacuum up (think spilled peanuts vs. spilled yogurt).
One of our Homeschool.com Dads, Timothy, pointed out the need for easy
vacuuming.
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Travel Tips
Attractions
Grace writes,
“I search the nearest cities to see if they have a “City Pass” which allows me to
purchase discount passes to the area’s museums and attractions. Also, I usually
always join a museum in our home town. I have obtained wonderful reciprocal
benefits where we are allowed entrance FREE, or largely discounted, at vacation
attractions. You may want to check your memberships for reciprocal agreements. I
use my AAA memberships for theme park tickets; or, have my friends purchase
them for me through their employee benefits office.
The local Penny Saver comes in handy for family happenings and events in the
area I am visiting. My children have enjoyed sports camps, horse riding camps,
craft days, etc. through local events and charities. For example, my son
participated annually, for three years, in baseball camps offered through the
Christian Athletes Association. For several days, he participated in clinics to
enhance his baseball playing skills. They were all taught by PROFESSIONAL
baseball players who donated their time. This was absolutely FREE. And when on
vacation, my daughter and I always enjoy pedicures, manicures, and facials. How
do I make that happen? I scan the Penny Saver ads for specials at the
independent salons.”
Ann suggests,
“Check out the Association of Children's Museum Reciprocal Program Network.
We look for museums en route, to break up the monotony of driving. With
reciprocity, your visit won’t cost a thing, except for maybe parking.”
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Travel Tips
Mary recommends,
“If you’re planning to visit several national parks, buy a National Parks Pass ($80
per car for a yearlong pass and it’s good at 2,000 federal recreation sites). It gives
you free admission to the parks as well as discounts on park amenities. If you or
someone you are traveling with is over 62, you are eligible for a Senior Pass ($10
for an entire lifetime and free if the individual is disabled). And there’s a Junior
Ranger Program that provides curriculum ideas and activities for each park”
JoLinda writes,
“Sometimes in the fall you will get great deals on souvenirs because they are
clearing out that year's inventory.”
In closing, we’d like to share a quote from Homeschooling Mom Grace -
“Saving money is a thrill for me.
Yes, sometimes I can splurge and buy something
for the full asking price. But, why would I want to do that? It’s way too easy. It
takes away all of the fun and ‘the thrill of the hunt,’ as my kids call it. I am a home
schooling mom…..need I say more? ”
Traveling—it’s your time to "explore together and grow together".
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