Site icon Tinybeans

10 Travel Tips for Budget-Friendly Family Vacations

Breaking the bank doesn’t have to go hand-in-hand with out of town vacationing. Believe it or not, you can keep on inspiring your kids with out-of-this-world experiences while keeping your budget spreadsheet happy. See more for less with these wallet-friendly travel tips from our friends at Mom.me.

When and How to Book Airfares

Airfares may be up, but there are still airfare wars. The best ones, says George Hobica, founder of the travel alert website airfarewatchdog.com, go unadvertised. “These are not last-minute bargains,” Hobica says, “but they are short-sale bargains.” For example: In late March, JetBlue announced a round-trip fare of $97 between Boston and Houston, including tax. The next day (in response, Hobica says), United slashed its fares out of Boston, offering $60 each way to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., or New Orleans. All cheap seats were gone in a blink. How to find these? Subscribe to airfare alert services or the airlines, themselves. Also, follow the breaking fare news on Twitter.

Photograph by Thinkstock

Got any other travel tips to share?

— Constance Summer

Read More from Mom.me:

Top 10 ways to enjoy your family vacation (and avoid parental meltdowns)

11 Tips for Traveling with Kids

How to Make Traveling with Toddlers Enjoyable

mom.me is for moms who love being women, and women who love being moms. We focus on all facets of a mom’s life. From parenting and relationships to style and home to mind and body, the site serves the whole woman. By providing a platform for dialogue on issues that mean the most to us, mom.me connects women to each other and the world around them.