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Family vacations are definitely tons of fun, but they can also be stressful. Packing for them alone takes some thinking, especially if you’ll be gone for an extended amount of time. With little kids on board, you’ll need to pack not only clothes, but also toys, activities, snacks and more. Don’t worry, with a little planning I’m sure you’ll end up taking everything you need and enjoy getting ready for some family vacation fun.
A great way to organize the kids outfits is in large Ziploc bags. You’ll easily be able to see just how many outfits you have for them and keep everything you need – clothes, socks, underwear, and accessories – together without packing the whole house or forgetting something. Be sure to grab a few garbage bags for dirty laundry too. With clean clothes neatly organized in your Ziploc bags and a place to put dirty clothes, you’ll be sure to keep everything under control.
Before even thinking about what you’ll need at your destination, plan for what you’ll need in the car as you travel there. To keep the kids entertained in the car, I love making them fun activity binders. You can find some bright three-ring binders at Walmart for $1 or less and fill them with all kinds of printable games, coloring pages, a map of where you are traveling to, and more. For games like road sign or license plate bingo, I just print them out, laminate them or place them in a sheet protector, and give the kiddos a dry erase marker to cross off their finds! Then you can simply wipe the sheet clean and be ready for the next game.
You’ll also need snacks to limit stops along the way and spending extra money. For the kids, you can pack up goodie boxes. At any craft store, you can find a divided organization box in the jewelry section for around $1. Pack up each section with your kids’ favorite snacks – chips, candy, crackers, nuts, and whatever else they like for a fun smorgasbord on the road or make snack necklaces, similar to candy necklaces, but with things like pretzels, Cheerios, gummy circles, and candy. They’ll have a great time making them and be excited when it’s time to start snacking! The easiest way to pack up your snacks is to have a snack bin full of all your dry snacks and coolers (labeled with what’s inside if you’ll have more than one) with drinks and things that need to stay cold. Don’t forget a clean up bin too … in it put garbage bags, antibacterial lotion, wipes, and anything
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else you’ll need for a clean up on the go.
Where will you be staying for your vacation? If you’re staying in a rental with a full kitchen, making your own meals will be an easy way to save money. If you will be eating in for most of your trip, check your store sales ads at home before you leave and compare them to the store you’ll be shopping at when you get to your destination. Obviously you can’t take too much in the car with you, but if something really jumps out as having a great price, buy it at home and take it with you. Another way to save time and money on dinner is to have some food ready to go. Taco meat, sauce, and casseroles can be cooked at home and then frozen. Just heat them up after a busy day and you’re ready to eat!
With a little research, you’re likely to find free or inexpensive activities and events at your destination. Where we’ll be vacationing, there are beach walks every week where guides discuss things like shells, birds, the ocean, beach vegetation, beach creatures and more for only $1 or less per person. I’m sure you’ll find a few playgrounds for the kids at just about any location you are traveling to. Be sure to grab a travel guide or newspaper when you get there for local events and activities.
Here’s to some frugal vacation fun this summer! You can find many other frugal vacation tips and summer fun ideas at SavingByDesign.com.
Happy saving!
Kara Zoeller is the owner of Saving by Design, a website that helps consumers save money by providing coupons, deals and store matchups. For information, visit savingbydesign.com. Email her at Kara@savingbydesign.com.