Travel is always something that I will budget to save for, no matter how tight money may be. You do not need to spend thousands of dollars or to be rich to enjoy a family holiday and the life experience and bonding that come with it.

To help you design your family holiday budget I have uploaded the TSD Travel Budget spreadsheet to my downloads page. This is the spreadsheet that I use when I am planning my family holidays and have done so for many years. It is designed so you can plan a trip with multiple destinations and capture the costs for each. The idea being if you are on a set budget you know how much you can save by trimming the number of days in certain places or cutting them out all together.

Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. – Anonymous

Below are 6 travel budget tips I have picked up along the way that I would also like to share you.

Budget – of course the first tip is to budget! Download my spreadsheet and work out how much you need for your dream holiday. This will give you a saving target and help reduce surprises. There are instructions in the spreadsheet on how to use it.

Book accommodation with cooking facilities – this one is particularly good when traveling with children. You will save hundreds of dollars by being able to cook some of your own meals. Of course when you are on holidays you are going to splurge and eat out more than usual but you will save significantly cooking some meals in your accommodation.

Pre-book tours – booking in advance will often save you money as you will be able to take advantage of any specials or discounts by your operators or ticket outlets.

Give kids a spending allowance – this particularly pertinent when going to somewhere like Disneyland. Ensure your kids are aware of their budget and help them understand the cost of things. 

Take snacks – taking snacks from home or buying them at a grocery store near your hotel can be a good alternative to buying them at the tourist sites. Disneyland is again a good example, snacks can be very expensive. If you are staying at a hotel with a breakfast buffet see what your may be able to take a little extra of to eat later as a snack.

Go camping – the ultimate frugal holiday! You can also create some of the best family memories away from all the distractions of modern life.

Do you have any travel tips, ideas or experiences you would like share? Add them into the comments below!