SAHM: Taking a Trip on a Budget

Warm weather is upon us, and with it comes the urge to travel. Unfortunately, in today's economy, many people fear that their yearly travel plans will be canceled or put on indefinite hold. Well, I'm here to tell you that you can still vacation! All stay-at-home moms need to know how to go on vacation on a budget even in the best of economies. Here are a few tips to help you figure how to take a trip on a budget!

Kids Stay Free - Have you ever noticed the commercials on television for the hotel chains that offer free nights for the kids? These chains don't charge for the children that are in the rooms with adults. This means that if you and your spouse take your two children on a weekend away, you'll only pay the price for two adults. Over the years I've found that it's just as feasible to take my children with me as it is for just my husband and I when we stay at a hotel that offers free nights for the children. Also keep in mind that not all hotel chains will advertise this. Some never even have television commercials, so you wouldn't know about this if you didn't ask ahead of time.

Free Breakfast - I can't stress enough at how much money a free breakfast can save a stay-at-home mom when she takes her kids on a vacation. Breakfast time can be a huge drain on the family trip budget. Staying at a hotel that offers a free breakfast can help so much. Many offer free continental breakfast, but I have found a few that offer better than that. The last one I stayed at not only offered the tradition coffee and donuts, but it had an entire breakfast buffet with biscuits, gravy, fruit, cereals, juices, milk, and numerous other dishes. It's one of our favorite hotels to stay at and I don't have to worry about breakfast in the least. Not only that, but the children can eat their fill and then end up only snacking around for lunch (saving me money on yet another meal).

Indoor Swimming Pool - Okay, I'll admit that when you take a trip you usually want to stay outside of the hotel and do things in the area you're visiting. However, if you're wanting to stay on budget and keep the children happy and occupied, a hotel with an indoor pool is your best bet. Most have outdoor pools, and they are great, but with an indoor pool you don't have to worry about temperatures, weather, sunscreen, or any of the usual concerns when swimming outside. I love taking my family on a trip in the colder months, and when we do we stay at a hotel with an indoor pool. Our last trip was four days long and the kids practically lived in the pool. Not only that, but they were utterly exhausted at the end of each day and slept soundly pretty early in the evening.

Family Suites - When planning to take a trip on a budget, always compare the prices between regular hotel rooms and a family suite. The majority of hotels do offer family suites, and those suites generally contain two bedrooms and a small kitchen area. If you have more children than will fit into a regular sized hotel room, then check to see if it will be beneficial to go with the suite rather than reserving two or more regular rooms. If you go with a suite you would also be able to save money by cooking your own foods!

Take Food - Speaking of making your own food... It makes budget-friendly sense to any stay-at-home mom to take as much of your own food as possible when taking a trip on a budget. We all know that it's cheaper to eat at home than to eat out. Well, it's the same when you're on a trip. Always make sure that where ever you're staying has a microwave and refrigerator available to you. Most hotel rooms have now made it a common amenity for their rooms to offer microwaves and refrigerators, however make sure you ask ahead of time just in case you need to request a room with these items. It will save you money in the end.

These are only a few tips that all stay-at-home moms (and everyone in general) should keep in mind when making plans for a trip on a budget. It would be nice if we could all just go whenever we want and not have to worry about having a budget, but for most of us, that's never going to happen. However, I have discovered in my many years of being a stay-at-home mom that it is possible to have a 4-day weekend for under $300 and still have a great time while keeping the children busy.

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