a couple ways to save on your family vacation #traveltips

Have you planned your trip yet for this year?  Where are you going? Do you have a future trip planned to Orlando?  Let me tell about a couple ways to save if you are taking a trip to Orlando.  I just LOVE Orlando. It is so much fun and very much family oriented. Taking a trip to Orlando, Florida takes a lot of planning because this popular tourist area can get expensive. You have to look at discounts, bundled services and other offers to find the right amenity mixtures for your family. With Hipmunk’s guide to Orlando in a traveler’s back pocket, it’s possible to save on a family vacation with a few clever strategies. Eating out for every single meal becomes an investment itself, so book a hotel with kitchenette or full kitchen. Plan to prepare and eat at least one meal a day within your hotel room. When lunch or dinner is simply eaten at the hotel, you can potentially save hundreds of dollars to apply toward other adventures. If a hotel also offers complimentary breakfast each morning, you save even more because that’s another meal that doesn’t have to be paid for separately. Estimate the traveling group size and your meal needs to really calculate potential cost versus savings.

Although Orlando has countless activities to choose from, adding all that fun up can cost hundreds of dollars. Take a restful day off from the outside action and concentrate on hotel amenities. Many hotels offer kids’ activities and other distractions to help their property stand out from the competition. Spend the day at the pool or play basketball on the property’s courts. Some hotels even have tennis courts to please the adults. Simply ask the front desk about all included activities happening at the hotel. An entire day could be spent relaxing and playing without paying another cent.

A clever way to reduce costs on an Orlando vacation is booking on weekly rates. Flights, rental cars and hotels often discount weekly rates compared to daily types. For example, paying for five nights at the hotel is charged at a daily rate. Book a full week or seven days to see a significant discount on the entire stay. Flights and rental cars work in the same manner. The whole family could have extra cash to spend with discounted rates applied to the entire trip. Do some online research before booking these items to see the calculations in real time.

Purchasing tickets at a box office for any attraction is almost always more expensive than an online transaction. If you are definitely visiting a waterpark, for instance, purchase all those tickets online as soon as possible. Parks reward visitors with prepaid tickets at a discounted rate. I will definitely be doing this the next time we go to Disney, as we paid at the door and it was very expensive.  I know we can get great deals online.  These savings add up considerably if travelers are visiting several parks during their stay. Print and bring all the confirmation numbers with the group as they check in to each attraction. If there’s an issue with the number, parks can always look up the information on their system. Using tickets on smartphones and tablets is allowed in many parks, but accessing the information may be difficult with poor cellphone service coverage.

Always book a hotel that’s close to all desired attractions, such as Marriott’s Grande Vista property. With rooms booked as soon as possible, families can plan their stay around those dates. Hotels are numerous around Orlando, but not all of them have the features that help you save. Plan ahead to have the vacation of a lifetime with less investment.

Have you tried any of these options when booking your vacation?  What has worked for you?