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Affordable Family Vacations
By Nicola McCormack
Hacienda Sac Chich, Mexico
Photo: Courtesy of Urbano Rentals
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Tips for Wellness on the Road
While planning your family vacation this summer, avoid reading about the jet-set lifestyle of the Brangelina brood. Like comparing post-baby bodies with Madame Jolie-Pitt, it's an exercise in futility. Back in the real world, when a globe-trotting twosome multiplies into a family of three or more, vacations are no longer about chilling out on exotic beaches drinking fruity cocktails. Along with your burgeoning luggage of extra diapers, travel crib, and car seat, there are also the increased costs to contend with.
So, what are your options? Well, you could stay at home and travel vicariously via sites like this one, but even we want you and your little ones to get out there and see the world. Plan wisely, and this year you and your clan could be exploring the souks in Marrakesh, tubing through caves in Central America, or renting an RV for a once-in-a-lifetime road trip.
Family villa rentals
Chances are, if you've started reproducing, your friends have, too. Join forces to rent a villa, and what can initially seem like a splurge starts to sound cost-effective. Consider that you'll split the rental and grocery costs, cook some of your own meals, and—huge added bonus—share babysitting duties, too. Urbano Rentals offers a selection of very cool and affordable properties around Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, a region that checks all the boxes for a family vacation, with beaches, snorkeling, Mayan pyramids (culture for you, a giant jungle gym for kids), and those all-important affordable nonstop flights. Hacienda Sac Chich is a sprawling property with a pool on the edge of a Mayan village, a half-hour from Mérida, in the center of the peninsula. From $500 a night in high season ($400 low season), it's spacious enough to accommodate a few families without people getting under each other's feet, with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a dining table that seats 12. In the early evenings, the kids can run free in the tropical garden while the grown-ups kick back on the vine-covered portico and reminisce about late nights and sleeping past 7 a.m.
Marrekesh
Photo: JMParrone/Flickr
Marrakesh for families
Some destinations are magical enough to appeal to all ages, which pretty much sums up Marrakesh. The low costs of traveling to Morocco are equally bewitching right now. Airfare can get up there, but the on-the-ground costs for food, shopping, and accommodation are where you'll make your savings. For parents, the maze of souks is a place to hone bartering skills; for youngsters, it's a mysterious labyrinth of (inexpensive) treasures, exotic aromas, and glowing lanterns. Early evening is when the main square, the Jemaa El Fna, comes alive with gnawa musicians, tumbling acrobats, and snake charmers. Eat at one of the hundreds of smoky open kitchens, where tasty chicken kebabs (under a dollar apiece) and desserts drizzled in honey will satisfy even the most finicky eaters. Stay in a riad—a traditional Moroccan house-turned-hotel with a central courtyard—for an authentic experience; the Zamzam is a beautifully restored seven-room riad in the Medina. Room start at $173 a night in low season; the child-friendly amenities range from babysitting services and high chairs to kids' meals and extra cots (youngsters under 10 can stay in their parents' room for free). There's also a pool and a hammam where even kids can benefit from a jet lag–relief massage.
Hitting the road in an RV
Photo: Courtesy of GORVing
Family road trips
That "savecation" word being bandied about? RV-ing could very well be one of the best ways to achieve it. Simply rent a motor home, work out your route, and save a bundle by eating and sleeping on the road—hey, the Partridge Family did it! We suggest you rent something big enough to provide some personal space (a 26- to 30-foot motor home should be big enough for a family of four)—otherwise it could very well be the last family vacation you ever take. Investing in a few lessons on how to drive a behemoth vehicle is probably a good idea, too. According to GoRVing.com, the average rental price of a 26- to 30-foot motor home is $150 a day; even when you add in fuel costs, it's possible to save a bundle on transportation, hotel, and food costs when you travel this way. Slow down a little by choosing a route from the National Scenic Byways Program. For an iconic trip, consider Route 66 from Illinois through New Mexico and finishing in Arizona (give yourself at least six days).
Belize
Photo: chuck.taylor/Flickr
Belize on a budget
Belize is affordable, accessible, and, for such a small country, a family can certainly pack in a lot of activity there: zip-lining through tree canopies, snorkeling with sharks and manta rays, cave tubing beneath weird and wonderful rock formations, and spotting wildlife on a jungle tour. There are also plenty of inexpensive family-friendly lodges to stay in. The best time to go is the dry season, from late November through May, but there are hotel discounts of around 30 percent during the June–October rainy season—also known euphemistically as the "green season" (we're talking showers rather than a monsoon drenching). Youngsters will love the tree house suites 20 feet above the ground at the Caves Branch Jungle Lodge in the center of the country. Surrounded by tropical jungle, the resort sits on the Caves Branch River, which is great for kayaking. The 21 bungalows, cabanas, suites, and tree houses start at $98; kids 16 and under stay free. Packages can combine adventure tours such as night safaris and exploring Mayan ruins (for children 9 and under, on-property tours are free and off-site activities are discounted 20 percent). Our main recommendation about jungle accommodation? Take earplugs: Belizean wildlife parties into the night and wakes up early.
Negotiate a home exchange
Photo: Courtesy of Home Exchange
Home exchanges
If your home is in a desirable location, chances are you can swap it with another family's property for a vacation without accommodation costs. It works by registering with an agency—check out HomeExchange.com, HomeLink International, and Intervac—that charges a registration fee, usually in the region of $100, then gives you access to a list of quality properties to barter for here or abroad. After seeing the concept in the movie The Holiday three years ago, Doug Leibinger and his family swapped their four-bedroom, three-bath property near Aspen (pictured) with a similar-size home on Bainbridge Island, just offshore from Seattle. Six e-mails and one call sealed the deal. Hooked, the Leibingers then organized a two-week exchange the following summer with a house in Florida that included a boat and access to a private beach club. "Friends have asked, wasn't it weird to have total strangers sleeping in your bed? We never once thought about what might go wrong, but just committed to the concept. We would have missed out on an extraordinary experience otherwise."
Houseboats in Amsterdam
Photo: kalleboo/Flickr
Houseboat rentals
If you're planning a getaway to a city with canals—one of the Industrial Revolution's happier outcomes—consider a houseboat as a colorful and fairly priced alternative to a hotel. The canals of Amsterdam make this city a great place to take the kids. Houseboat Hotel has a selection of properties in and around the city. Houseboat B039, berthed five minutes from the central Munttoren, is a modern, surprisingly airy boat that costs just over $300 a night. It's got two bedrooms, a bathroom with tub, fully equipped kitchen, and washer/dryer, plus a cool deck to hang out on. Another city that might float your boat is London: The Bush Houseboat is moored on the Thames in Kew, only 15 minutes by train from Waterloo Station, and can cost as little as $200 a night for five people. Don't want to go overseas? Tobiko is an impressive two-level houseboat in Sausalito with views of San Francisco Bay. It sleeps six and costs $300 a night.
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Photo: Courtesy of Lassen National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
The great outdoors is not so great when it's crammed full of other people. That's one reason why it's worth seeking out a lesser-known park; another is that these spots tend to be more affordable than the Yellowstones and Yosemites. Lassen National Park is one of our favorites. Located in California, about five hours north of San Francisco, the park has steaming fumaroles, boiling pools, and plopping mud pots. Other activities include horseback riding, fishing, boating, kayaking, and hiking to take in spectacular views of the Cascade and High Sierra mountains. Eight campgrounds dot the park, but for those of us who just can't give up clean sheets, hot showers, and bug-free nights, the Drakesbad Guest Ranch offers rustic accommodation in its 13 cabins and six lodge rooms; there's also a restaurant, horseback riding, and a hot spring–fed swimming pool. The rates—from $155 for adults, $85 for kids 2 to 11—include three daily meals.