I want you to have the best year of your family’s life this year! I have talked about lots of ways you can make the year special, and I hope that you have started putting them all on the calendar. If you have not planned a year of fun and adventure for your family, lets get that done!
Once you have a plan for the whole year of vacation you will want to have a very specific plan for funding those vacations. You can do a lot of very low cost or free vacations (I put a bunch of ideas at the end of the post), but I encourage you to save for at least one BIG ONE!
Go ahead and print this budget worksheet and get started!
How much should I budget for vacation?
Once you have chosen how often you will be vacationing this year you can set a budget for each trip. I recommend one big one and 2 to 3 smaller ones.
Your year long plan might look like this:
| Trip | Cost | Month |
| Staycation | $300 | April |
| Beach Trip | $450 | July |
| Visit Family | $500 | December |
| Mexico | $2500 | February |
I recommend you plan for food, lodging, and gas then save up the required amount over several paychecks. Many people call this a sinking fund.
Make a savings plan for these sinking funds, yours might look like this:
Total: $3750
Divide by 12 months equals $312
| Month | Save this month | Total |
| January | $312 | |
| February | $312 | $624 |
| March | $312 | $936 |
You can break this down for each paycheck. In my family we get paid every week, so we would divide that $312 by 4 and then set aside $78 each check. You can even do this in cash if that is your thing.
You can download my free vacation planner with a budget sheet that will help you plan for a whole year of vacations and saving for those trips!
If you have a monthly budget you probably already know how much extra you could save each month from your regular income, but if you are hoping to save for a bigger trip I encourage you to look at selling some stuff you are no longer using. I like Mercari for this.
Why is family vacation important?
There have actually been studies that show that family vacations improve family communication, reduce the chance of divorce, strengthen life long relationships between family members, and reduce stress for up to 45 days after the vacation.
Family vacation is a chance to make shared memories, but also a chance to build an amazing family culture that will leak into your everyday life at home. You can also use family vacation time for learning new things and visiting new places.
How often should we go on vacation?
As often as you can! Research shows that a vacation as short as 4 days can have lasting stress reducing benefits up to 45 days after you return, even if the vacation is at home! Who doesn’t want stress relief?
Taking a 4-7 night vacation every 3 to 6 months is sure to be beneficial to the whole family. I know that this is not possible for every family in every situation, but I think it is a great goal when planning out a year of vacation.
Try starting with a 3 day weekend and adding on a personal day? Could you save up and use some unpaid days?
What is a good vacation for a family?
Here is a list of 100 ideas for a low budget vacation. Didn’t find an inspiring idea? Tired of budget vacations? Make a plan and save up for that dream vacation! The best vacation is the one you go on!
A good vacation can be taken at home, at sea, in a new country, or in your parent’s backyard. The most important thing about a family vacation is having time to create stronger connections with your family. No matter where you go or what you do, prioritize quality time.
How much does a vacation cost?
There are three main categories that will determine the cost of the vacation;
- Travel Cost
- Food Cost
- Lodging Cost
Average US vacation cost over $500 for a four day trip within the country.
I think this is a great place to start, you will have to adjust if you are going to be paying airfare, train tickets, admission to a show or attraction or a lavish meal.
I recommend you use my free vacation budget planner which you can download at the bottom of the post. This will help you make sure you account for all possible costs.
What is the cheapest vacation?
Camping, visiting family and stay-cations are all great budget friendly options, but they are not your only choice. You can find inspiration in this list of 55 Vacation Ideas!
The cheapest vacation will be something that is close to home and probably includes packing most of your food.
If you are on a shoestring budget do not skip vacation. There was a study done in Germany that studied the stress reducing benefits of vacation. They split the participants into two groups, one group spend their vacation in a hotel and one spent it at home. The group that stayed home experienced most of the same benefits of vacation as the group that was in a hotel.
You can even call it a road trip, although there is some debate as to how long a road trip should be.
Can we vacation for $1000?
A thousand dollar vacation is possible in most circumstances. Split the money into three categories; gas, lodging and food. Gas, or other travel costs, will determine how far you can go, lodging will determine how much you can spend on food. If there is money remaining spend it on entertainment.
This simple planning strategy makes vacation possible on any budget. Here are three example vacation plans on a thousand dollar budget.
- Staycation – 4-10 days
Gas – $0
Lodging – $0
Food – $ 300
Entertainment – $700
A staycation is a great way to save money, but still have a great trip. You are unlikely to need a thousand dollars to eat at home, but you can splurge and get a meal at the fanciest restaurant in town. Plan to spend $300 on meals, then you have $700 for new outfits for your dinner out, renting a movie, buying a new board game or book to read, and a shopping trip to your favorite local or online boutique.
I highly recommend planning and budgeting for a staycation to make the most of the time, and with this budget you can plan for some exciting entertainment. It will make it feel more like a ‘real vacation.’
- Outdoor Adventure 3 or 4 days
Gas – $100
Lodging – $ 250
Food – $ 150
Entertainment – $ 450
In this example you are probably driving one or two hours out of town and finding a really cool place to stay (I recommend using hipcamp.com) and packing all the amazing camping foods. Once you have stuffed yourself on smores and baked apples over the fire you can rent kayaks or tube down the river.
This is also a great idea if you have a fairly local outdoor festival or amusement park with a camping option. Camping at an event like this allows you to buy souvenirs or rides on the ferris wheel.
- Beach Trip 4 – 7 days
Gas – $200
Lodging – $500
Food – $300
Entertainment – $0
For the true beach bum you can drive till you find the water and just hang out for a few days. Every beach location is different, but you can expect to pay around $150 per night. Be sure to book as early as possible, because these things go FAST in popular locations.
There are lots of resources for planning a beach house vacation, but if you are on a tight budget you will want to plan to cook at the house. You might be able to grab one night of great seafood.
Can we vacation for $300?
If you are looking at taking more vacations this year, you are probably not going to be able to spend $1000 on each one. You might have a surprise 3 day weekend or just need to get away and you haven’t fully funded the vacation. Still go. Even on a very small budget vacation is worth it.
Vacations are very important for stress management, family bonding and personal growth. Spending time intentionally having fun is important, do it often.
Here are 3 examples of vacations you could take with a family for $300
- Van Life
Gas – $50
Lodging – $0
Food – $100
Entertainment – $150
Jump in the van and drive to a state landmark or state capital. Plan to cook on a camping stove and live that van life! You can put an air mattress in the back of the van or bring a tent and camp.If you can drive into a big city and you feel comfortable sleeping in the car, you can enjoy the city very affordably.
Get some activities like books, watercolors, knot tying or crochet to work on during the day. Spend some of that entertainment money on renting a bike or scooter with a guided tour!
- Drive In Movie
Gas – $100
Food – $45
Lodging – $155
You can use a site like this to find a drive-in theater near you. Drive out there and watch a movie like they did in days of old! This is a great activity that you have probably never done, or haven’t done in years. You can grab a hotel or AirBnB and make it quite an exciting weekend!
- Luxury
Gas – $ 0
Food – $ 100
Lodging – $135
Entertainment – $65
If you want to feel like you got away, get a hotel room, the best one you can afford. Hit up the dollar tree and grab some nail polish and epsom salts. This vacation is all about pampering yourself and your family. Make sure to stock up on soups and salads, light food. Bring everyone’s bathrobe and get everyone to soak their feet and paint some nails.
I hope that you are convinced that vacation is worth it at any budget.
If you are still feeling like you cannot afford it, you can check out the studies that I referenced here and here.
How many vacations will you be taking this year? I have some really cool ways you may want to document this great year of vacations. I bet you have never done number 1, and it will really strengthen your family.
If you didnt already grab it, the free printable is available here:
