Family Travel Tips
Master the Art of Family Travel with Our Essential Tips
Spend Smart, Travel Smart: There is a saying in Punjabi “Mehnga rove ik baar, Sasta rove baar-baar,” meaning “Spend more and cry once, buy cheap and cry repeatedly.” This rings true for travel bookings. Choosing cheaper options like Spirit or Frontier airlines, or poorly reputed rental car companies, might save money initially, but the stress and regret aren’t worth it. For example, we once got a super cheap deal on Spirit to Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, a tornado was hitting that day. Spirit canceled our flight without even an email. Learn from our mistakes and opt for reputable companies and leave the stress at home.
Museum Magic: Invest in a Children Museum membership including ASTC or ACM benefits. These memberships, usually priced between $50-$150, offer free access to museums nationwide and even globally. Not only do these enrich your trips, but they also offer incredible savings. For instance, our membership saved us $140 at the Maui Ocean Center!
- Pack Like a Pro: Consider using packing cubes to organize clothes and make packing and unpacking at hotels a breeze.
- Planning Made Perfect: Apps like TripIt can streamline your itinerary, so you spend less time wondering “what’s next?” and more time enjoying the moment.
- Breeze Through Security: Invest in Global Entry, TSA Pre, and Clear to glide through airport security lines like a true VIP. Cards like Amex Platinum and Capital One Venture often cover the fees.
- Smart Car Rentals: Leverage Costco Travel or Priceline to book your car, and keep an eye on Autoslash for price drop alerts.
- Budget smartly: Track your expenses with tools like Excel or Travel Spend app. Keeping tabs on your spending can help avoid surprises.
- Stay safe: Always carry a travel first-aid kit and essential medications in your carry-on, especially for long flights. We learned this the hard way when our son developed a fever over the Pacific, and all our meds were in checked luggage!
- Insure Your Adventures: Always consider paying for your trips with travel credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Not only do you earn significant cashback, but you also benefit from crucial travel insurance. We learned firsthand how valuable this can be when our younger one fell ill right before two separate trips. Thanks to booking with our Chase Sapphire Preferred, we were able to reclaim the non-refundable costs, saving our budget and our peace of mind.
- Early Birds Win: Starting early is always a good idea, especially when flying. With kids, you might need extra pit stops and you never know when delays will hit. Having that buffer makes everything less hectic.
- Savor the moments: It’s tempting to rush through your travel checklist, but remember to slow down. Enjoying the journey is as important as the destination, especially when traveling with kids.