Can you really take a family of four on vacation for 700 dollars or less? Absolutely, although some sacrifices must be made. You will not be able to take everyone to a Disney resort or go crazy with expensive attractions and shopping excursions, but you can still have a great time.
So, if you are looking for a great, memory filled vacation that you can take with your family, let’s look at some options. Here are three great vacation ideas that you might want to consider, all for around 700 dollars or less.
Take A Beach Vacation
When you think of the beach, you might think about the Caribbean or a fancy Hawaii destination but there are plenty of good beaches in the continental united states that are with driving distance. West coast, east coast or even the south. There are a lot of great destinations to consider.
As far as where to stay, check out Airbnb. It is a great way to travel and get all of the same conveniences of home. Get a fully stocked home that allow you to save money on food and dining while usually giving you a much larger place. I myself just recently booked a spring break vacation on Airbnb for $150 a night. A one bedroom condo on the water at a destination resort with beach access and a kid’s water park.
In case you are wondering, most one bedroom condos will sleep four to six people comfortably. This one in particular came with an additional set of bunk-beds and sleeper sofa. Plenty of room for a family of four. With an Airbnb rental, you get a space to stay that is much larger than your average hotel room and it will come with everything that is in your own home. Things like a full kitchen or a washer and dryer can come in handy.
The beauty of this is that all you need to pay for besides the room is food. Your family gets to enjoy the beach and all the amenities of a residential resort and you can cook all of your meals in your “home away from home”.
So that is 450 dollars for the Airbnb, 100 dollars for fuel to and from the Airbnb, 100 dollars in groceries and 50 bucks for miscellaneous expenses.. A great, memory making trip for around 700 dollars cash. Hard to beat.
Go Camping
While the idea of roughing it might not appeal to you, nobody can deny the allure of a family camping trip. It is one of those things that you will look back on when the kids are all grown up and out of the house. Times spent in front of the campfire can become some of the best times in your life.
Still, the idea of sleeping on the ground with the bugs might leave you less than excited about camping. You should know though that camping does not have to mean roughing it. Check out Outdoorsy and rent a pop up camper for as little as 60 bucks a night. Pop ups can weigh as little as 1200 pounds, which means that they can be towed by just about any vehicle.
When you rent a pop up, you get all of the comforts of home. You get a kitchen, refrigerator and most importantly, air conditioning and heat. Some even have small showers and restrooms. It is like a little hotel room for the wilderness.
Once you get your pop up you can head over to one of over 400 national parks and get yourself an improved campsites. Improved sites will have water and electrical hookups for around 20 dollars a day. Throw in some food and a few camping supplies and you are all set to make some memories.
Adding it all up, you can have 4 days of a camper rental for 240 dollars, 4 days at a national park for 80 dollars, 100 dollars for food and 100 dollars for gas to and from the park. Throw in another 100 dollars for miscellaneous camping gear and you still come in well under 700 dollars.
Go To Vegas
The terms “family vacation”, “cheap” and “Vegas” seemingly do not go together, but you might be surprised at just what you can get in Vegas for the money. Assuming that you live close enough to Vegas to drive there, you can get a very cheap vacation as long as you are willing to forego gambling. Believe it or not, there is much more to Vegas than gambling and you can get it on the cheap.
What makes Vegas so cheap? Hotel rooms and cheap entertainment. You do not need a lot of money to stay in Vegas because the casinos just want to get you there. You can often book rooms on the strip for as little as 50 bucks a night. That makes a three day stay in Vegas around 200 dollars after taxes. For that little amount of money, you can get a very nice room close to an endless supply of entertainment.
As far as entertainment goes, you can be very thrifty and still have a great time. First off, you have great people watching on the strip. Vegas lures people in from all parts of the world and you never know just who you are going to see. Just walking down the sidewalk can take hours if you stop to take it all in. With street performers every hundred feet working for tips, there is never a dull moment.
Besides the people, man made attractions are also plentiful. Casinos spend millions of dollars to attract tourists. Check out the fountains of The Bellagio, the canals of The Venetian and the statues at Caesar’s Palace among other things.
If you tire of the strip, you will also find that you are in very close proximity to some great parks to go see. Check out the Valley of Fire State Park, Death Valley or even the Grand Canyon if you are up for a drive. All of these parks are must sees and will give you dozens of photo opps.
It is surprisingly easy to have a cheap, but rewarding vacation in Vegas for well under 700 dollars. Although known for gambling and debauchery, Vegas is so much more.