Family vacations for less and how our family of 5 ( two adults and three littles) vacationed at South Lake Tahoe for under $300.00 this summer.
We haven’t been on very many vacations as a family since we started having kids. In fact up until this trip the only ones we’ve gone on all together included extended family! So, for the first time just the 5 of us packed up and headed out of town! Living on a budget means we needed to figure out how to have a family vacation for less, so here’s what we did!
Sidenote: after this first experience as the mom on vacation I really think we should come up with a new word for it. Because the role of “vacationing mom” is a lot of work and certainly doesn’t have the same calm, relaxing feelings as vacation without the family!
Anyways, it is totally worth all the work and we made wonderful memories! And actually I can’t wait to go again!
For this trip we went to Lake Tahoe! It was a nice break from the valley heat and I just love that beautiful lake surrounded by trees and mountains!
We started by searching for hotels. There are lots of travel sites that help you find a good deal. A few of our favorite to search through are…
 Airbnb is fun because you can rent a whole house (or even just a room if that’s all you need) watch out for added fees though.
Booking.com   Great Prices and NO booking fees!
Vacations Made Easy  is nice because you can build a whole vacation package while booking your rooms!
There are soooo many sites to help plan a budget friendly trip. Travel zoo, Groupon, Living social, home away, and so many more, are all great!
* When looking through these sites be sure to look for any added taxes or fees. Also, to get more of a value for your money look for deals that include meal coupons, drink coupons and other extras!!
For this trip we chose Lakeside Inn and casino ( I liked that the rooms and the casino part were completely separate so our kids never even went through the gaming area!) It wasn’t fancy or anything but it was clean and we were able to get a room with two full size beds!Â
This trip we were trying to not leave to big of a mark on our budget, and this is how we managed to keep the cost really low:
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It’s vacation season!! yay!
We haven’t done much vacationing as a family yet so there are some items we just need to invest in for this and  future trips..Just in case you need to upgrade some traveling “necessities” here’s a fun handy list!
sleeping bags (or I guess their new name is “slumber bags”? weird)
Suite case organization?? yes please!
Amazon.com
I just think those are so awesome!
For the kids suitcases I decided to try this idea… and I’m kind of in love with this plan!!
Each bag has a shirt, pants, and either a diaper or undies (depending on child) for the day!
then because we are talking about the children there is an “extras” bag for each.
I am really excited to try this on our next trip, I really think it will eliminate some of the unorganized frustration of living out of a suitcase for a few days! AND a big plus will be if anyone wants to help me get boys dressed during the day it will be easy for anyone to find what they need! 🙂
need suite cases? Amazon has some great options!
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
These pinterest ideas for organization are Ah-mazing!!
I just love lists!! These help me keep all my thoughts in one place as I think about all the things each person needs!
And this probably goes without saying but I’ll say it anyways 🙂 It’s always a good idea to check local weather at your destination before you pack!
And if you don’t have a vacation planned yet, Don’t forget about Groupon Getaways!
Whatever you do this summer, wherever you go, I hope you stay safe, have fun, and make memories!
