Well in advance of the time you plan to take the family vacation , a plan should be developed to estimate the cost. There are many different kinds of vacations.
(1) People that are financially able may pay a travel agent to plan their vacation. The common trips when using a travel agent are cruises, trips to specific locations like New York City, or like a resort facility, or planned guided vacation trips. Sometimes it may cost more for the trip than if you planned it yourself. Costco has a travel division that offers great prices on many flight and hotel packages. My wife and I got a great package deal from Costco for the room and flight from Phoenix , Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada, round trip, staying at the Venetian on the “Strip” for three nights and four days for $783. The room was a luxurious suite with a great view and included breakfasts from the menu. We had a great time and were very pleased with the room which would normally cost over $250 a night which was included in the package at a greatly reduced price.
2) People that know where they want to vacation but want help in planning the travel routes and accommodations. They might ask AAA for a travel plan or use one of the travel companies , like Expedia , to show them the choices on line. Expedia and Orbitz show hotel rates from the highest to the lowest and reservations can be made on their website for air transportation, hotel, and car rental. There are sometimes specials on car rentals shown on the travel services. After you see the choices in airline fares, hotel rates , and car rental plans, start a spreadsheet on your computer showing what you think would be the best plan for your family. Check to make sure that the air fare and or the amount paid in advance for the hotel reservation are refundable in the event for some reason your vacation plans change. Many times hotels will only take your reservation and do not require payment up front, but they get your credit card number in the event you do not cancel the reservation by the time they specify they will charge a fee against your credit card.
3) A third example is people that make reservations at a specific location for most of their vacation time such as a lodge , or hotel near Disneyland, or hotel near where ball parks , or special sight seeing locations. They may travel a day or multiple days to get to the venue. In that event they need to pre-plan their stops along the way and get reservations for lodging at those stops. Particularly in the summer months many hotels fill up by night time or are fully booked for many nights. Check and see which hotels are pet friendly if you have a dog or cat you are bringing on the family vacation.
4) A fourth example is the family that wants to go to a cabin in the mountains or a beach house on the ocean shoreline and stay there for the duration of their vacation. In those cases most people take their own food. There are usually refrigerators and microwave ovens in most of the rooms. Some of these facilities have grills for cooking outside the cabin or lodging. KOA Kampgrounds have common cooking areas for the rented cabins which have have counters and propane grills for their renters.
5) A fifth example is the family that has a travel trailer, fifth wheel, camper , or motor home , that wants to park it in an RV Park or campground facility and continue to live out of their unit while on vacation. There are many different price ranges for parking RV’s or motor homes, so go on the internet and shop the available places for your unit. Make a reservation in advance because in the summer many places are already full for the year. As an example , Moab Utah has two large campgrounds near the downtown area. I stayed there in October one year and ask if I could get a reservation for May the following year. The owner said we are completely booked up from April until October.
6) A sixth example is the family that wants to rough it. They bring their tents and sleeping bags, their cooking utensils, food, wood, charcoal, water, and a multitude of things on the trip. They can probably put their tent up for free in some areas where camping is allowed. Many people go to U.S. Forest Service campgrounds, State Parks, or KOA Kampgrounds and pay the fee to camp at those locations. The Forest Service campgrounds usually charge about $17 a night for a camping space. KOA Kampgrounds may charge as much was $35 for a tent site in their facility.
As you can see there are many different choices of ways to plan for a summer vacation depending on your preferences. Remember to plan early , make reservations, check the refund policy, check for pet friendly facilities, shop for the best deals before you hit the road.
Have a super family vacation this year.
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