I’m over at Equifax’s Family Money blog talking about budget family travel—outside the United States. Yep, it’s actually possible, and our family lived to tell about it during a recent journey to England.
Our daughters are 10 and 14, which we decided was a good age for a “bigger” trip. They’re old enough to do lots of walking, and they’re actually interested in some of the history (cutting off heads at the Tower of London, the horrors of the plague in England, etc.).
We did drop some money on a few tourist attractions—a double-decker bus tour, the Tower of London, and a musical, “Matilda,” which was great fun. But we saved money by:
- Renting a London flat (we stayed in this cute place in the Islington neighborhood)
- Buying breakfast makings at a nearby grocers
- Eating simple lunches and dinners at places like Pret a Manger (which you can also find in some U.S. big cities), and
- Being strategic about buying plane tickets and other items, which I talk about in my Equifax blog post.
We also gleaned budget travel strategies and itinerary tips from travel guide/TV host Rick Steves. His city guides and website are consistently great. We’ve used his guides on multiple European trips over the past 20 years.
We certainly can’t do trips like this one, to England, every year. But it was worth saving for. It was a real mind-opening experience for our daughters, and a fun adventure for my husband and me. We’re already arguing amongst ourselves about where to go on our next European journey! Photo by Highways Agency.
Head here to read my entire Equifax post and to share your budget travel ideas in the comments. What money-saving strategies have made fun trips possible for your family?
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