How to afford a tropical vacation for a large family
My family loves going to Dominican Republic for vacation. It makes me very happy since that is where my family is from. I still have family there but we found “our” spot many years ago and we won’t stop going anytime soon! When I tell people about out trips, they always say “Sounds expensive!” You would be surprised how affordable it can be! I have learned many tricks over the years. Today I am sharing them ALL with you!
Planning the trip a year in advance
I try to plan our trips a year in advance. Sometimes life uncertainties get in the way and I can’t do that. This year we pulled it off in three months! But typically at least 6 months is ideal. The trick is staying organized. Break the trip into small, manageable sections.
Lodging
I start with where are we staying. For us, our favorite Villa in Puerto Plata is always part of it. I know, I know….You hear villa and automatically think “I can’t afford that!” But trust me, It’s not as expensive as you think. We have been going to this same place for years. I always get 4 nights there and plan one or two nights in another part of the country so my kids can get to know how beautiful and diverse it is. The price varies on the season. We typically go off season, in the summer. That will save you money right there. Also, when you’re booking a year in advance, you can use the Affirm option on VRBO. It breaks it down into small payments with a fee for financing but it’s reasonable. You can have it paid before you go, so you’re not building debt to vacation.
Flights
The next thing I start searching for is flights. We are a large family, so this is usually more than our lodging. This year we were 10 people so that added up quick. I typically pay for that up front but there are sites like Just Fly that will let you finance as well. There are a few tricks to getting the best flight deals. Booking on a Tuesday or Wednesday usually gets you lower prices. Also, use different computers. You would be surprised on the price differences once your browsers know what you’re searching for! Use some of my tips in this post for luggage and saving more money! Once those two things are booked, the fun begins! https://elisairvolino.com/dominican-delight-crafting-a-memorable-family-vacation/
Transportation
Another large expense is the transportation. You will need to get around somehow. This time that was more expensive because we were so many. It meant getting two rides at a time or a large vehicle that could fit all of us. This is where my envelope system starts. I follow the Budget Mom for my household budgets so I learned to carry that over to my vacation budgets. I take out a bunch of envelopes and label them. Every paycheck, I take out cash and add some to my envelopes. Here is my stack from this year. Even my pessimistic husband likes this method. It takes off all the stress during the week when you know everything is essentially paid for.
Make sure you account for every expense. For us that meant transportation, groceries, tips for the staff at the Villa and a few meals out. Keep in mind we were feeding ten people for six days!
We did have some other expenses that I didn’t have envelopes for but not so bad this time! Let me know if you have any tips or if any of mine helped!
