Are you planning a family fun vacation with your children and grandchildren this year? With the economy in such a bad way for so many, taking time to plan your vacation and budget is so very important to insure an enjoyable, stress free, family vacation without going deeper in debt.

We’ve rented a bungalow that sleeps 8 for two different weeks this summer so we can spend time with our children and grandchildren. To help keep debt to a minimum, our family fun destination will be a short drive, just under two hours to our family down on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County. Not only will it be easier on our debt, we’ll be less stressed than if we had to worry about catching a flight. We’ll bring favorite movies, books, games, and snacks to help pass the time.

While planning our family fun in NJ vacation, there are some tips that we found that I’d like to share with you to help ensure family fun, minimizing the stress and debt, too:

1. Plan on which you want: to sightsee or spend more time relaxing. We chose the “relaxing” choice. It’s always good to get input from family members who will be vacationing with you as to what they prefer and the activities, too.

2. After you decide the type of family fun vacation, have your children and grandchildren help you research destinations, activities, costs including discounts and coupons. With a better understanding of the costs of lodging and activities beforehand, there will be less arguing over money (and less debt) allowing for more enjoyment. To help with family vacation budgeting, use a budget worksheet.  Vacationing during an off-peak season can save you a lot of money, too. I love ways to lessen vacation debt!

3. According to the Travel Industry Association, shopping is a popular vacation activity. If you find yourself usually shopping while on vacation, develop a separate shopping budget so you won’t find yourself out of money before your family fun vacation is over. (And you won’t have credit card bills waiting for you when you arrive home!)

4.  A bungalow, condo, or suite-type hotel may be more vacation budget friendly since they each include a kitchen. Our bungalow also includes a washer and dryer, an outdoor shower, a grill, and a play area behind the house. There is a small marina across the street where we can rent kayaks. We won’t have to spend much on gas once we get there…everything is within walking distance.

5. You can find more tips for family vacation planning and money management here to help prevent debt problems.

If you find your financial situation strained, consider debt counseling this year to help you work towards eliminating your debt so you’ll be able to plan a nice family vacation next year. Debt counseling helped my niece reduce her credit card debt and manage other debt that she had accumulated. The credit counseling they provided helped guide her through a rough time and got her out from under stressful debt obligations. Now she can, too, enjoy family fun vacations without the worry of accumulating more debt! 

Use this Vacation Budget Worksheet for your family fun vacation planning.