If you’ve never traveled with your family before, going for an all-inclusive resort vacation can be a great way to make sure that you enjoy your time abroad without having to worry about transport and food.
But it’s important to know where to look, family resort trips can end up costing a fortune. This guide is the solution to that problem. Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about planning family resort vacations (all-inclusive edition).
Finding Affordable Family Resorts
The first thing you need to do when planning is to figure out how much you’re willing to spend.
1. Setting A Budget
Affordable family resort trips start with a budget.
Here’s how it’s broken down.
- Determine Your Overall Budget: Step one is looking at your overall financial situation, looking at income, savings, and expenses, and deciding how much you can afford for this trip.
- Sort Your Budget Into Categories: Your categories should include things like accommodation, transport, meals, and activities. You can set a certain percent of your overall budget to each category, or look at specifics in terms of set amounts.
With that done, it’s time to move onto step 2: research.
2. Research
This step is where you dive into everything related to gathering data for your affordable family resort vacation. Let’s take a look at what’s involved.
- Research Costs For Food: Get on Google and start looking around for the average cost of meals in your vacation location. This gives you an idea of what you should budget for when it comes to food.
- Research Resorts: Now it’s time to visit TripAdvisor, Booking.com, and other sites like that to see where the resort prices are lowest. This step also includes looking for all-inclusive packages at regular resorts, instead of just looking for affordable all-inclusive family resorts.
Note: some family resorts offer free stays for children up to a certain age, making them a more affordable option for families. Be sure to inquire about these deals when booking your vacation.
3. Research Transport
Next up, take a look at the average cost of transport. Is it cheaper to travel by train? Or would it cost less to hire some bikes and cycling around?
- Research Tickets: Visiting Skyscanner and Google Flights are good places to find affordable tickets to the all-inclusive resort. It’s also a good idea to look for tickets that are at later dates, since they can save you a lot of money.
- Research Discounts: Loyalty programs, discounts, and rewards are all things your affordable, all-inclusive family resort offers. Take a look at your credit card rewards, and if you have any travel points. All great ways to save!
- Measure Against Your Budget: Now, you need to take the amounts that you’ve found, and comparing them to your budget, adjusting accordingly, or seeing where you could do more research for lower costs.
- Measure Against Resorts: With all of your data, the last step is to look at resorts and comparing the average costs to the total cost of the packages. If they match up, you may have found a winner.
Now that you’ve found your resort, it’s time to plan your itinerary.
4. Itinerary Planning
This also falls under research. Researching places to go and things to do, and putting them into “must-do” and “nice-to-do” are great ways to save yourself some money.
And make sure that you visit the places you really want to!
So, you’ve done your research, and planned your itinerary. Now it’s time to get packing!
5. Pack Smart
Packing smart might seem like a no-brainer, but there are some things you should keep in mind if you really want to save wherever possible.
Make A List
Get a piece of paper and divide it into:
- Clothes
- Electronics
- Toiletries
- Medication
- Entertainment
Pack Multipurpose Clothing
Why bring two shirts when you could use one for two occasions? Have a look at clothing that can be mixed and matched, and pack that in to save space.
Pack Snacks
Non-perishable snacks are a great way to save money for you – especially if you’re traveling with children.
Pack Travel-Sized Toiletries
Don’t want to buy toiletries abroad?
Make sure your toiletries are in-line with regulations for whatever airline you’re using.
Check Weight Limits
Different airlines may have different weight limits for luggage, and it’s important to make sure that you’re not over that limit. If you are, you’ll have to pay extra unnecessarily.
Top Locations for Family Resort Vacations:
- Cancun, Mexico
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Maui, Hawaii
- Orlando, Florida
- Costa Rica
- Maldives
- Fiji
- Bahamas
- Phuket, Thailand
- Bali, Indonesia
Keeping Children Entertained During the Trip:
When choosing a resort for your family vacation, consider ones that offer dedicated children’s programs and activities. Look for resorts with supervised kids’ clubs, water parks, and family-friendly entertainment options. Additionally, pack some favorite toys, books, and games to keep your children entertained during downtime at the resort.
If you’ve followed this guide, then you’re ready to head off.
So, that means there’s only one thing left to do:
Have fun!
How Air Doctor Can Help
Air Doctor is an easy-to-use app that connects travelers with a global network of multi-lingual doctors and specialists so they can access medical care anywhere, anytime. With the Air Doctor app in your pocket, you can travel the world worry-free.
Air Doctor gives you access to:
- A global network of over 20,000 multi-lingual doctors and specialists
- Choice of clinic, at-home (hotel), and video consultations
- Valid, local prescriptions
- Telemedicine services in up to 21 languages
- 24/7 multi-lingual support
- Transparent pricing, and reviews
- Most common medical specialties
If you’re looking for reliable, accessible, and global medical assistance, Air Doctor is the perfect choice for you. Download the app before your next trip just in case.
