Travel More, Spend Less: A Beginner’s Guide to Family Travel on a Budget

Travelling as a family can feel expensive, overwhelming, and honestly… a little out of reach.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Over the years, we’ve figured out how to travel consistently as a family of five without overspending, and this is exactly how we do it.

If you’ve ever thought:

• “How do families afford this?”
• “Where do I even start?”
• “Is this realistic for us?”

You’re in the right place.

I’m going to walk you through the exact strategies we use, and give you a few resources you can use to start planning your own trip.

---

---

Want to Plan Your First Trip?

If you’re not sure where to start, I’ve put together a Free Trip Planning Guide for Families.

It walks you through:
✔ how to choose accommodations
✔ how to budget your trip
✔ how to plan your itinerary

You can also find all the tools we use (flights, accommodations, travel apps, and more) on my Travel Resources page:

---

Quick Summary: How We Travel More for Less

If you just want the high-level version, here’s what works for us:

• We prioritize flight deals
• We choose accommodations strategically (try not to pay more than $50 night/person)
• We save at home to spend on travel
• We focus on free experiences
• We pack smart and avoid extra costs

Now I’ll break down exactly how we do each of these.

---

We Watch Flight Deals Like It’s Our Job

Flights are usually the biggest expense, so that’s where we save first. I sign up for alerts from YYC Deals (substitute with your closest Canadian airport ie. yyzdeal, yegdeals, etc.), and use Skyscanner to compare prices and track the cheapest dates to fly.

We also use a WestJet Mastercard, which gives us points toward future flights and a companion voucher every year. Since both my husband and I have our own cards, we double up on rewards and save thousands annually on family flights.

If a deal pops up (and it aligns with the kids’ school breaks!), even to somewhere unexpected, we jump on it. Flexibility is the key to affordable travel.

---

We Choose Accommodations Strategically

Finding the right place to stay can make or break your budget and your sanity. I spend a little extra time using filters on sites like Airbnb or Booking.com to narrow down exactly what we need: the right price range, enough space for everyone, kitchen access, and a walkable location. Check out my blog post ‘How I Use Filters to Find the Best Accommodation for Less‘.

We’ve also learned to look beyond the usual options. Some of our favourite stays have been ones most people wouldn’t think of, like hostels with private family rooms, agriturismos in Italy, or even monastery guesthouses. In Rome, you can stay where the nuns live (yes, really!) clean, quiet, and surprisingly affordable.

That extra bit of research not only saves money, it adds character to our trips, and those are always the stays we remember most.

We often find hidden gems like these on Booking.com just use filters for “family rooms” or “guesthouses.”

My FREE Trip Planning Guide gives you lots of ideas on alternative places to stay.

---

We Save at Home to Spend Abroad

Travel starts long before we board a plane. We’ve built habits at home that make it easier to say yes to trips when great deals pop up.

We use YNAB (You Need a Budget) to track our spending and set aside money for travel every month. It’s been a game changer for us. Seeing exactly where our money goes has helped us prioritize what matters and it turns out, we’d rather spend on plane tickets than takeout coffee!

We grocery shop at discount grocery stores, meal plan weekly, and try to cut unnecessary extras. Every dollar saved at home becomes a dollar toward our next adventure. It’s not about deprivation; it’s about choosing what really brings us joy and for us, that’s exploring new places together.

For a more in depth take about how we budget see How We Budget for Family Travel (Without Going into Debt!

---

We Focus on Free (and Memorable) Experiences

Our best travel moments rarely cost a cent. We love wandering local neighborhoods, watching street performers, hiking, or just finding a spot to sit and people-watch.

Before every trip, I spend a bit of time searching for free experiences. I’ll look up “free things to do in [city name]” on Google, browse Facebook groups for local events, and check if the city offers a tourism card with included attractions. I also love free walking tours. They’re such a great way to learn about a place from someone who lives there, and you can tip whatever fits your budget.

Some of our favorite memories have come from these simple moments: a sunset walk along the Seine, a free outdoor concert, or exploring a weekend market. You don’t have to spend a lot to feel like you’ve experienced a destination fully.

If you need inspiration for your next trip, you can download my free guide, “25 Free and Fun Things to Do in Any City.” It’s packed with easy ideas that work wherever you’re traveling.

---

We Pack Smart and Avoid Extra Fees

---

We See Travel as a Priority, Not a Luxury

Travel isn’t something we squeeze in when there’s leftover time or money. It’s something we plan for intentionally, just like any other goal. Each year, we talk as a family about where we’d like to go and what we need to do to make it happen. That might mean choosing experiences over new things, saving travel points, or saying no to smaller expenses so we can say yes to the big adventures.

When you view travel as part of your family’s lifestyle instead of a splurge, your decisions start to align with that. It becomes easier to skip the impulse buys and keep saving because you know what you’re working toward: shared memories, connection, and something to look forward to together.

---

You don’t need a huge budget to give your kids amazing adventures, just a plan, a little flexibility, and the willingness to hunt down a deal.
That’s what Wander Far Spend Less is all about: showing families that travel doesn’t have to be expensive to be meaningful.

If you’re new here, welcome! Follow along for family travel on a budget, packing hacks, and real-life tips to help your family travel more for less.

Planning a trip? Download my FREE Trip Planning Guide Includes the travel tools, planning tips, and strategies I use for our family trips!

✨ Next up on the blog: Packing 101: The Ultimate Carry-On Only Packing List for Families

• Bolzano With Kids: Easy Family Travel Tips for the Dolomites
• Wise vs Wealthsimple for Travel: Which Card Is Better for Canadians?
• Graz, Austria With Kids: The Coolest European City You’ve Never Heard Of
• How to Visit Banff on a Budget (Where I’d Stay Instead of Banff Hotels)
• Is Japan Good for Teens? What My Teens Loved (and Didn’t)