rickmer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,123
Jul 1, 2014 20:20:18 GMT
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Post by rickmer on May 15, 2016 14:10:01 GMT
we have always done 2 or 3 day holidays to places nearby (niagara falls, great wolf lodge, montreal, kingston). at the end of '14 MIL gave us some $ (that paid 1/2) to take kids to disney. we stayed on property and had a great time, surprisingly, as i was NOT interested in disney at all.
this past feb we found an all-inclusive in dominican that was very reasonable - $5000 including flight, resort and all food/drink for a week. again, we had an awesome time and will cherish those memories.
so i have been bit by the travel bug, esp since DD will be in gr 11 next year.... i feel like we are running out of time for family vacations.
i would love to do something in europe but as a massive duggar-like family of 5, everything that seems reasonable ends up less so as all the hotels want us to book 2 rooms.
i am not stuck on a certain destination, i have been to paris and amsterdam and loved them both but assume much of what i loved (the european-ness) will be present in other european cities.
any suggestions on destination in europe that would have lots to do without breaking the bank or selling a kidney? kids are 9, 11 and 15.
thanks in advance,
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Post by Merge on May 15, 2016 14:24:38 GMT
Wherever you go, look for an apartment through AirBnB instead of renting a hotel room. We found it generally much cheaper, with more space, plus you can save money by purchasing simple breakfast items to prepare/eat instead of eating breakfast out every morning. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a place that will sleep your whole family for about the cost of one hotel room.
We did this in Paris and Amsterdam and were extremely happy with both.
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Post by catmom on May 15, 2016 14:26:38 GMT
It's a wonderful age for traveling and great memories for your kids. These are more generic suggestions on saving money for vacations. We use credit cards that give points back for traveling - SPG is the best value and it gives you points towards free hotels at Westin, lemeridien, Sheraton, W, etc hotels. We use the credit card for EVERYTHING, groceries, gas, everything. At the end of a year we have enough points for about a week's worth of free nights in Europe. The value is excellent. As an example, we just got back from 10 nights in Spain and got to stay in 4 and 5 star hotels for free. Assuming you are good about paying off your credit card monthly, I can't recommend this option enough. There are several other point/money back credit cards but SPG has the best % return for someone who travels, especially in Europe.
Okay, for cheaper European destinations I would suggest Croatia, and also the other eastern European countries (i.e. Poland, Hungary). Italy is my favourite country and can be done not so expensively (i.e. pasta and wine are cheap, regional trains are reasonably priced).
In general, most European countries can be done for relatively inexpensive to extremely expensive depending on how you travel but some countries give you more budget-conscious options. Just got back from Spain and travel within Spain is not so cheap and we found it more difficult to get cheap meals (definitely not impossible though).
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Post by misadventurous on May 15, 2016 14:42:03 GMT
Wherever you go, look for an apartment through AirBnB instead of renting a hotel room. We found it generally much cheaper, with more space, plus you can save money by purchasing simple breakfast items to prepare/eat instead of eating breakfast out every morning. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a place that will sleep your whole family for about the cost of one hotel room. We did this in Paris and Amsterdam and were extremely happy with both. I can't say enough good things about AirBnB. We'll never stay in a hotel in Europe again, aside from single night one-offs here and there. One additional benefit not mentioned above is that you can often get a much cooler location for the cost than when you stay in a hotel. We stayed in a canal-side apartment in Venice a couple of summers ago for about the third of the cost of a canal-side hotel. We'll be in an apartment that looks right out on the Duomo in Florence in a few weeks. Also, one of our favorite things to do is shop for groceries in foreign grocery stores and markets, something you don't typically need to do when you're in a hotel.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on May 15, 2016 14:55:27 GMT
You might consider Munich as a destination. We spent a week there a few years ago with two college kids in tow. They loved it! Very easy to get around, lots to see & do in the area. It was safe enough that the girls were able to go off and do their own thing, while DH and I did what we wanted. It was also very easy to grab a train to do day trips. We did day trips to Salzburg, Austria, the Neuschwanstein Castle, as well as the Audi factory in Ingolstadt. DD is a car fanatic and wanted to visit Audi to see where her car was made. I am so not a car person, but will admit to finding that trip fascinating! If you have a car fanatic in your crew, then definitely check in to a tour at one of the German motor companies.
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Belle
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,309
Jun 28, 2014 4:39:12 GMT
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Post by Belle on May 15, 2016 14:57:12 GMT
We are a family of 4 and have tried to book a couple of different places in London and the hotels wanted us to book 2 rooms so I know what you are saying about the accommodations. I would recommend looking into apartments and if you haven't already, jump on trip advisor and do a couple of searches to see where other families of 5 are staying.
Italy isn't terribly expensive and Austria is supposed to be good for budget travel too.
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,050
Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on May 15, 2016 14:58:42 GMT
I would suggest Prague. Very old European in feel and reasonably inexpensive. Lovely river, a castle and some decent museums. I also like Berlin - so much history everywhere you go, and reasonably priced for Germany, though not as cheap as eastern Europe.
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,050
Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on May 15, 2016 15:01:20 GMT
You might consider Munich as a destination. We spent a week there a few years ago with two college kids in tow. They loved it! Very easy to get around, lots to see & do in the area. It was safe enough that the girls were able to go off and do their own thing, while DH and I did what we wanted. It was also very easy to grab a train to do day trips. We did day trips to Salzburg, Austria, the Neuschwanstein Castle, as well as the Audi factory in Ingolstadt. DD is a car fanatic and wanted to visit Audi to see where her car was made. I am so not a car person, but will admit to finding that trip fascinating! If you have a car fanatic in your crew, then definitely check in to a tour at one of the German motor companies. I live in Munich and love it here, but it is fairly expensive as Europe goes - not quite in the Paris/London league, but still pricey. And you don't need to go to Ingolstadt - BMW have a factory in Munich with tours - you do need to book a fair way in advance - and the BMW Museum nearby is excellent.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on May 15, 2016 15:05:44 GMT
You might consider Munich as a destination. We spent a week there a few years ago with two college kids in tow. They loved it! Very easy to get around, lots to see & do in the area. It was safe enough that the girls were able to go off and do their own thing, while DH and I did what we wanted. It was also very easy to grab a train to do day trips. We did day trips to Salzburg, Austria, the Neuschwanstein Castle, as well as the Audi factory in Ingolstadt. DD is a car fanatic and wanted to visit Audi to see where her car was made. I am so not a car person, but will admit to finding that trip fascinating! If you have a car fanatic in your crew, then definitely check in to a tour at one of the German motor companies. I live in Munich and love it here, but it is fairly expensive as Europe goes - not quite in the Paris/London league, but still pricey. And you don't need to go to Ingolstadt - BMW have a factory in Munich with tours - you do need to book a fair way in advance - and the BMW Museum nearby is excellent. Lucky you to live in Munich! Loved the city and the area! We didn't think it was that expensive, but our comparison at the time was to our costs of living in Paris. We ran out of time for the BMW tour. DD's goal is to eventually hit all the factory tours in Germany.
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Loydene
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,639
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jul 8, 2014 16:31:47 GMT
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Post by Loydene on May 15, 2016 15:09:27 GMT
Have you considered the possibility of a Mediterranean cruise? I don't know prices off the top of my head but you'd get food included and a taste of several different places.
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scrappinmama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,883
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on May 15, 2016 15:09:43 GMT
We're currently planning for London next year. London is expensive, but if you take advantage of the many free museums, and 2 for 1 attraction tickets, plus stay in an air bnb, it will definitely make it more affordable.
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,050
Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on May 15, 2016 15:10:02 GMT
Lucky you to live in Munich! Loved the city and the area! We didn't think it was that expensive, but our comparison at the time was to our costs of living in Paris. We ran out of time for the BMW tour. DD's goal is to eventually hit all the factory tours in Germany. We are very lucky - DH was offered a transfer here 8 years ago and we haven't looked back! We didn't find it so expensive, but we came from Melbourne, Australia, which has a very high cost of living, switched a large family home for a 2BR apartment, and left 2 twenty-somethings who had been living at home behind! But relative to other German cities, and to eastern Europe, accommodation here is quite expensive, especially at certain times of the year. HINT: Avoid the last 2 weeks of September at all costs!
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Post by jenrah on May 15, 2016 15:17:02 GMT
We went to London last summer and rented a flat through Airbnb in Notting Hill. It was a great experience. We were invited to the neighborhood summer barbecue and got to meet people from all over the world who lived there. We used the flat as a base to visit London museums and attractions and took day trips to the West and North. We also went to Cardiff by train for the weekend. Wales was wonderful and can't wait to explore the area more.
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rickmer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,123
Jul 1, 2014 20:20:18 GMT
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Post by rickmer on May 15, 2016 15:17:04 GMT
We use credit cards that give points back for traveling - SPG is the best value and it gives you points towards free hotels at Westin, lemeridien, Sheraton, W, etc hotels. We use the credit card for EVERYTHING, groceries, gas, everything. i don't know what SPG is but we do use our avion credit card for as much as possible, including a couple of bills like life insurance and our cable/internet bill. that is how we will paying for some of the flights. love airbnb suggestion, will take a look... i guess i would be wiling to cook a few meals to make things cheaper. i had looked into berlin before, seemed like there was lots there for school age children and seemed easy to get around. i would love prague or budapest and have heard croatia is very beautiful. i wasn't sure about prices in spain vs italy so that is good to know. taking kids to jungle book and will check any other suggestions when i get home. thanks peas! you guys are the best!
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gsquaredmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
Jun 26, 2014 17:43:22 GMT
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Post by gsquaredmom on May 15, 2016 15:20:03 GMT
I have been told that Eastern Europe is more reasonable.
I have always thought Quebec City would be an alternative to Europe. The Canadian dollar is favorable to the U.S. dollar, too.
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Post by Darcy Collins on May 15, 2016 15:22:02 GMT
Getting a family of 5 to Europe will be expensive - particularly if you need to adhere to a traditional school schedule. Stalk airfares and see if you have any flexibility to travel off peak times. We were able to travel one year in May and airfare was literally 1/3 of the price for just a week later.
I agree with several pp that vrbo or Airbnb will be much cheaper than 2 hotel rooms and more comfortable.
I will put in a plug for Italy. We've been able to travel to a few different countries in Europe with our kids and it's by far their favorite. The food's amazing and kid friendly. Lots of traditional tourist things but also lots of low paced soak up atmosphere and active things as well which my kids enjoy to break up the church/museum circuit. You need to get outside Rome/Florence/Venice to find better rates, but there are lots of beautiful small cities and towns. The people are also incredibly welcoming to families.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on May 15, 2016 15:23:20 GMT
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Post by Yubon Peatlejuice on May 15, 2016 15:37:31 GMT
Ireland Portugal has some nice beaches
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Post by Merge on May 15, 2016 15:53:48 GMT
Wherever you go, look for an apartment through AirBnB instead of renting a hotel room. We found it generally much cheaper, with more space, plus you can save money by purchasing simple breakfast items to prepare/eat instead of eating breakfast out every morning. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a place that will sleep your whole family for about the cost of one hotel room. We did this in Paris and Amsterdam and were extremely happy with both. I can't say enough good things about AirBnB. We'll never stay in a hotel in Europe again, aside from single night one-offs here and there. One additional benefit not mentioned above is that you can often get a much cooler location for the cost than when you stay in a hotel. We stayed in a canal-side apartment in Venice a couple of summers ago for about the third of the cost of a canal-side hotel. We'll be in an apartment that looks right out on the Duomo in Florence in a few weeks. Also, one of our favorite things to do is shop for groceries in foreign grocery stores and markets, something you don't typically need to do when you're in a hotel. Yes! We loved that in Paris, too. Something else I forgot to add - if you're in a city with good public transportation, staying a little outside of the city center/tourist area is both cheaper for lodging and for meals. In Paris, we stayed in the Republique neighborhood. Cafe meals were much, much cheaper than those near the Louvre area (and every meal we had in Republique was excellent, whereas the touristy cafes were pretty mediocre), and we felt like we had a more truly Parisian experience than we would have in the main tourist areas. There was a grocery store below our apartment and over one section, and we loved shopping in there (and it was cheap!) and trying the unfamiliar items and brands. We were a two-minute walk from two different Metro stations and could travel almost anywhere we wanted to go in about ten minutes.
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Post by Linda on May 15, 2016 15:57:53 GMT
look into hostels rather than hotels - they tend to be clean and budget-friendly but are definitely more barebones than luxury
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Post by Lindarina on May 15, 2016 16:38:47 GMT
Eastern Europe is probably where you get the cheaper deals these days, and I hear Prague is a great city to visit. Poland is another country to look into, as well as some of the baltic countries. London is expensive, and trust me when I say this. I live in Norway which is probably one of the most expensive countries in Europe Even with great deals and airBnB it's going to cost you a fortune. We went to Spain last summer, and it can be a bit pricey there because it's such a popular tourist destination, but I bet you can find some good deals there as well. One tip is to look into renting holiday apartments (not airBnb) privately. There are web sites for that as well. That's what we did last year, and we got a large vacation house with a private pool for a lot less than what a hotel stay would have cost us.
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Post by rainangel on May 15, 2016 18:26:39 GMT
Like Lindarina, I am also from Norway and will recommend the Eastern European countries if you are looking for cheap. Most of the countries in the northern/western part of Europe are hell-a expensive. I hear wonderful things about Croatia as a holiday destination. I just booked 4 nights for me and the kids at a Disney hotel at Disneyland Paris. So I've been doing some research on prices for meals, attactions etc inside Paris because we're doing a daytrip to see the Eiffel Tower and have lunch. Disneyland is expensive. Paris expensive. And that's coming from a person living in one of the most expensive countries in the world But Paris and London do have the train between them (Eurostar?), so it would be possible to visit both those cities fairly easy. How cool would it be for your kids to see the EuroDisney?
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Post by mirabelleswalker on May 15, 2016 18:38:11 GMT
Wherever you go, look for an apartment through AirBnB instead of renting a hotel room. We found it generally much cheaper, with more space, plus you can save money by purchasing simple breakfast items to prepare/eat instead of eating breakfast out every morning. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a place that will sleep your whole family for about the cost of one hotel room. We did this in Paris and Amsterdam and were extremely happy with both. This! We rented an apartment in Barcelona that was 3 br/2ba for about $200 a night and it was just the two of us. It would have been a super deal for a family. We ate breakfast in most days, and were able to do laundry right there in the apartment.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on May 16, 2016 0:50:06 GMT
I didn't read all the responses but many hotels in Europe have Family rooms..you have to ask for them.. they will have room for 4 or 5.
But I would also consider Air bnb or VRBO
Check out English/Irish country cottages... for some fabulous places to stay
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Post by mlynn on May 16, 2016 3:07:39 GMT
Note: European hotel rooms are much smaller than US hotel rooms
We went on a Norwegian Cruise Lines for the Baltic Cruise. LOVED IT! It is fairly all-inclusive. Everything (but alcohol and gambling and spa) was included. From the airfare to transport, hotel, ship, food on the cruise (we did the land add on). They have excursions you can book ahead (highly recommend as you plan it all in advance and you are assured of getting what you want)- these cost extra. There are kids activities on the ship. On the excursions, they have guides and they are accompanied by ship personnel who kept VERY good track of everyone. My mom got separated from the group, and they were ON it. They would not let us try to find her either. I would not hesitate to let older children go on an excursion by themselves. There was also an overnight in Copenhagen and we were able to go to the park that inspired Walt Disney to do Disneyland.
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Post by miominmio on May 16, 2016 9:12:17 GMT
Another Norwegian Pea here. If you're on a budget, avoid the northwest! The Baltic countries and Poland are fairly inexpensive, although I think I would have chosen Budapest, Prague and Croatia instead. Both Budapest and Prague are lovely cities, and Croatia has so much to offer. Nice weather, great beaches and picturesque towns. And if you have the time, it's also not far from Venice (Croatia once being a part of the Venice city-state).
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rickmer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,123
Jul 1, 2014 20:20:18 GMT
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Post by rickmer on May 16, 2016 11:04:37 GMT
thanks for the tips everyone!!! a couple people suggested cruise and in theory, that would seem great but again with 5 they are very expensive. i am pretty nervous - not sure i could sleep on the water... and would hate to spend all the money to find out that no, i cannot. I have always thought Quebec City would be an alternative to Europe. The Canadian dollar is favorable to the U.S. dollar, too. we did have a trip to quebec city booked, which we cancelled to go to dominican. we would rebook but would do 3-4 days in the winter. since we are canadian, there was no savings to be had on the dollar. this looked amazing! until i saw the prices... certainly a bit steep but love the idea. has anyone done a group does like this? how much time do you have with them vs by yourselves? does anyone else worry there will be one wanker in the group that would drive you mental??? so i have been trolling airbnb and wow.... 10 days in central paris in a charming (ie. tiny but cute!) house for $2050 the first week of september!! i am going to check out prague... just started with paris since i know the city a bit, where things are and how much hotels would be, as a comparison. and there was SO MUCH AVAILABLE for 5... not the "sorry, your party size exceeds the limits" or "sorry, we have nothing available" messages.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on May 16, 2016 13:34:43 GMT
this looked amazing! until i saw the prices... certainly a bit steep but love the idea. has anyone done a group does like this? how much time do you have with them vs by yourselves? does anyone else worry there will be one wanker in the group that would drive you mental??? We don't go on group tours ourselves, but have found that by looking at the itineraries of some of the better group tours we can put together our own similar trip for less money. I have a friend who took her two daughters on a Tauk Tour last year to Italy and really raved about it and didn't find it confining at all. DH and I are just too independent to do group tours at this point. We like to follow our own time table (which don't even match each other!) and discover a place on our own. Also, we have the advantage of having lived in 6 other countries so finding our way in strange places has become second nature. DD has used AirBnb and raves about it so much that DH and I are looking into for an upcoming trip. In many locations it seems you can get more location for less money.
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Post by auntkelly on May 16, 2016 15:26:06 GMT
I think one easy way to save money on travel in Europe is by walking a few blocks from the main tourist attractions to find a little out of the way place to eat. The prices will be better, the food will be better and you'll have a more authentic experience.
Also, the more you plan out your day in advance, the more accurately you can budget your expenses and avoid impulse purchases that add costs to your trip. If you read the Rick Steves forums which GypsyGirl recommended, as well as the TripAdvisor forums, you'll know, for example, which attractions are must sees, and which can be skipped. You'll also know which tickets to each attraction are the best value for your family.
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Post by Darcy Collins on May 16, 2016 17:48:43 GMT
I didn't read all the responses but many hotels in Europe have Family rooms..you have to ask for them.. they will have room for 4 or 5. But I would also consider Air bnb or VRBO Check out English/Irish country cottages... for some fabulous places to stay You need to book early to find a family room during peak travel season though. They can sell out pretty quickly.
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