Guest Post by Sarah McCarthy.

If you’ve ever taken your family to a theme park, you know how expensive it can be. Admission is steep and as you add transportation, lodging, food and souvenirs, costs can quickly spiral out of control. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to rein in the cost of your trip without sacrificing the fun.

Plan

Careful planning is the most powerful tool you have to ensure you stay within budget on your trip. Find out the prices of park tickets, lodging, and travel so you have a good idea of how much money to earmark for your trip. You should also plan where you will eat each day and figure out the approximate cost for each meal. Include the cost of souvenirs, snacks and incidentals such as sun block or bug spray. Add money for miscellaneous expenses and at least $100 for emergencies. If the grand total comes to more than you planned, you will have to make some adjustments, such as finding cheaper meals or lodging, or staying fewer days. Don’t forget to scout out deals and discounts online.

Make a Daily Budget

Once you know how much you are going to spend, it’s time to plan your trip. Make an itinerary for each day and include the cost of each thing on it. Divide the money you set aside for miscellaneous expenses by the number of days you will be gone and add that to each day’s expenses. These figures will provide your budget for each day. If the total is over budget, you will have to make some adjustments. Once you are on vacation, remind everyone that if you don’t stick to your daily budget you won’t be able to do everything you planned.

Choose Your Accommodations Carefully

Where you stay has a huge impact on your bottom line. It doesn’t hurt to look for discounts on places to stay, but the most important factor that impacts the cost of accommodations is their location. Generally, the closer to the attraction you stay, the more expensive it will be. Of course, more luxurious accommodations cost more. Chain hotels a bit farther from the park may provide you with a clean, comfortable place to stay at considerable savings over a similar room near the gates.

Travel Smart

If you are flying, book as early as you can, and carefully compare prices. Feed the children well before you leave home to help avoid exorbitant airport food prices during layovers. If you are driving, fuel will be your biggest expense. Leave room in your budget for possible gas price increases. Your next biggest expense will be food and snacks for the drive. Packing healthy snacks to eat in the car between stops and a picnic cooler for meals will save a small fortune on food and give the children a chance to expend pent-up energy at rest-stop picnic areas. If you do eat out or stay overnight during your drive, stop at welcome centers and check out their publications for discounts. Don’t forget to do the same when you get to your destination.

At the Park

Most parks won’t allow you to bring food inside the gates, but many do have picnic areas outside the gates. If you drive to the park, you can take a cooler and have a nice break when it’s time to eat. Don’t forget to take empty clip-on water bottles to fill at water fountains.

Souvenirs

Encourage children to take pictures and make scrapbooks using menus, attraction brochures and notes about the trip rather than buy expensive mementos.

Image Source Page: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Megafobia_Oakwood_Theme_Park.jpg

Sarah McCarthy is a mother of five and always checks for discount Theme Park Coupons before heading out with the kids. This site offers specials for just about every theme park in the U.S., including
Walt Disney Coupons for all 9 of their U.S. parks.phoenixkiosk.com (5 posts)

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