1. Booking an early morning flight.
The last thing you want to deal with on your first day of a vacation is scratchy children whose sleep schedule has been disrupting while you too are also functioning on minimal sleep. Starting your vacation sleep-deprived sets a bad tone for the trip.
2. Booking a tiny rental car and hoping to be upgraded.
If you need to pay for an upgrade at the counter, you’ll usually pay through the nose. Make sure you allow for that you’re probably be underestimating how much room bags, strollers, and people take up.
3. Booking anywhere without air con.
If something seems cheap, it may be because it’s lacking aircon. Make sure you check. You might be able to tolerate heat but little people are less able to regulate their temperature than adults, especially toddlers.
4. Not booking a suite or apartment.
Everyone will have a better time if the kids can go to sleep in the bedroom and the adults can stay up and enjoy some adult time and a glass of wine rather than needing to stay quite once your kids have gone to bed at 7.30.
In a single hotel room, charges for extra children will often add up.
5. Attempting to get buy without a stroller.
Either take your own stroller or buy a cheap stroller at your destination (this is often a better option when traveling internationally).
6. Taking transportation that charges per person.
If you’re traveling as a family, there are lots of places where it’s cheaper to take a cab than pay for 3-4 fares on public transportation. This is especially true if you have older kids, whereas under 5s usually travel free on public transportation in most places.
7. Going in the rainy season.
Sometimes the rainy season won’t be too bad, but sometimes they’re dreadful. It’s hard to entertain kids inside while it is bucketing down outside! You might save a tiny bit of money by traveling in the off season but you might have to deal with extra costs for transportation because you can’t walk places in the rain and also safety/comfort issues like rough seas for boat rides.
photo credit: Unhindered by Talent via photopin CC