Travel Tips for Large Families
Home Rental: One of my top tips for larger families is to explore rentals through Airbnb or VRBO. When traveling with a large family, staying at most hotels is not practical when you have more than two children. Space becomes an issue as well as the lack of amenities (i.e. full kitchen, laundry, separate living area). In addition to the ease of staying in a home or apartment, we have found it less expensive to go this route rather than staying in a hotel.
Strategic Booking: this is something I tell all my friends. As a family of 6, we usually select a few places we want to travel to and then will set up alerts for air travel. When the price drops, or gets to a rate that works for our budget, we do this first. Then we will find a place to stay as there is usually always somewhere that will work for our needs and within budget. Book out as far as you can to avoid higher rates. Being flexible on locations is a great way to find a vacation that is sure to fit your budget.
Air Travel: check out my money saving ideas tab to find cheaper air travel. However, we do try to book an aisle and a window when making arrangements in hopes that the middle seat stays open through travel day. It has happened on several flights and the extra space is great! However, if someone does end up booking the middle seat, people eagerly change seats so we still get to sit together.
Set Your Budget: it is expensive to travel as a larger family. It has become even more expensive as our kids have gotten older. However, we have found ways to set a budget for each trip and then back into our flights, hotel and activities. We often cut out activities that we don’t all agree on, or ones that are just too expensive for six people to do. Check out my page on money saving tips for more.
Layover Caution: if you are traveling somewhere that requires a layover, ensure that there is enough time to get from one end of the airport to the other. We took a redeye one time from Maui to LAX to Chicago and we were delayed getting to our gate in LAX and had 40 minutes in between our flight to Chicago. We missed our connection and had four very tired kids that had to wait seven additional hours to get home. It pays to have a bit longer of a layover to ensure this doesn’t happen.
Arrange Airport Transfers in Advance: when traveling with a larger family, you cannot just jump in a standard taxi to get to your hotel or rental. As such, we always arrange for a larger vehicle to pick us up if needed. Sometimes hotels have buses that will pick up guests, so it is worth an ask! If you are renting your own car, become a member of the car agency you are renting with and select the “Skip the line” option. You can go direct to your car rather than waiting in line.
Packing: I have an entire section on this here, but my one tip when traveling with a large family is to try and stay at a place with a washer and dryer. This allows us to travel with only carry-on luggage which expedites time at the airport and ensures we always get to our destinations with the items we packed and need.
Travel Documents: not only do I bring a printed version of our itinerary, but I also make sure it is accessible from my phone (i.e. not saved to my desktop on my computer that I cannot access). This may seem basic, but it ensures we have all the information we need for lodging, flights, activities, tours and more. So much time is spent on planning the details of our trips that I would be lost without my itinerary – it is the key to a seamless journey.
Hire a local tour guide: when we travel to places that have a lot of sights we want to see, and that is unfamiliar such as our European travel, we have found it helpful to hire a private tour guide. Not only are they a wealth of knowledge but they take the stress out of visiting all the ‘must see’ locations. Local guides are also privy to insider information and often have ways to skip long lines at popular attractions, saving you time.
Book According to Your Children’s Ages: we like to pack our trips with as much as we can when at a destination (unless it is a relaxing beach trip). Our kids are very comfortable with keeping busy and keeping up with us! However, if you are traveling with younger kids that need a nap, or your family does better with some downtime, don’t put pressure on yourself with overscheduling. Allowing time to relax and recharge may provide you with a better experience and more positive memories.
Meals: eating out every night of vacation with a large family adds up, and for us, is not practical. We usually balance dining at a few nicer places with some counter service restaurants. In addition, we usually stock our rental with food so we can eat breakfast at our room and pack lunch and snacks. In one of our suitcases, I pack a foldable, insulated cooler bag and then some larger Ziplock bags that we are able to put ice in. I cannot tell you how much money this has saved us over the years. Plus it is easier to have lunch when you want, where you want.
