When it comes to traveling, brining the whole family can be a very costly endeavor. With an average domestic airfare costing around $247 a person, buying tickets for a five-person family can quickly become very costly. There are many tricks and deals that are available and tailored to those who are traveling with children. Seeking out these offers and deals are a great way to save money and still get the relaxing vacation you desire. 

There are two major cheaper solutions that can instantly cut the cost of your trip. The first is to look into alternative places to travel that are not the normal popular vacation spots and the second is looking for all the freebies. There are many hotels that offer deals and specials where children can either eat for free as well as having breakfast included in the stay. 

One of the best discounts that you are going to be able to find will come from choosing to stay at a rental over a hotel. Not only do rentals tend to have more space for their price, but also you are able to skip the added resort fees. They tend to be lower in price and offer kitchens and larger living areas. This gives the option of being able to cook and eat in as opposed to spending every meal out, which can be a huge portion of trips costs. Two reputable rental sites offer variability and accommodations depending on the length of stay, price and amount of guests such as Homeaway.com and VRBO.com.

On occasion there are some hotels and airlines that pair up for extreme discount giveaways. JetBlue  (JBLU) and Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas did one example of a recent discount. They generated an offer where children got to fly free if they were staying at the resort accompanied by an adult. The best way to find deals similar to these is by looking on the websites of the resorts you aspire to visit. They are not as highly publicized as most deals, but they are available. All-inclusive packages can offer great deals as well and make it very easy to stick to your budget. Though often times they come off as more expensive, they offer great deals in comparison to paying for accommodations, food and drink separately as you are paying for everything upfront. 

There are a couple other discounts that many over look when planning their family vacations. Its often that train and bus fairs are cheaper for children. Amtrak has a discounted ticket of 50 percent for those traveling with children age 2 to 15 and those who are under 2 ride free. This is a similar deal to Greyhound who offers 25 percent of children’s tickets. When it comes to exploring the city in which you are visiting there are many avenues you can take advantage of to experience the culture for free. There are many major credit card companies, such as Bank of America and Merrill Lynch that grant you free admission to over 150 museums in 85 different cities. There are also many City Pass’s that can be bought in which you buy admission to many local attractions in a packaged deal at a discounted price. If you are looking for deals on bars, nightclubs, restaurants etc. there are many that are available through websites such as LivingSoicial.com and Groupon.com. All in all, with the proper research and time family vacations can be all that you want them to be as well as very affordable.