My Top 10 Tips for Getting Away with Great Family Travel Deals

My family absolutely loves traveling. We aim for a nice family vacation each year, but it's not always the most extravagant one. The purpose of traveling for us is to expose our kids to new places, different cultures, or cool experiences. We want to create memories that will last a lifetime, whether it's across the country, in another state, or even just a couple of hours from home. Here are my top ten tips for getting away with great family travel deals.

1. Save ahead. For most vacations I'll start a savings fund even before I know where we're going! This serves two purposes. First, I'm able to put small amounts away at a time that will add up to a lot once it gets closer to vacation time. The second is that if I find a super great travel deal I don't have to upset my regular monthly budget to snatch it up.

2. Be spontaneous. Sometimes the best travel deals are the last-minute kind. If you're able to get up and go with only a week or two's notice you could score a super cheap hotel or airline deal.

3. Get outside. A week at a campground can cost you less than one night in a hotel! Pack up the tents, or even the RV for a fun family adventure. Even better, if you stay in a State or National park there's often guided tours or other fun events you can participate in for free.

4. Coupon sites.. Check out sites like Groupon and Living Social. Subscribe to their email alerts. There are often travel deals for hotels or other fun local events. You can subscribe to the list for whichever city you plan on visiting and get great deals on activities to do while you're there. You may even find out about fun things to do that you wouldn't have found otherwise.

5. Pack a cooler. When my family does a road trip, we bring the BIG cooler along for the ride. It's packed to the brim with fruits and veggies, cheese, lunch meats, milk for cereal and other healthy snacks. We can have our meals picnic-style on the road and can use the money we save on food towards fun activities. We also feel better because we're not relying on fast foods while we're on the go.

6. Do your research. This is a big one! Whether you're flying or driving it's important to find out as much as possible about where you're going. Join a travel message board and start asking questions. You can find out a lot more from people who live there or have been there than you can from just searching the internet for information.

7. Use your points. Cash in any points you have from credit cards or rewards sites. I was able to get a good amount of gas cards with mine. If you're not driving you can get gift cards to restaurants, movie tickets, and sometimes even theme park tickets.

8. Stay with family/friends. Does someone close to you live in a place you'd like to visit? I sometimes stay with friends or family to save money. If you don't want to take advantage, offer to help out around the house, or help with groceries or even take them out one night. It will still be much cheaper than staying in a hotel.

9. Never eat without a coupon. A lot of restaurants have email clubs you can sign up for to get coupons. You can also try restaurant.com or even just find a great kids eat free deal. Even on vacation we never pay full price for a family meal!

10. Skip the souveniers. Do you really need a hat shaped like the statue of liberty? No, you don't. Take lots of pictures, and make a scrap book. Instead of buying things to bring back for friends or family, send them a postcard while you're gone.

These are just a few of the ways we save money when traveling. I'd love to hear some more!

Dislaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.