The thought of travelling abroad with young children can seem daunting, expensive and enough to raise your cortisol levels to new heights, but former NHS doctor turned family travel expert Jen Carr is on a mission to change this narrative.
Since launching The Travel Mum and pursuing travel content creation full time, the mum-of-two has booked more than 50 family trips on a budget.
With more than 315,000 Instagram followers under her belt, this seasoned traveller from Nottinghamshire is Instagram’s go-to mum for money-saving trips with little ones and wants to help other families explore the world without breaking the bank.
Here are her top tips for planning affordable holidays that the whole family will enjoy…
Be flexible with flights and airports
Carr’s number one piece of advice is to opt for a DIY (do it yourself) holiday rather than an expensive package holiday, and that starts with flights.
"I think flexibility is the biggest thing when it comes to getting the cheapest prices. Some people will only look to fly from their nearest airport, but it’s definitely worth looking around," advises Carr, mum to Leo, six and Luca, one. She says the family recently saved over €1,000 by flying to Sardinia from London rather than Manchester.
Utilise comparison websites
Checking comparison sites is always Carr’s first port of call for bagging great deals on flights and holiday accommodation.
"I always go on about how great Skyscanner is, it’s unbeatable," says the 36-year-old. "The Travel Mum website has a DIY trip-builder that uses Skyscanner for flights and Hotels.com, which we really love for comparing hotels."
Pack light
Adding extra luggage onto a flight can make going abroad eye-wateringly expensive, so packing light can be a massive money saver.
"A lot of people don’t realise that if you add absolutely zero luggage onto your flight you can still take a rucksack that goes under the seat in front," says Carr. "That goes for kids as well, so for a family of four you’ve got four rucksacks for no added cost.
"You can fit an awful lot of clothes in a small rucksack, especially when the kids’ clothes are tiny. Just make sure that everybody wears their biggest, bulkiest things on the plane."
Use car seats as extra luggage allowance
The mum-of-two encourages parents to take full advantage of the fact that most airlines, even Ryanair, usually allow families to check a car seat in for free, in addition to normal baggage allowance.
"We usually put the car seat in a car seat bag and then within that bag we put in another rucksack with extra things in, so it’s almost like a free check-in item," says Carr.
Book self-catering accommodation
"Having your own kitchen means you can save an absolute fortune on eating out," says Carr. "We normally always have breakfast and dinner self-catered, and then we go out for lunch, because lunch menus tend to be much cheaper than dinner menus. We tend to also look for lunch places that offer promotions and kid-sized meals."
Consider holiday parks
"I think UK holiday parks are really underrated," says Carr. "I went to Butlin’s for the first time last week and had a fantastic time. We paid £89 [roughly €100] for four nights for all of us, and when we got there we didn’t have to spend an awful lot because it had a big playground, a swimming pool and all the fairground rides were included."
Prioritise free activities over paid attractions
"We tend to not get too roped into too many paid attractions because you can end up spending a fortune," says Carr. "There’s so many free things you can do as a family, such as going to the beach, museums, pool days, playgrounds, having picnics and going to local markets."
Check the last-minute deals section on holiday sites
"We really like TUI because it has got a really good last-minute deals section," shares Carr. "That’s probably going to be your best bet for a good-value package holiday that’s reliable."
Collect reward points
"Be smart with where you book and spend your money in everyday life, because you can do a lot with reward points," says Carr. "We collect Avios points [a global reward currency you can spend on flights, hotels, car hire and more] with our credit card and they really build up.
"You can use them to either get upgraded to a first-class or business-class flight, or to get a full set of family flights somewhere each year. We also book a lot of hotels with Hotels.com and collect OneKeyCash which you can use to book other hotels."
Pay in instalments
"Work out how much you need to save and put aside each month for a holiday," advises Carr. "A lot of package providers will let you pay in instalments which makes it easier to budget."
Take toys and games with you on days out
"There are so many little things that your kids will see and ask for, so be prepared," says Carr. "For example, they will probably want to buy a €20 bubble blower at a theme park, so make sure you take a cheap bubble wand with you and say you’ve already got one, because kids will just want everything."
