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Tips for savings on your family travel"FAMILY TRAVEL" Can't find what you need? Try a Google Web Search in the box below!
01-08-2004 Ways to Save for Families of Five or More a freelance writer.
When Peggy Hayes of Massapequa chose Atlantis, an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas, for her family's summer vacation this year, she was surprised when travel agents insisted she would need two rooms for her family of five. "Then you have to pay the room rate twice instead of once. It was over $300 per night. I couldn't go if I had to pay for two rooms." The Hayes family made it to Atlantis in August when a friendly family travel agent obtained approval to fit Hayes, her husband, Mike, and children - Megan, 9, Brian, 7 and Katie, 5 - into a regular room with a rollaway bed. But many families of five or more are feeling the brunt of high costs, limited options and cramped quarters when they try to book a trip. Take Beaches, an all-inclusive resort in Turks and Caicos. A seven-day vacation for a family of four (including airfare) during February break is $8,840, while a family travel with one more child was quoted $11,325 because the only suitable accommodations, according to central reservations, is a one-bedroom honeymoon suite. Even Disney, well known for its family travel-friendly attitude, is restrictive. If a family of five wants to book a four-day cruise to the Bahamas in February, the only option to families who want to stay together is a deluxe stateroom for $4,254. Drop the number of kids to two, and the family now has seven staterooms to choose from, with the least expensive costing $2,284. The problem stems from what is considered the traditional definition of the nuclear family travel: two adults and two children, explains Sally Black, founder of VacationKids.com, an online travel agency that specializes in family travel. "That's the way hotels price out their rooms," she said. "But that is no longer a valid description of what American families look like today." While some places let the third kid squeeze into a regular room, most push families to get two rooms for their growing brood. When travel agents suggested that to Hayes, she balked. "My husband and I wouldn't have a vacation together. I'd be in a room with the two girls, and he'd be in a room with my son. You're not going on vacation as a family." That gets worse at peak travel times such as winter or spring break, when some hotels won't guarantee that families will get adjoining rooms, Black says. Some resorts, like Beaches, aren't that flexible, citing occupancy levels, insurance or building codes to explain their restrictions. "In older hotels, that is certainly an issue," Black says. "In other cases, it's just a policy of the hotel." However, cramming five into a room built for four isn't necessarily the answer either. Fortunately, there are other options. Condominiums, apartments and villas are obvious alternatives because they offer spacious accommodations for slightly more than the price of a single hotel room, says Karen Rubin, editor of the Family Travel Letter on www.familytravelnetwork.com. "I love condos with kids. You can stretch out. You have kitchen facilities to make snacks. You can eat in for breakfast. And you don't have to go out for dinner unless you want to." Can't find what you need? Try a Google Web Search in the box below!
Cruise lines also are meeting the demand for oversized rooms that sleep more people. For example, Norwegian Cruise Line offers garden villa suites on its new ships, the Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Star, says Emily Kaufman, a family travel expert who runs a Web site called www.thetravelmom.com. Hotel chains are catering to growing families by offering all-suite hotels with spacious quarters, Kaufman says. Embassy suites (www.embassysuites .com) is a good value, says Diane Bair, a family travel expert in Newburyport, Mass. Rates average $100 per night and offer plenty of room because all have a sofa that pulls out into a double bed and a bedroom with either one king-size bed or two double beds. "I think hotel properties realize they better makes things as convenient as possible for families," Bair says. "Even folks on business trips want to bring their families if they're traveling for a week." Suites at Holiday Inn Family Suites in Florida and Holiday Inn Sunspree resorts (www.ichotels group.com) typically include two rooms, a sitting area and a mini kitchen. Plus, kids eat and stay for free. At Homewood Suites (www.homewoodsuites .com), a Hilton property, amenities include a full kitchen, sitting area and free continental breakfast. "They're not full-service luxury hotels," Kaufman says, "they're little condos." Extended-stay facilities, once used only by corporate travelers, are ideal for family travel because many have efficiency kitchens, two full baths and one or more bedrooms. Often the rates are lower, too. Check out Residence Inn (www.residenceinn.com) and Homestead Studio Suites (www.homesteadhotels.com). Vacation homes are a great option because they also offer plenty of space. To find a rental home where you're planning to visit, contact the chamber of commerce for a list of local companies or real estate agents who specialize in home rentals.
Home swapping lets you swap with a family anywhere in the world. For an annual fee of $75 to $110, you can join a network like International Home Exchange (www.homeexchange.com). "They give you a printed directory of where you can exchange, then you can make the arrangements with the family," Bair explains. Families who travel frequently may find that vacation clubs or time-shares are a smart choice. Typically, this means buying a week at a condo in a place of your choosing for a select period of time each year. Depending on the vacation club or time share you buy into, you may be able to trade your week for one at another site across the United States or even elsewhere in the world. While the upfront costs can be high, it may be worth it in the long run. At the Marriott Vacation Club, a two-bedroom villa purchased in prime season, such as summer or Easter, averages about $18,700, says Ed Kinney, senior director of public relations for Marriott Vacation Club International. "The villas average 1,250 square feet. They can sleep up to eight in two bedrooms." You own in one location, but he says people can exchange their week for time at one of Marriott Vacation Clubs' 2,000-plus properties. "Or you can trade your week for Marriott reward points," Kinney adds. "You give your week of ownership back to us, and we give you a predetermined number of points to redeem at hotels, pay for cruises, airline tickets, rental cars. It's a good value." The Hayes couple opted to buy a two-bedroom time-share at Atlantis for their subsequent visits to the resort. For now, they expect to take more family travel members or rent out the unit when they aren't using it. In the future they may trade in their week for trips to Europe; Vail, Colo.; Orlando, Fla., and other places within the same network. "This is good for a lifetime," says Hayes, who travels at least three times a year with her family. "We can will it to our kids." Sally Black of VacationKids.com has made it her mission to help families of five find affordable vacations with spacious accommodations. "For a long time I was a single mom," says Black, who lives in Kunkeltown, Pa., and has three kids. "When I remarried, we were a family of five again. Just knowing this is a major issue in my own family, we put together on our Web site a family-of-five page." That's where Black lists places that allow three kids younger than 12 to share hotel rooms, as well as hotels and resorts that are most accommodating to large families. Can't find what you need? Try a Google Web Search in the box below!
Here are her top hot-spot picks: The Palladium Grand Resort and Spa, Riviera Maya, Mexico. Fiesta Bavaro in Punta Cana. A low-rise resort in the Dominican Republic. Some rooms sleep up to eight adults. The Franklin D. Resort. An all-suite, all-inclusive family resort in Jamaica (visit www.fdrholidays .com for more information). FDR Pebbles is a great adventure for children, where the emphasis is placed on learning as well as having fun. (www.fdrpebbles resort.com. Bolongo Beach Condos in St. Thomas(Our Feature Destination of thelowestpricelist.com). Include kitchenettes and sleep five or more in one- and two-bedroom beachfront condos. Holiday Inn Family Suites in Orlando. Located one mile from Disney World, this inn offers two- and three-bedroom, kid-themed suites. Visit www.hifam ilysuites.com for more information..... Compare and save on your family travel here /cheap airfares home |