How to Plan a Family Vacation: Where to Start

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Amazon
• Pinterest

Planning and booking a family vacation can be so overwhelming, it might scare you away from the vacation you’ve been wanting to take. People often ask me how to plan a family vacation and where they should start.

There are a lot of strategies and tips out there that can almost further complicate things rather than make things easier. For instance, should you only book flights on Tuesdays? Answer: prices vary a lot, and I do find that some days tend to be more expensive, but I don’t think that Tuesdays are where you always find the lowest prices.

I recently booked a trip to Puerto Vallarta for the spring and a smaller weekend getaway in December. Even though they are very different trips, the strategies I used to book were essentially the same.

If you are starting to plan your family vacation, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s how I go about planning and booking each family vacation.

Do Research (Which You’re Doing Here)

The Puerto Vallarta trip I planned required a bit more research because I hadn’t stayed at a family-friendly all-inclusive resort in PV before. So, I started my planning for that trip by reading other people’s blogs and checking prices on various options. There are so many resources you can find online.

If you don’t even know where you’d like to go, you can google ideas. Search phrases like “family beach vacation” or “summer family vacation.” You’ll see many different ideas come up that can help inspire you. Once you know where you’d like to go, follow my guide below for the process of booking it.

How to Plan a Family Vacation: Check Flight Prices on Google Flights

For most of our family vacations, the cost of flights can be a big determining factor on whether we can afford to take the trip or not. The first thing I do is check flight prices on Google Flights.

I like Google Flights to help plan a family vacation. It lets me search a variety of airlines all in one click. I can also see what the prices will be if I extend or shorten my trip because of the convenient calendar view. Not all airlines show up on Google flights, but most of them do.

I rarely ever book flights the first time I look. I find that within six months of travel is usually a good time to book. And, if the prices seem high (Google flights will actually tell you if they are high, low or average when you search), I hold off.

Checking flight prices also gives me a better idea of what dates I want to travel. Once I know that, I start looking at hotels. Also, if you’re nervous about flying with kids, check out these tips.

Check Your Credit Card Points (If You Have Them)

I love using credit card points when I plan a family vacation. Credit card rewards can help make trips more affordable even if they can’t cover the whole thing. Be sure to check out my post about the 6 Best Credit Cards for Travel Rewards. Opening a new credit card can earn points that can be used for travel. And my article How to Earn Free Travel will teach you how to use those points.

I have a Marriott credit card, so most of the time, I go to the Marriott Bonvoy website and check hotels that I can book using points. I also have the Chase Sapphire credit card and the Capital One VentureX card, so if I check those platforms as well. Chase Sapphire often has offers where I can make my points go 50% further if I transfer them to Marriott.

I also search on the credit card travel platforms for the flights and to see how far my points will go if I use points to book. Often times, I can find cheaper flights going directly through the airline to book, but it’s still worth searching.

How to Plan a Family Vacation:Book a Hotel

The hotel room is typically the first thing I actually book when I’m planning a vacation. First of all, most hotel rooms can be canceled free of charge until about 48 hours before your trip, so it’s not too risky to book these further out. I like having a plan, but being able to search for better deals if I feel so inclined.

Traveling with a family of five can be tricky because most hotels have a max capacity of four people in a room, so that limits my options a little bit. In most hotels, I can just lower the number to four people and book two beds, but for an all-inclusive, you definitely need to account for each person who will be staying (and eating) there. So keep that in mind depending on what kind of vacation you’re looking at.

I usually use Expedia to price shop for hotels, unless I’m booking through my credit card. I like seeing a variety of hotels and finding one that meets my needs and budget.

How to Plan a Family Vacation: What Else to Know?

The hotel and flights are the biggies when it comes to booking a vacation. But sometimes there are additional necessities, like a rental car. I have found that Costco has the best prices for rental cars, if you have a Costco membership. Otherwise, you can also search for those on Kayak.

The rental car tends to be the last thing I book, but you’ll still want to book one far enough out to ensure that you can get what you need.

Check out my other popular blog posts for even more resources when planning your trip:

• Is Travel Insurance Worth It?
• Weekend Trip Packing List
• Tips For Flying With a Toddler
• Best Family Resorts on Oahu