Things You'll Need:
- computer and printer
- ice chest
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Step 1
The first step is to choose your theme park. Ideally, a park within driving distance is best. Once you've chosen your park, you know in which city you need to find accommodations. If you have friends or family willing to welcome you, GREAT! Skip to the next step. If not, you must secure the best possible deal on a hotel room. Begin with the big guns, searching the usual travel outlets such as Expedia and hotels.com. Get a feel for where the hotels are located, and read the reviews. This will help you determine which hotels would be best and which to avoid, and to get an idea of baseline price. Next, visit the hotel's website. Many, such as La Quinta, offer discounted rooms online, especially at the last minute. Don't forget to check with your employer and with programs such as AAA and AARP to see if you qualify for additional discounts. Once you've done your homework, book at the lowest possible price. A room with a mini fridge and/or microwave is a must, as it will save you plenty during your stay.
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Step 2
Once you've booked your hotel room, investigate tickets to the theme park. Many offer discounted tickets that you can buy and print online. Season passes are a great bargain, too, if you plan to visit several days in a row or think you might make two trips over the summer. Coupons are usually abundant for theme parks--never buy admission without one! If you can't find one online, in the newspaper or on a Coke can, ask at the hotel. They usually have them.
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Step 3
The price of tickets often pales in comparison to what you'll pay for food and drinks if you aren't careful. In our family, our money goes into the tickets and fun, and we bring our own food. Begin with snacks and drinks for the car to avoid buying fast food and convenience-store soft drinks. Pack a cooler of meals, snacks and drinks for the hotel room to avoid expensive meals out. If you were lucky enough to snag a fridge and microwave in your room, you can bring prepared foods from home to heat and serve, along with canned vegetables and fresh fruit. Bring along cereal and milk for breakfast (if the hotel doesn't offer it free) and sandwich items for lunch, and your meals are covered at a fraction of the cost of meals out. You will probably find that kids will eat better this way anyway, and you won't be regretting those $10 kids meals that they didn't eat! If you don't have a fridge, a cooler will do. You can still serve sandwiches and foods that don't need as much preparation. most theme parks won't allow outside food to be taken into the park. Many will have a picnic area, though. You can leave the park, get your hands stamped for return entry, and picnic at your leisure. This will save a bundle on overpriced meals.
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Step 4
The final expense that often gets out of hand is souvenirs. Everybody loves to bring home a memento from a fun trip, and they should-- but kids tend to want everything they see. With younger children, you might get away with purchasing themed merchandise elsewhere before embarking on the trip and presenting it to them during the vacation. A Bugs Bunny t-shirt, for example, can be found for $5 if you look hard enough, but costs $20 at a Six Flags gift shop. Similar bargains abound, depending on where you plan to go. Allowing the kids one souvenir on the last day of the trip isn't unreasonable, and making that clear ahead of time could help hold off the "I wants" for the rest of the trip.
