How to save on family holiday travel

originally appeared in USA Today:

During the holidays, family travel usually involves visiting friends and relatives or that much-anticipated vacation destination. But the holidays are also high season. That means top hotel rates, restaurants serving expensive meals, and stages hosting sparkling ballets, plays and rock concerts at premium prices. Here are some tips on how to stretch your holiday budget by saving money on food, lodging and fees.

Cheap eats on the go

Eat the street food. Take advantage of the food truck revolution to cut your lunch costs. In Boston, New York, Washington, D.C, Minneapolis, Chicago, Austin and other urban locales, skilled cooks serve up imaginative fare from their mobile kitchens. The vendors tend to specialize in one main dish, tweaking the ingredients. Empanadas can be beef with potato or Jambalaya style with shrimp, sausage and rice. Tacos come filled with chicken, beef or even lobster. And for dessert, look for trucks selling waffles, cupcakes or custom-made ice cream sandwiches. These mobile meals-on-wheels rove the downtown districts, parking for awhile and then moving on. To track the trucks, check the destination's official visitor website for links and for apps.

Browse the green markets. Indoor farmers' markets bloom in major cities from Toronto to Los Angeles. Although winter might mean fewer home-grown vegetables, the markets lure neighbors and visitors by selling aromatic breads, fresh-baked pastries, crisp apples and other seasonal fruit as well as organic salads and deli meats. Dine in at the markets' inexpensive cafés or bring some goodies back to your hotel room or to your relatives' house.

Rooms with meals

Pick a property that includes breakfast. When rates include complimentary breakfast, whether it's a cooked-to-order meal or a Continental spread, you start your day saving money.

Make sure your room has a refrigerator. Stock your fridge with milk, juice and bottled water purchased at a nearby store, thus saving money on costly honor bar items. When traveling with little ones, buy plastic bowls and spoons as well as cold cereal and baby food. Tots can then eat breakfast when hungry, even if it's before the hotel restaurant opens. If refrigerators aren't standard features, hotels may supply them for a fee. Like all extras, availability is limited, so request a fridge when you make your room reservation.

Book a condo. Not only do these lodgings offer more space for the money than hotel rooms, but they also come with kitchens. That makes it easy to cook breakfasts and dinners, thus saving on restaurant bills.

Cook for the relatives. Instead of taking Aunt Sally, Uncle Bill and their families out to a restaurant to thank them for their hospitality, cook dinner for them. This is less costly and often less hectic than requiring youngsters to sit through a multi-course meal at a restaurant.

The destination

Consider a home exchange. By swapping your vacant place for someone else's, you can enjoy a getaway in Europe, the Caribbean or anywhere else you can find a family to live in your home while you live in theirs, all for much less money than renting a hotel or villa. Depending on what you want, trading places can get you multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, maybe a backyard and possibly extras like a car. Home exchange companies typically charge a membership fee and/or a monthly listing fee. If you've always wanted to treat your mom and dad to Christmas in Rome, then swapping homes can make this dream trip an affordable holiday gift.

Try an all-inclusive resort. The upfront cost covers all meals, activities and often children's programs. Especially with always hungry and active tweens and teens, all-inclusives can save you money.

Share a condo or villa with another family. Sharing a three-bedroom condo or villa with another family costs less than booking a two-bedroom unit yourself. But beware: nothing tests buddies like living with someone. The key to a successful trip that maintains the friendship is honest talk ahead of time. Discuss who will cook and clean; which couple gets to bunk in the master bedroom with the private bath; and what house rules will govern the kids' television viewing and bedtimes.

Money matters

Price various travel options. Compare the cost of driving, versus flying or boarding the bus, especially on the East Coast where discount bus services sell promotional seats sometimes for as little as $1.

Consider travel insurance. For that guided safari in Kenya, Caribbean family cruise, or other prepaid, big-ticket item, if your 8-year-old pops out with measles the day before you leave, you won't get your money back unless you're covered by the appropriate travel insurance. As always, read the fine print.

Use the right credit card. Don't add to the amount you owe by putting meals, lodging and other purchases in a foreign locale on a credit card that charges for converting non-U.S. currencies into dollars. Pick a credit card that foregoes these fees.

Look for package deals and passes. During the holidays, hotels bundle admission to special attractions into their packages and big cities offer combination passes that discount admission to several attractions for one fee. The caveat: This is only a deal if you expect to visit most of the museums and places featured within the allotted time frame.

Play with coupons. Check out social media for slashed prices. LivingSocial.com, Groupon.com and other digital discount sites may have just the money-saver you need to make that water skiing excursion or dining at a fine restaurant affordable.

MSC Cruises Ideal Family Cruise Vacations

There are many additional benefits for families traveling with MSC Cruises. For the perfect holiday experience and those looking to combine a family escape with the desire to discover new places, without sacrificing the requirements of varying age groups, MSC Cruises has it all.

On board an MSC Cruise ship there is an entire team especially selected to cater for the specific needs of all ages - including the youngest guests. On all the ships in the fleet there is a special area exclusively dedicated to the under 18’s – cheerful and colorful, safe and equipped play areas for every different age group. MSC Cruise ships are completely child friendly, offering daily entertainment and plenty of space for running, exploring, diving, swimming and, most important of all...playing!

In addition, the MSC Kid’s Club provides specialized entertainers to organize fun activities for teenagers. Younger brothers or sisters will not be left out, as the staff will divide the children into two or three groups according to their ages: children from 3 to 9 in the Mini Club, those from 9 to 13 in the Juniors Club, and the over 13s in the Teenagers Club.

MSC Cruises also offer a Teen’s Card. This personalized credit card will provide children aged 12 to 17, with more freedom of movement and allow them to spend small sums on board. Two options are on offer - from 30 euros (with bonus addition of 5 euros) and 50 euros (with bonus addition of 10 euros). These can be used on board like a proper credit card as well as a cruise card. When you board the ship you’ll be given a flyer describing all the benefits and an order form. This way, your Teens’ Card will be delivered directly to your cabin.

Mums will be delighted with the decidedly Italian food offer, including kid’s favorites such as pasta and pizza. There are special menus (Stellar, Polar, Jungle, Farm) without mentioning the thousands of tantalizing pastries and desserts. Plus, if it’s someone’s birthday during the cruise, a fantastic birthday cake will be served at the end of dinner, including the candles!
Knowing you’ve entrusted your kids to our expert (and really friendly) staff, you can sunbathe without having to remember their sunblock and sun-hats. You can take a dip in the pool without sparing a thought of armbands or rubber rings....! You can indulge yourself by relaxing or keeping fit in the exclusive SPA, unwinding with a Turkish bath, an aromatic massage or a session at the fitness centre... to be followed with an evening enjoying a flutter in the casino.

If you want to enjoy an excursion for the whole family, MSC Cruises also offer really great prices with a 30% discount for children under 14¥!

Currently, MSC Cruises have fabulous limited last-minute special Mediterranean cruises for travel in September, October and November 2008. Cruise with MSC on a selected departure AND book an airfare with us to receive an extra $500^≠pp off your airfare. Call MSC Cruises for these fabulous offers.

MSC CRUISES: FAMILY FAVORITES

CHILDREN CRUISE FREE – With MSC Cruises children under 18 sharing a cabin with their parents cruise free throughout the year!

FAMILY CABINS – The 7 night Mediterranean cruises on board MSC Poesia, MSC Orchestra, MSC Musica and MSC Opera offer family cabins on various decks at a range of prices, giving the greatest amount of comfort, pleasure and peace for a family cruise holiday.

With MSC Cruises you can find the ideal holiday for all the family. All you have to do is choose where you want to go. You can choose a cruise in the western Mediterranean or a journey amongst the beautiful Greek islands or the fascinating ancient sites of Turkey.

MSC Cruises currently has a fleet of nine ships: MSC Poesia third flagship of the “Musica” class, MSC Orchestra, MSC Musica, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Opera, MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Melody, MSC Rhapsody , cruising in the Mediterraneanall year round, Northern Europe, Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean and South America. The fleet will increase to12 ships by 2010. In the winter of 2008 the MSC Fantasia will launch, followed in the spring of 2009 by MSCSplendida. These will be two of the largest ships built by a European ship owner. Then in 2010 MSC Magnifica, thefourth ship in the Musica class will enter service.MSC Cruises is a partner of the city of Venice and a member of the Club - 'Friends of Venice' as well as one of thesupporters for the project 'Venice Blue Flag' which sets the standards for the carbon emissions.

Cruise Industry Is Targeting Families

Now 'family' ropes in the relatives, too

Cruise-A-Thon, a conference that brings together the cruise industry and those who sell the products it creates, was held in Vancouver this year.

It was clear at this conference that the fastest growing target demographic in the cruise industry is families -- and a good percentage are multi-generational.

That means not only mom, dad and the kids, but also grandparents, friends and a scattering of uncles and aunts --add it up and you might be looking at a group ranging from six to 26.

If multi-generational families are the hot demographic, its equivalent in destinations is Europe.

Europe as a cruise destination will see double-digit percentage increases this year. When a cruise line launches a new ship in the spring or summer, it struts its stuff in Europe before we see it in North America.

Most attractive for the consumer is the fact that when you pay for your cruise in Canadian or U.S. dollars, that means that your accommodation and food bill are in your home funds.

Now and in the future:

- More mega ships and more personal-sized ships will offer a less crowded itinerary.

- More adjoining cabins for family and friends.

- Pay more to upgrade to the next service level (same as the airlines).

- More kids' facilities. Those facilities will lead to more adult-only areas.


By: Phil Reimer
The Province; May 25, 2008