It’s a lovely time to spend with your family over the summer holidays and, thanks to the incredible weather we’ve been having this year, it’s nicer than ever to take a day trip to the beach, a stately home or a local attraction.
However, with the price of admission, travel, meals and drinks while you’re out and souvenirs to remember the trip, one day out can soon eat up a lot of your budget for the month.
But, you don’t have to spend a small fortune this summer. Here are some ideas to cut those day-out costs:
Take food and drink with you
It’s inevitable that your family will need to be fed and watered if you’re having a full day out. Cafes, takeaways and restaurants are a nice treat but, if you want to save money on food and drink, take your own with you.
It’s always fun to pack up a picnic – the excitement fr the day ahead starts to build and kids can get involved with making sandwiches and packing the picnic hamper. All you need is a blanket and you can settle down for lunch whenever and wherever you like.
With the heat we’ve been experiencing, it’s important to keep your family hydrated. In the UK, the average cost of a 500ml bottle of water is around 45p (at least!) so it’s a good idea to take your own refillable bottles with you.
You could use a Zerowater filter to turn tap water into filtered bottled water for just 8p per 500ml, and you can even freeze bottles of water so that they stay chilled all day. Carry them in your insulated picnic hamper and they’ll keep your food cool, too.
Stay local
With the crazy fuel prices at the moment, it’s a good idea to skip a road trip in favour of a local adventure. Leave the car parked at home and head out on your bikes if the family are all able to cycle safely, or simply walk to a nearby attraction, park, woodland or beach.
You’ll save money on fuel and parking, and will prevent your kids getting bored during a long car journey Plus, you’ll get to spend more time outdoors being active, so that’s a big health-boosting plus! Also, when you’re all tired after a day of fun, you don’t have hours of travelling ahead of you before you’re back at home and relaxing on the sofa.
Visit free or low-cost attractions
It’s wonderful to visit educational places like museums, stately homes, zoos, galleries during the school holidays. Your youngsters may learn something new and there’s no better way to engage them with a subject than by seeing it first-hand in a museum or animal park.
Most museums and galleries in the UK are free to visit, so look up your local venues to double-check any costs involved. They’ll often have special events scheduled for the summer holidays so you may be able to join in with a workshop or tour for a nominal fee.
If you’re visiting a paid-for attraction, always look out for two-for-one vouchers before you go. Most theme parks, aquariums, farm parks etc will have a discount voucher available so look online or visit a local tourist information centre. If you pick up a leaflet for the attraction, you’ll often find a money-saving voucher on it.
I hope these ideas will help you to save a little extra cash over the school summer holidays this year. Let me know what other ways you like to save money on days out in the comments below. I’d love to know what you do with your family during the school holidays so please share your advice.
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