Spring break vacation suggestions for a family of 4 on a tight budget

[Anonymous]

Hi guys,

Any suggestions for a 6 days trip first week of April for a family of 4 with 2 teens. We have 200k venture points and 150k Hyatt points, and $1000 cash. We are budget travellers but our teen DS is a beast now with food lol. We don't drink alcohol and have traveled by packing snacks etc in the past.

Destinations: Puerto Rico, Key West, San Diego, Arizona (Grand Canyon) or Orlando.

Hyatt: I am considering Hyatt Grand Cypress (Orlando), Hyatt Grand Reserve Puerto Rico, I didn't look for Arizona and San Diego.

If you have other recommendations I didn't list I'll consider them as well.

Have you been to any of these places the first week of April? And what has been your experience?

I know a lot kids are going to be off. Of these places which ones are less likely to be super crowded?

My kids prefer a beach/pool destination.

[Anonymous]

This is hard. Budget and beach vacations you have to get on a plane for usually don’t mix, hence why most truly MC vacations are “drive there and back” vacations.

I’d work backwards and see where you’ll get the most points redemption and go from there. For spring break and 4 people I don’t see this working with your points + $1K but sometimes the dynamic pricing gets weird when it converts to points and you can get lucky. Check Reddit too, people tend to post stuff like this when it pops up.

[Anonymous]

I think for a family of 4 you might need to take places that require flights off the list. You'll need the $1000 for food and misc stuff while you're there. And 6 days is a lot. So maybe drive to Orlando, Miami, or Key West?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is hard. Budget and beach vacations you have to get on a plane for usually don’t mix, hence why most truly MC vacations are “drive there and back” vacations.

I’d work backwards and see where you’ll get the most points redemption and go from there. For spring break and 4 people I don’t see this working with your points + $1K but sometimes the dynamic pricing gets weird when it converts to points and you can get lucky. Check Reddit too, people tend to post stuff like this when it pops up.

OP here. Good advice. Will def check redditt. I had the same feeling as well. As soon my kids uttered the word "beach" I was like this is not going to happen.

[Anonymous]

You can book your flights using Cap One to maximize your venture points. But you are at the mercy of airlines should you have to make changes to your flights.

You have enough points for hotels

Can you increase your cash budget to $2000 and cut the trip to 5 days? Doing so will get you closer to a beach destination. You should also pre-plan places you will eat at. Avoid restaurants they coat too much and you have no tip etc.

[Anonymous]

I think you need to shave off a few days, 4 nights max because food and activities will max you out. If you can’t find flights somewhere look into driving trips. Early spring breaks mean iffy weather for beach anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to shave off a few days, 4 nights max because food and activities will max you out. If you can’t find flights somewhere look into driving trips. Early spring breaks mean iffy weather for beach anyway.

+1. I will suggest Puerto Rico. 4 days is more than enough.

Fortunately you have Hyatt points. That's thousands of dollars you are saving off your trip.

Book your flights using capital one portal.

$250/day is reasonable for food for a family of 4 for a 4 days trip to Puerto Rico. And frankly if you a family using to traveling on budget $250/day is excessive

Remember people on this forum can easily afford a $10k trip and still find it cheap. So don't be discouraged.

[Anonymous]

Could you load up the car & take a drive to Florida? Depending on how warm it is when you leave, you could decide how far south to go. Avoid the ritzy spots. You could find a hotel with your points and use the $ for just gas & food. Pack up as much food in the car as you can. Some of the vacations that gave me the best memories were on very little money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi guys,

Any suggestions for a 6 days trip first week of April for a family of 4 with 2 teens. We have 200k venture points and 150k Hyatt points, and $1000 cash. We are budget travellers but our teen DS is a beast now with food lol. We don't drink alcohol and have traveled by packing snacks etc in the past.

Destinations: Puerto Rico, Key West, San Diego, Arizona (Grand Canyon) or Orlando.

Hyatt: I am considering Hyatt Grand Cypress (Orlando), Hyatt Grand Reserve Puerto Rico, I didn't look for Arizona and San Diego.

If you have other recommendations I didn't list I'll consider them as well.

Have you been to any of these places the first week of April? And what has been your experience?

I know a lot kids are going to be off. Of these places which ones are less likely to be super crowded?

My kids prefer a beach/pool destination.

Avoid this hotel in PR. It's far from everything else. And food options are limited. If you go this place, you will come back with credit card debt.

PR is unfortunately very expensive. And if you want a beach experience you can do better than Puerto Rico.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately the travel industry is no longer interested in servicing the middle class. Whether it's hotels, airlines or restaurants they are all focusing on premier travellers

None of the options you have listed are going to be cheap. Food inflation is real and insane. Restaurants are extremely expensive.

Here are my suggestions:

1. Look the weather for the week you plan to travel. And peak the warmest place.

2. Once you have selected the city, look for hotels.

3. Once you find a few hotels, look up fast food places such McDonald etc within a 5 mins walking distance. And make sure it's pedestrian friendly (you can use Google map for this)

4. Since your kids want a pool, there may be nearby pool (even if you have to pay a daily fee) you can use

The steps above will ensure that you will have a great vacation without breaking the bank.

It's sad but America is no longer interested in catering to the middle class

I'm high income and can just wake up tomorrow and pick any place I want to go and I can afford it. But I will NEVER do that. I am not interested in giving my money to 99% of these over hyped and over priced destinations anyways.

Good luck

[Anonymous]

Check out Hyatt Clearwater. You can get cheap flights to tampa

[Anonymous]

I agree with others that your lodging and airfare won’t be the issue (I’m assuming you’ve already priced hotels and flights with your points). The $1000 for 6 days is what might get you. That’s $40 per person per day. If your plan is to get a rental with a kitchen and prepare most of your meals and then spend all your time at the beach/pool you might make it work. There would be little money left for excursions/admissions.

I wouldn’t go to Orlando. Do Tampa, Miami, or the Keys.

[Anonymous]

Everything will be crowded the week before Easter. It's one of the most crowded weeks of the year, especially in Orlando.

[Anonymous]

I would say San Diego if you can find flights with points. We have gone for spring break and there are so many lodging options, tacos are cheap, and you can drive up the coast. Your other options seem expensive bc they are either islands or limited lodging/areas that will drive up costs.

Also maybe Hilton head or Amelia island? If your kids eat a ton (like mine) we do well with condos or extended stay and then load up at a grocery store for breakfast and snacks.

[Anonymous]

We had a great time in Charleston for Spring Break last year. We got really lucky with the weather though - it was in the low 80s so beach weather! Even if no beach, there is a ton to explore.