Reply to Family of 5 vacation -- what am I doing wrong?

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[quote=Anonymous]OP, I think your trip was a bit expensive, but you are pretty much on point about vacations for a family of 5 being pricey.  Some of the comments - like a budget of $1k for food, sight seeing and souvenirs - show that people are out of touch.  That's only $150 per day and food alone runs my family more than that given that we have two teenagers.  Plus if you have a family of five, you aren't likely to be able to travel on off peak times.

When you have a family of five, you need two hotel rooms or a suite because occupancy is usually four.  You can't travel on off peak times due to school schedules and activities.  I find I take more tours instead of freewheeling it because I won't take certain risks with my kids and that costs more.  Five really does change things - everyone I know with three or more kids talks about how traveling gets ridiculously expensive after the third child.  Still we've done some amazing trips.

Sometimes what we do is shorter and closer trips that we can drive, like NYC and Niagara Falls.  The Cleveland, OH also has some really fun things to do.  Or I save FF miles and travel to places where we have family or where family will meet us so that we don't have to get a second hotel room. We've done what one poster suggested - flying out west and then renting a vehicle and visiting National Parks.  I did do a cruise last year, but I drove to South Carolina and booked like the only room that allowed five and we lived with the cramped quarters (but we don't mind that).  The cruise only had two stops, but excursions ran me over $700 because I wasn't comfortable just hoping to get a taxi - I wanted the guarantees that the boat wouldn't leave without us so I paid the premium to book through the cruise line.  Another trick I have is to book a cabin in a campground instead of a hotel, which has the added bonus of being able to cook and roast marshmallows over a fire outside.

Right now I'm itching for a vacation and thinking about a cruise for Spring Break or a trip out west for next summer.  We also have a family event and have to go to Asia two years from now, so I'm not sure I can make a vacation work before then.  I hope people keep sharing their tips and ideas.  [/quote]

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