Choose activities mindfully

Pack your itinerary with free things to do, like local parks, hikes, beaches or free museums.

You can also tap into perks included with memberships you already have — to your local zoo or children’s museum — or invest in passes that you can use again and again.

When you do pay for experiences and excursions,

consider your family’s life stage. Rather than taking your toddler to an art museum, for example, opt for an outdoor sculpture garden where they can run around or a museum tailored toward children with plenty of interactive features at their level.

Your family’s travel priorities should also guide you, Harbuck says. Learning about a place’s culture and history is important for her family, so they spend money on activities that achieve that goal and

skip more popular tourist attractions.

“We’ve been to London several times but have never ridden the London Eye,” she says. “It doesn’t help me feel connected to the culture, and it’s super expensive.”

Pack snacks, grocery shop

There’s no rule that says you have to dine out for every meal when you’re on vacation.

Instead, pick one meal

a day to eat out. Lunch is a good option, as it’s typically cheaper than dinner (which in some countries starts later than most kids’ bedtimes). By packing your supper or eating at home, you avoid an overpriced meal where children are either melting down or asleep at the table.

Harbuck’s family hits up local markets to stock up on food when they land in a new city. Taking a road trip? Keep a cooler with food for rest-stop picnics.

“If we don’t eat out

twice, we’re saving $100 a day — and that’s the cheapest possible meal,” Harper says, noting her kids are picky eaters. “We spent $7 per kid on buttered pasta once. It was the worst experience ever. They didn’t even eat it.”