CharlotteYork

Any suggestions for countries that are generally inexpensive in terms of hotels, meals and tourist attractions? we'll be coming from the US and bringing along some early grade-school age children.

We want to see the world but not break the bank.

MaureenGP

I haven't been there in several years, but I found Spain to be very reasonable, although, as always, the large cities are more expensive than the countryside and villages. We spent a month driving around Spain and still didn't see some of the major tourist sights, so there is plenty to do. For the children, you can spell off sightseeing with relaxing time at the beach--Spain has many beaches in the south, east, and north. Also, look into the parador hotels for a special treat. I planned part of our itinerary around these renovated castles, palaces, abbeys, etc., and for young children, I think staying overnight in a castle would be lots of fun. At the time we traveled, they were not overly expensive, except for the one in Granada which is on the grounds of the Alhambra.
It is easy to navigate the roads in Spain if you rent a car, although I understand the train system is excellent. While you are driving, you frequently spot castles on hills. If you go to Barcelona, I think the children would enjoy Park Guell, designed by the famed architect Gaudi. It's very colorful and flamboyant.
If money is a consideration, I would avoid London, which I love, but find very expensive. On the other hand, there are many castles you can visit in England which might appeal to the kids, and certainly the Tower of London would be a must-see, combined with a boat ride on the Thames. You might want to splurge on theatre tickets, especially something like "Mary Poppins." If your kids like Harry Potter, you could include some of the movie sites.
We just returned from a trip to Prague, Vienna, and Salzburg, and I think those are good choices. You can take salt mine tours around Salzburg where you go down large slides and see underground lakes. In both Prague and Salzburg there were numerous marionette theaters, which we did not have a chance to enjoy, but which would be great for children, while giving them a chance to sit down for awhile.
Generally, you can always find attractions that appeal to children wherever you travel, so I would pick your country or countries and take it from there.
What I do, even as an adult, is to choose one or two major sights a day in each destination, and anything I fit in beyond that is a plus. I think that would work well with children--don't overcrowd your schedule. It's better to enjoy one or two things than to be exhausted trying to do it all.

ma23peas

Charlotte, we are taking our 3 grade school age children with us to London in about 4 weeks. Here's how are budget is looking...not sure what is inexpensive for others...but I felt this was a fair trip....England...

4 ff tickets ($90 a pop....service charges)...total $360

1 Paid Ticket.....total $750

Hotel via Priceline (2 rooms 5 nights 2 minutes from Gloucester tube Kensington)..total $900

Cottage in Cotswolds (3 bedroom full kitchen) booked directly 5 nights...total $800

Transportation...Gatwick Express with coupon for five ...$45
Tube travel...(kids go free) $45
Car Rental via Auto Europe for 6 days $149 total. (free upgrade wagon)


Miscellaneous (Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Warwick Castle, Mary Poppins theater tickets all fees about $400) the rest is mostly free museums...great deal for London!! The free sites are Natural HIstory Museum, Science Museum, most Art Galleries, John Soane Museum...so many others!

So total we'll be about $3500 without food....we're looking to stay under the 5k mark. It's a great first trip for kids (well, will know in 30 days) due to the language being charming, most facilities are similar, wonderful parks, decent intercity travel...they love trains! It can be done, you just have to do some planning and find the best deals...I figured I saved our family thousands of dollars by hoarding my ff miles signing up for all those double mile months and doing some homework before going.

Good luck!
Tara

bobthenavigator

Portugal or Slovenia !

missypie

Costa Rica! Don't know where you live, but it's a three hour direct flight from Dallas. Our family of 5 stayed in suites at the absolute top of the line places in the Arenal and Manuel Antonio areas for around $300 per night. You could get a decent place for a whole lot less. (With five of us, we generally prefer to book a nice suite rather than two so-so rooms.)

There is a very casual restaurant called El Novillo outside of La Fortuna where my family of 5 ate the best steak we've ever had, salad and two fancy desserts for around $65.

Spanish is the official language, but lots of English is spoken. You can use the US dollar; almost everything is priced in dollars.

The scenery is breathtaking, there is a lot to do for families and the people are VERY nice. It's a great introduction to a foreign country!

rapunzll

Not in Europe of course, but I don't think you can get a better family vacation than New Zealand. The airfare if pricey, but the lodging, meals, etc. are not. It is however a long flight.

tcreath

I think you can go to almost any country and find some travel bargains if you look hard enough. For instance, we went to Germany last year. We stayed in a small town about 20 minutes from Salzburg (Schonau am Konigssee, near Berchtesgaden). Our fully furnished apartment came with a kitchen, living room, bedroom and a balcony with sweeping views of the Bavarian Alps. All of this for under 50 euros per night. Because we were in the country, and not in a city, most of our meals were fairly inexpensive, especially given how good they were. We went to the local market and grocery store and made several meals in our apartment, which also saved quite a bit of money. A lot of the attractions around the area were inexpensive, and the spectacular scenery comes free of charge.

Tracy

Amy

Untours (www.untours.com) is a very family-friendly and fairly-priced way to travel without breaking the bank--plus, their profits go toward developing local businesses in developing nations. (a hand up, not a handout...) I believe that in Switzerland kids can stay for free in the apartments, and while Switzerland isn't by any means cheap, you can do this inexpensively through picnicking and such.

Happy travels!

repete

While many U.S. travelers think of the Greek Islands only as Santorini and Mykonos, there are dozens of better, lesser known options where rooms are still reasonable, especially if you avoid the high season.

You can mix some great beaches with some fantastic history in a lovely country that cherishes children.

starrsville

Portugal.

As others have said, an apartment or villa rental is a better, more economical way to go than hotels.

Check out vrbo.com.

TXgalinGA

We really enjoyed Germany & Austria and found both to be reasonable.

rex

New Orleans.

Best wishes,

Rex

isabel

Portugal, Portugal, Portugal

Just returned and was so impressed with how inexpensive it was. At any price it's a great country to visit, but the low prices made it even more so. I am currently in the midst of posting a trip report, and just got my photos on line - maybe they will help you decide. Trip report is titled "Isabels July Portugal Trip report with photos". Your kids will love it too, it's got castles of all sorts, beaches, Lisbon has fun trams to ride, and one of the largest aquariums in Europe. Meets all your criteria.

Just out of curiosity Rex, since when is New Orleans a country in Europe?

Dukey

I would add Poland to the Portugal and Slovenia recs.

IMO Britain is always going to be expensive because of the poor exchange rate. London has <b>always</b> been a pricey place to stay and it seems worse with the exchange rate.

Go somewhere, anywhere which uses Euros or their own currency except places like super expensive Oslo!

logos999

Tunisia
During winter season, a (clean) hotel room, including breakfast and dinner cost about 10&euro; per day ;-)

W9London

CharlotteYork,
A basic question to start with... What time of the year are you planning to travel? You don't want to go to popular Greek islands or Balearic Islands in the middle of summer holiday season (too crowded, too hot for young kids).
What would your family enjoy? Beach, historical things, quiet vs active kinds of destinations?
In general, you might want to consider staying in one place, rent an apartment for self-catering to keep the accomodation and meal costs down.

TXgalinGA

OT- Is your screen name a reference to SATC?

rex

New Orleans is not, of course, a country in Europe. But she said we &quot;want to see the world...&quot;

...and I think it is a better use of travel resources - - to take &quot;early grade-school children&quot; there than spend the money on transatlantic air travel.

When someone has no idea where they want to go, I think that New Orleans ought to be on the top of their list. Certainly exotic and &quot;worldy&quot; enough for most tastes.

If you're just looking for someplace to visit, then New Orleans needs you, and you need New Orleans.

kleeblatt

Bulgaria has now quite a few family resorts located right on its beaches.

Turkey is still a major &quot;beach&quot; destination for many Swiss families. They have beautiful &quot;all-inclusive&quot; resorts located right on the beach with all amenities includes beautiful swimming pools with slides.

kjenn

Rex- I think the OP could do without your sarcastic and unhelpful comments.

CharlotteYork- We traveled to central Europe last year, and found the Czech Republic to be especially affordable. We paid around 45E per night for a bed and breakfast in Cesky Krumlov. Dinners for 2 with a few beers usually ran less than $20 US. A room in Prague ran us around 65E if I remember correctly. The people were very friendly, and the places we saw were stunningly beautiful. We had little problem with the language barrier, English was widely spoken. Good Luck!