Seven Secrets for Finding an Affordable Last-Minute Summer Getaway with Kids
(PRWEB) July 11, 2013 -- With the Fourth of July now behind us, family travelers have officially entered the peak summer travel season. But families shouldn’t worry if they haven’t made summer vacation plans yet. There’s still time to pull together an affordable summer getaway with kids, according to Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, family travel expert and Managing Editor of MiniTime.com, the first and only family travel website to provide parents with travel recommendations based on the ages of their kids.
"There are many wonderful summer family travel steals if you know where to look," says Kelleher, who recommends these seven tried-and-true strategies to get more bang from your summer vacation buck:
1. Be a backyard explorer. "Don’t assume that the grass is always greener, or the water bluer, a thousand miles away from home," says Kelleher. "No matter where you live, there are national and state parks, gorgeous lakes, vibrant cities, and idyllic summer resort towns within a day’s drive." In the recent MiniTime Family Vacation Planning Survey, 88 percent of parents said their families were taking at least one vacation within a six-hour drive of home.
2. Weekend in the city. Big-city hotels can be notoriously expensive, but summer can be a season of deals, says Kelleher. "When temperatures rise, business travelers tend to stay away and locals retreat to cooler hinterlands. In New York City, for example, hotel rates drop in the summer, especially on weekends, and Sundays can be the best bargain of all for a family getaway," says Kelleher. "This time of year, a Sunday night hotel stay in the Big Apple can be 25 percent less expensive than midweek."
3. Park it. Our national parks are a goldmine for deals even after summer has hit full tilt, says Kelleher. "I know from experience that there are still openings at many of the park system’s lodges, hotels and cabins," she says. "This time last year, I was able to book a four-night mid-August stay at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone National Park."
4. Aim for the fringes. At the country’s most family-focused resorts, prices often drop at the end of the summer when many kids are already heading back to school. "In the northeast, for instance, rates at award-winning family resorts such as the Tyler Place Family Resort in Vermont and Winnetu Resort on Martha’s Vineyard are 20 to 50 percent lower during the week including Labor Day," says Kelleher.
5. Luxuriate in a hot spot. Want to stay at a luxury resort for less? Prices tumble in July and August at high-end resorts in sizzling destinations like Scottsdale, Arizona, and Aruba, which lies below the hurricane belt. "Of course it’s going be pretty darn hot—but so what? Choose a plush resort with a phenomenal deal, air conditioning, and a spectacular pool and water-play area,” says Kelleher. "Stay put, stay cool, and have a wonderful time."
6. Get active in the hills. Like being on the move? "Head to a swell little ski town, such as Breckenridge, Colorado, or Stowe, Vermont," suggests Kelleher. In the summertime, these destinations transform into playgrounds for active families who love mountain biking, alpine sledding, zip-lining, hiking, and horseback riding —and lodging costs considerably less now than during ski season.
7. Look to a lake. If families are looking for a bargain beach getaway, they should pick a gorgeous lake resort rather than one on the ocean. "From the Great Lakes to Lake Tahoe to the Finger Lakes, there are beautiful waterside hotels set on gorgeous, sandy beaches with many of the same water sports you find at the ocean—but typically rates are a fraction of what a similar level of coastal hotel would charge," says Kelleher. "Also, families with small children often prefer fresh water to saltwater for swimming, and they don’t have to worry about riptides, big waves, or ocean critters."
MiniTime.com is the first and only family travel website to give parents recommendations based on the ages of their children. MiniTime.com offers parents a unique combination of expert family travel advice, a community of like-minded parents, and powerful user tools to help parents plan, book, and share their family travel experiences. For more information about MiniTime.com, visit http://www.minitime.com.
Mary Ann Bohrer, MiniTime.com, http://www.minitime.com/home, (412) 421-1389, [email protected]
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