When you are planning a family vacation, the costs can add up very quickly. Even the best deals don’t sound cheap anymore when you multiply them by 4, 5, 6 or more. At the recent New York Times Travel show, I had the chance to speak with representatives of destinations and travel companies from around the world to find out the latest and the greatest deals for families, and the newest trends in family travel.
I dodged the dancing girls from Indonesia, the feather-clad dancers from Brazil, the big brown bear from Taiwan, and someone dressed as a stack of vegetables (something to do with Expo Milano 2015), to dig deep and find you all the best deals for families this year.
Great Deals for Family Travel
Children Travel Free on Eurail
Eurail, the rail pass for travel throughout 28 countries in Europe, has launched its new “Children Travel Free” initiative, which allows up to two children ages 4 to 11 to ride for free with each family member or friend who is traveling on an Adult Eurail Pass.
We are rather partial to traveling on Eurail Passes, having done so as kids, and then again as adults with our kids.
Also new this year from Eurail is the Attica Pass, which offers travel around the Greek Islands by ferry. It offers six ferry crossings within one month, including the high-speed ferry from Italy to Greece and back.
Even Older Children Travel Free to Tahiti
For a limited time, 2 children up to age 15 can travel free with 2 adults on Air Tahiti Nui’s flights from Los Angeles, paying only government taxes. Current round trip prices start at $1672 (with taxes of $63), so this is some serious savings! For a family of four you’re saving more than $3000 with this deal. The airline representatives I met at the travel show said that they took this step because many of the resorts in Tahiti offer similar discounts for children up to age 15. So let’s not think of Tahiti as just a honeymoon destination. Maybe you can afford to take the kids after all!
Check their website for details.
Low Fares on New Flights to Iceland (and Beyond)
Iceland’s new Wow Air is offering super-low rates on their new flights from Boston and Baltimore/Washington to Reykjavik (from $149 and $165 one way) and London (from $202 and $240 one way).
Of course, like most low-cost airlines, there are some tricks to this low fare. You will have to pay extra to check a bag, and only one carry-on bag weighing 11 pounds or less is included in the fare. Also, the flight back from Europe might not be so cheap. When I checked, I could not find a return flight from either Reykjavik or London for the same low fare.
In any case, I could see from my explorations that travel companies and destinations are giving some thought to family travelers, and they are creating deals for families to lure them in and make it more affordable to take the whole clan.
Have you seen any great deals lately? Let us know in the comments below.
We can help you plan a perfect family vacation
Don’t forget that we offer family travel coaching services to help you plan your perfect family vacation. Contact us and tell us what you like to do, where you want to go, and when you have time to go there, and we will take it from there. Take at look at our travel coaching page for more information.