Vacations with your kids don't have to be expensive to be memorable to them. You don't have to take them to the latest & greatest them park, or a resort with 5 swimming pools or even travel very far at all. You can look for mid-week deals on hotels that are fairly close by & take a few mini-vacations during the summer, you can go camping at a nearby campground or take a few day trips to museums & attractions that are in towns close to you.
We haven't had very many "real vacations" during the past 18 years, or at least what a lot of people would call real vacations, our kids have never been to Disneyland, Universal Studios or even summer camp or any type, but we have had a lot of camping trips with them, we took a 3 or 4-day trip to Las Vegas & paid mid-week rates (Las Vegas in a 2 1/2 hour drive for us) on our room. They don't feel like they missed anything by taking simple vacations, and neither do I, since they were the same type I grew up on.
Even now that our kids are grown, we still look forward to the warm months & camping season, and often look for occasions to celebrate as an excuse to take off for the weekend. We just got back from a camping trip to celebrate Rhi's 19th birthday (which is a whole other story on it's own) and have already started planning the next trip, which will, hopefully be a lot less drama filled.
So, instead of going into debt to give your kids the "vacation of a lifetime," why not plan a weekend camping trip to celebrate their soccer trophies instead? It will be just as memorable to them, cost you less money & you'll actually get to spend more quality time together as a family. Yes, it's dirty & a lot more messy than other options, but honestly, that what showers are for.
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