Family Holiday Tips: How to travel in Europe on a budget with kids

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If you need some ideas to help you travel in Europe with the kids on a budget then take a look at my 25 tips and hints for saving money on your family holiday. Travelling abroad is one of the most expensive things that we splash our cash on but it’s just so worth it! From cheap accommodation options, to budget flights, self-catering, discount codes, free child places, NHS staff deals, and even organising bargain excursions – luckily there are loads of ways to cut back. Think about it – the more you save, the more you can travel! Here are my top tips to help you save money on your family holidays, and travel in Europe on a budget with kids, without spoiling all the fun…

1. Lower your accommodation costs

Your accommodation choices can play a big part in keeping costs to a minimum – be pragmatic, it’s a place to eat and sleep between adventures. Switch luxury hotels for campsites and holiday parks and you’ll be able to get away more often. For travel in Europe, Eurocamp is a brilliant – we’ve had some fantastic road trips hopping between their campsites, spending as little as £25 per night. And, they have such good swimming pools, waterslides and facilities for the kids that you can entertain them on a budget while you’re there as well! Travelling abroad on a small budget with your family can be hard work with ‘per person’ costs, but companies like Eurocamp that offer ‘per accommodation’ costs instead can be a lifesaver!

Loads of the Eurocamp campsites are so well located too – we’ve used them to visit cities like Rome, Venice and Amsterdam, Swiss mountains, waterfalls, beautiful beaches, lakes and theme parks. They also have great sales and run offers like free ferry travel or loyalty discounts – and stays at places like Beekse Bergen include free safari park entrance, or Duinrell has a free theme park – so it’s certainly worth a look if you’re looking for a budget European getaway! In the last few years, we’ve used Eurocamp campsites to visit: France, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Austria and Germany. They also have resorts in Spain, Croatia, Portugal and Slovenia so we’ve got lots more adventures still to have too! You can check out my reviews here: Frugal Mum Eurocamp Holiday Reviews.

For everything that you need to know about Eurocamp holidays, and money saving tips, check out my article: The Ultimate Eurocamp Holiday Guide – and money saving tips! You might also want to check out Landal Greenparks – we had our first stay at a Landal campsite this year, and we were also impressed with the facilities for the kids. They typically offer more nature based breaks and, like Eurocamp, they have holiday parks in Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Austria. However, they also have campsites in Denmark, Belgium, and the Czech Republic too – so between Eurocamp and Landal you can pretty much explore most of mainland Europe on a budget.

2. Pack lightly

Decant your normal toiletries into smaller re-useable travel pots (don’t pay over the odds for ‘mini’ versions of your favourite products) – only taking what you need to avoid extra baggage costs. Packing lightly is always going to be a money-saver too, whether it be from lessening your petrol costs by not overloading the car, or keeping airline luggage costs as low as possible. Be smart with things like washing up liquid and laundry detergent as well – decant a little into small bottles so that you don’t need to purchase larger amounts that would get wasted. Particularly for self-catering holidays, being prepared can save you a fortune!

3. Be flexible with dates

If possible, be flexible with your travel dates – sometimes even just changing your trip by a day or two can alter the cost drastically. (Particularly with ‘per person’ family holidays this could save you hundreds of pounds!) Quite a few different holiday providers offer calendars now to help with comparing prices for different dates, for instance:

When you see a holiday you like on the TUI website, and click through for more info, you can scroll down to compare prices. The green £ shows the cheapest date for travel for each month – you can flick between the months or just compare dates around when you were looking to travel.

On the Jet2Holidays website, when you’re scrolling through holidays, they have a ‘Switch dates and save’ button which also brings up a calendar for that particular trip, to help you to easily compare the cost on different dates.

Eurocamp also have a comparison calendar (simply scroll down when you find the holiday you like) which is so helpful when booking a trip. It’s not always possible, with school holiday restrictions, but if you can travel in a flexible way it’s a fantastic way to cut costs.

4. Save on your family holiday with Tesco Clubcard

We often use our Tesco Clubcard points towards meals and UK days out – but did you know that they work with travel companies too? As well as food shopping, points can be collected through Tesco services too (such as Tesco Mobile or through a Tesco Credit Card) so you can collect them even if you do your weekly shop elsewhere. Currently, you can use points towards holiday providers like Hotels.com, Intrepid Travel, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Virgin Atlantic, P&O Cruises and Eurocamp. Plus, they’ve also partnered with other companies for ferry travel, airport parking and the Channel Tunnel (Le Shuttle) – so you can save money on the extras too.

5. Book everything yourself

Be brave and consider ditching the travel agent altogether if it can save you money – shopping around yourself to book things separately can be really cost effective. If you’re planning a multi-centre trip, or lots of excursions, usually a bit of extra research and planning will pay off. It will take more time, but doing the legwork yourself can be a great way to make your trip of a lifetime more budget friendly. I’ve seen people save thousands of pounds on DIY Lapland holidays, compared with pre-made package deals.

6. Avoid buying new holiday items

Ditch the pre-holiday spending by packing clothes that you already own – if you’re travelling somewhere warm, chances are that you’ll live in shorts or swimwear for most of it anyway! For winter breaks, hiring winter/snow gear might be the most affordable option for kitting out the family – children grow so fast that any new clothes would be unlikely to fit them for any future trips anyway. If you do need to buy some new bits, places like Vinted are brilliant for second-hand clothing. Did you know that you can also hire your baby’s travel equipment? Baboodle is a fantastic website where you can hire strollers, travel cots, shoulder carriers, backpacks and all sorts. If you’re only going to be using it for a short period of time hiring what you need is so much more cost effective than buying it.

7. Book slightly (or completely!) out of season

Prices can vary significantly depending on the time of year, so consider travelling during the off-peak season to find cheaper deals – avoiding July and August can save you a ridiculous amount of money. September can be a great time to travel – quiet, affordable and still lovely and warm. But if you do need to book around the school holidays, May half-term is often the most affordable. Eurocamp do some brilliant May half-term deals every year – I recently found 78 Eurocamp breaks for a family of four under £250 for May half-term week. And, you might find perks like free kids places from package holiday companies – check out the: TUI Free Kids Place Finder or Jet2Holidays Free Child Place Finder to see what’s available.

If you need to book your getaway during the school summer holidays, over July and August, booking ‘per family’ accommodation options is generally the cheapest way to travel – with companies like Landal or Eurocamp. I went hunting on the Eurocamp website and found 50 family holidays under £1k for August 2026 – with prices starting from less than £300! (There were more but I ran out of steam! 😂)

8. Self-cater to save on food costs

Food can be a huge expense, so if it’s not included within your holiday then make sure that you’ll have decent self-catering facilities. To keep costs down: load up the car, stock up at cheap supermarkets along your route, pack up picnics and cook at your accommodation when you can. We never go anywhere without refillable water bottles, a flask of coffee and our cool bag rucksack. When the scenery is so beautiful nothing beats a picnic anyway, we’ve had lunch in some of the most amazing locations – a picnic at the water’s edge in Venice? Yes please! 😍 If you need to eat out when you’re exploring then fast-food or eating like a local (think street food, bakeries and markets) will be your best bet. We usually limit proper restaurant meals to one per holiday and it makes it more of a treat then too.

9. Compare hotel rates and providers

If you’re staying in a hotel, use hotel comparison websites like Expedia or Hotels.com to secure the best price. Why pay more for exactly the same room? It’s often worth a visit to the hotel’s own website too – it’s sometimes cheaper to book directly. Often mid-week prices are considerably less than weekends, and be sure to check for local events as peak dates can also make prices soar. Do your research, and plan your stay around the cheapest hotels and rates. Sainsbury’s shoppers can get free hotel stays through the Nectar reward programme too – a tip from follower Laura who used her points to book a hotel near Disneyland. Great idea!

10. Plan your stay around cheap flights

Use Skyscanner to find the cheapest days, times and airlines for your flights. Travelling just one day earlier, or during the night, could save you hundreds of pounds! The budget airlines are often the best bet for cheap short-haul flights. If you’re not fixed to certain dates, it’s definitely worth planning your trip around the cheapest dates to travel. Or use Skyscanner’s ‘any destination’ option and have an adventure wherever the cheapest flights take you! Make sure you read my Skyscanner guide to find out how to hunt out the best prices.

11. Get cashback on your holiday and the extras

Before you book anything, check cashback websites (such as Quidco and Top Cashback) to see what they could save you. Holidays can be expensive, so even a 5% cashback offer can be pretty significant – and small amounts soon add up too. You can also get cashback on the extras like travel insurance, holiday clothes or suncream! So, you can make a saving simply by clicking through the link before your purchase.

12. Take the car – road trip!

One of the best tips I can give you, if you’re trying to travel on a budget with the kids in Europe, is to take a family road trip – they can be a brilliant way to save money. Flights can be so expensive, and when you’re multiplying the cost for each family member it can quickly add up. When you add in waiting times, and travelling to and from the airport, you might actually find it doesn’t take that much longer to get there by road. Plus, you might get to see some new places on your travels too, and you’ll avoid car hire costs and airport parking charges too.

Read my article: Family road trip essentials: 13 things to pack on a road trip with kids to make sure that you have everything you need for a stress free family road trip before you set off. To keep costs down opt for ferry travel over the Channel Tunnel, it does add an hour to your travel time but it’s typically significantly cheaper than the Channel Tunnel (Le Shuttle). Use the Direct Ferries website to compare prices for the different ferry routes and providers. For road trip guides and tips, check out:

13. Housesit for free accommodation

Reduce your accommodation costs to just £99 per year by using a housesitting service like Trusted Housesitters. In exchange for looking after someone’s pet, you can stay in their home for free anywhere in the world (some may have a £9 booking fee). A bonus of using Trusted Housesitters is that lots of people want school holiday dates, to fit around their own trips away, so it can be an affordable way to travel during peak times. You can book as many stays as you like – find out more in my Trusted Housesitters family travel guide.

14. Book with the Sun Newspaper Holidays

The Sun Newspaper Holidays are the ultimate frugal getaway, helping you to have a brilliant family break even on the tightest of budgets. We booked two UK trips in 2022 – one Norfolk break which was £66 for Mon-Fri in May (including a caravan upgrade) and another for £78 to the Isle of Wight in June. It cost us a fraction of the price it would have to book directly – we had two holidays for less than the price of one! Did you know that you can travel in Europe with the Sun Newspaper Holidays too? They have great deals on campsites across countries like France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, the Netherlands and Austria. For more info on how it works, and the codes you’ll need, check out my post on the Sun Newspaper Holidays.

15. Take your supplies with you

Whichever way you decide to travel, pack your own sarnies and snacks to keep costs down and the kids quiet – the prices at airports and service stations are severely over-inflated. If you’re road tripping, you can also pack up food for your trip – especially if you’re visiting somewhere with a higher cost of living or expensive resort prices. When you book campsites with mobile home accommodation, like Eurocamp, just little things like taking your own bedding and towels will save you a bit of money too. And, make sure that you pack things like anti-histamine tablets, antiseptic cream, bite cream, bug spray, paracetamol and plasters as well – these items can be really expensive from pharmacies abroad so it pays to be well prepared for every eventuality! Check out my Ultimate Family Holiday Packing Guide – with free printable checklist to get organised.

16. Make the most of discount codes

Keep an eye out for discount codes – companies like TUI and Eurocamp usually advertise these directly on their own websites: things like £100 off when you book before a certain date, free ferry crossing, or deals on specific locations or types of stay. You can see all of the current TUI reductions on the TUI ‘Discount Codes’ page, or check out Eurocamp’s ‘Special Offers’ tab. Make sure that you combine deals and discounts too! For our TUI trip last May, to Salou in Spain, we took advantage of a free child place, AND a TUI offer of £100 off – free child places can be a great way to save money on package holidays! For more tips on how to save money on your TUI family holiday, check out my article: TUI Money Saving Guide – family holiday discounts and tips.

17. Include your travel plans

Lots of holiday providers offer significant savings if you book your travel through them when organising your accommodation. For instance, booking the Channel Tunnel Crossing or ferry through Eurocamp is usually significantly cheaper than booking directly – so make sure that you book it as a package if you’re driving. The Sun Newspaper Holidays also offer this, as do other campsite providers, so check when you book to save on your travel. If you’re looking for a cheap holiday with flights, you might find that a package holiday deal is best – TUI include baggage and transfers with lots of their packages, and with Jet2Holidays it’s included as standard.

18. Join Kids Pass

Kids Pass is a fantastic way to save on the cost of your family holiday in the UK and abroad – and the best bit is that you can trial it for 30 days for just a quid! They work with companies like Jet2Holidays, Hotelopia and Eurocamp – so it’s certainly worth checking out their offers before you book your trip – a £1 trial could save you hundreds of pounds! (They also work with UK holiday providers and have loads of savings on restaurants and family days out in the UK – so signing up for the summer holidays can be handy for that too.)

19. Plan your holiday excursions

Before you go on your trip, set a budget for days out and do some research to pre-plan the things you’ll want to see and do. For instance – in Rome you can visit The Colosseum on the first Sunday of the month for free, so why not make sure you visit then? Another example – lots of zoos, theme parks and children’s activities will have peak and off-peak prices. If it’s cheaper to visit on a Tuesday than a Saturday, a little bit of pre-planning will ensure that your visit coincides with the cheaper prices. (Avoiding the weekends will reduce the crowds too!) Further still – say you wanted to visit Harder Kulm and Jungfraujoch whilst in Switzerland, with a little prior research you’d see that if you buy tickets to Jungfraujoch you can visit Harder Kulm for free.

Making a rough itinerary will also help you to balance out pricier excursions with cheap or free activities – you can explore parks, hike the countryside and visit some beautiful beaches without spending a penny. So, do your research before you go – and make the most of nature – some of the best sights (like Giessbach Falls below) are often free! You might also discover things like free walking tours or museums with free admission days, and most religious buildings across Italy offer free entry too – so city breaks can actually be a really affordable option. For city break money saving tips, check out my article: How to have a European city break with kids on a budget!

20. Compare the extras

Use comparison websites to compare travel insurance, airport parking, transfers and car hire – don’t blindly book through your travel agent or holiday provider without checking out costs elsewhere. (Holiday Extras offer car hire from £3 per day!) If you’re planning an extended trip, or multiple holidays, then it’s usually most cost effective to get annual cover for travel insurance, roadside assistance etc. Last year, we used Gatwick Airport Parking and were really impressed – it was the same cost as lengthier transfers but instead we could go directly to and from the airport without any extra fuss. To save on car rental costs, check out my article: How to hire a car abroad cheaply: Guide, money saving tips & debit card options.

21. Limit transportation costs

Public transport in Europe is usually considerably cheaper than it is here in the UK (it’s totally free in Luxembourg!) so try to rely on buses and trains over expensive taxis and transfers. But, when you’re travelling a lot and with children, even small amounts still quickly add up so we also try to explore on foot wherever possible. Our children are fantastic walkers, and we certainly wouldn’t have had some of the amazing experiences we’ve had on our travels without wandering down cobbled streets in Italy, hiking to waterfalls in Switzerland and exploring beautiful European cities like Florence, Paris, Barcelona, Luxembourg City and Trier (to name just a few – we love city visits!) on foot.

22. Travel with others

Another great way to cut accommodation costs is to travel with friends or family. Villas and house rentals can be a really affordable option for larger groups when the cost is shared. Not only that, but you can split the cost of transport, food and other extras while you’re away too. The big companies like Villa Plus do deals throughout the year and last minute discounts, but websites like VRBO and Air Bnb can give good savings by helping you to connect directly with the owners. TUI also have a section for villa holidays (offering 1-6 beds) and this might work out more affordable than a hotel for those with a large family, or for families wanting to travel together. If you do have to travel abroad during peak times, sharing accommodation costs might be the best way to make the trip more affordable.

23. Consider alternative destinations

Think about exploring lesser-known or emerging destinations that may offer lower prices compared to more popular tourist spots. This might be a slightly cheaper resort, or another destination entirely! If you’re just looking for some sunshine, and you’re open to exploring some different options, then do an ‘any destination’ search to find a holiday based on your dates and budget rather than a particular place.

24. Check out TUI NHS / Holidays for Heroes

TUI have a whole section of their website (https://nhs.tui.co.uk/) dedicated to offering discounted travel to those who work in the NHS. So if you are one of the fabulous people keeping our NHS afloat then you might want to start your holiday search with TUI. The exclusive NHS discounts run on top of any current deals / savings already available on the selected holiday. Just browsing this morning I’ve seen an extra £30 off, to an additional £100 off – and their ‘Top Deals’ area of the NHS web page might be a good place to start if you’re looking for a bargain!

25. Prepare in advance

One of the bests tips I can give you, if you’re planning a budget family holiday in Europe for next year, is to save monthly in advance – work out your average annual travel costs (including spending money, kids’ activities, fuel, food etc) and divide it by twelve. Then, set up a monthly direct debit into a savings account – that way you won’t need to borrow to book your family adventures. With compounding interest, relying on credit cards can make your trip so much more expensive and stressful. (If you do need to use a credit card, shop around for 0% interest deals.) Lots of holiday companies also allow you to pay in instalments if you book well in advance.

A final word

I hope this article has been helpful – if you have any other tips or suggestions for budget family travel in Europe with the kids, please pop your ideas in the comments to share with others. And, have a look around the blog for lots of budget family holiday reviews, travel guides and money-saving tips; we’ve spent a lot of time in Europe with the kids in recent years. Don’t forget to follow me for budget travel tips and to see our adventures on Facebook, Instagram or Tiktok. And come and join the Frugal Mum Travel Club Facebook Group if you’d like to chat or you’d like some help planning your perfect budget family holiday in the UK or Europe – I’m always happy to help! You can get family holiday deals sent straight to your inbox too by signing up to the Frugal Mum Travel Club Newsletter. Happy holidays! 😎