So you’ve made the executive decision that everyone in your family could use a vacation. Maybe you’re envisioning a weeklong trip somewhere warm, preferably within walking distance to the beach and a restaurant with local seafood. Or maybe you’re searching for a quick mountain getaway you can reach in just a couple of hours. Either way, some sort of break is in the cards.  

There’s just one catch: You’re sticking to a budget. While a five-star vacation sounds lovely, you’re trying to save some money this year and prefer to keep costs on the lower end. Don’t worry: There are several travel tips and tricks you can employ to plan a family vacation that won’t break the bank—and we’ve rounded them up below.

Plan Ahead 

Life can get busy. In between play dates, meetings, doctor appointments, and music lessons, booking flights and hotel room reservations is often placed on the back burner. But that’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make when planning a family vacation; prices on flights, especially, tend to rise the closer you get to the date. If you’re flying domestically, the best time to book your flight is about three or four months out—but you should start your search even earlier, between six and nine months before your targeted travel dates. You can also use tools like Google Flights to track prices over specific dates, 

Travel During the Off-season

July and August are prime times in many beach destinations—like Sullivan’s Island or the Outer Banks—and you’ll see prices on hotel rooms and rentals reflect the increased demand. To avoid paying those sky-high rates, consider traveling to a vacation spot during shoulder season or even off-season. While some local businesses may be closed—and the weather might not be exactly ideal—you’ll likely still be able to find fun year-round activities and pockets of relaxation, all while navigating around fewer fellow tourists.

Avoid Holidays

The holidays tend to be one of the most popular times to travel. Given the fact that many children are out of school around Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Memorial Day Weekend, and Labor Day Weekend, it’s common for families to want to take advantage of this time off and travel somewhere together. Higher-than-average prices follow suit. To save money on your trip, go ahead and remove any holiday weekends as potential travel dates.

Take Advantage of Points and Miles

If you’ve been diligently racking up your credit card points or compiling an impressive amount of airline miles, you might be able to take a significant chunk out of your final vacation bill. Just be sure to do your research on how to best spend your rewards. Credit card points, for example, tend to have a greater redemption value when used to book travel than they do when traded in for cash. It’s also a good idea to remain loyal to one airline—and potentially look into a co-branded airline credit card—in order to earn points and status quickly. The more points, the more free flights you can book.

Consider a Staycation

You don’t always have to go far to find a family vacation spot. There’s probably even an affordable option right in your hometown or the next town over; it just may require a bit of creativity to sell the idea to the rest of the family. Maybe you’re camping in a nearby national park, renting an Airbnb with a pool, or booking a few rooms in a hotel and ordering everyone room service dinner as a special treat. Either way, by removing transportation from the financial equation, you’ll be able to save a good chunk of money (especially if you have a big family).

Go Grocery Shopping

Eating out is one of the quickest and easiest ways to overspend on vacation. Before you know it, you’ve reached your budget after just one or two days of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. To combat this issue, book a hotel or rental that comes with a kitchen or even a kitchenette, and plan to prep a majority of your family’s meals yourselves. Sure, you can still splurge on a few dinners out, but whipping up some beach sandwiches and throwing them in a cooler will cut down on your total food bill (and leave you with more to spend on memorable activities).

Research Free (or More Affordable) Activities 

It’s no secret that some of the most touristy things tend to cost a good amount of money, but amusement parks, tours, and adrenaline-pumping activities—like paragliding or jet-skiing—aren’t your only options while on a family vacation. Ahead of your trip, set aside time to research the free and more affordable activities in the area; alternatively, you can always ask some locals for their recommendations when you get there. You may find hikes, secret beaches, or free museums and parks that can fill your itinerary without inflating your budget.