Saving money on vacations?

Ask:
Our March Break (aka Spring Break) is coming up soon and lots of families will be going on vacations.

What are some ideas for saving money while on vacation (while still having a good time)?
Answer:

If your going to Amusement parks or things like that ask if they have any credit card specials. We went to Lego Land and if you paid with an American Express you got the kids in for free. That was over $80 in savings.
Answer:

We are going to Henry Ford Museum (Michigan) this summer, just overnight. I was dismayed when I saw the price for a 2-bedroom hotel (ds and I are both light sleepers, we both need separate but adjoining bedrooms).

We're going to drive in the a.m. - 2.5 hr. drive - and then instead of staying there the night we are staying somewhere close to home - without the huge markup because you are staying near a major attraction. So while we'll be 'away from home for the night' we'll still be close - half hour or so. Dh is scratching his head at this one, but ds - 5, won't know the difference, we'll still be staying at a hotel with a pool, going out to eat, etc. and we'll still be away from home. I figure this might save us $100, that we can use to pay for tickets to the museum! Best of all, in the morning we'll just drive a short drive and we'll be home!!
Answer:

We always pack a cooler with sandwich stuff and drinks, we usually stop for picnics at rest areas and have snacks on hand for the kids. That way we aren't tempted to buy at the convience stores on the highway. Search the internet and see if there are any free things around where you are going to be, the smaller towns usually have free musuems (ours have suggested donations).
Answer:

i secound the pack snacks and drinks to bring in the car this is a huge money saver. then when we stop for gas its a quick bathroom break and gas up thats it. also if you go to an amusement park or zoo and have a stroller going along we pack a small cooler with the small 8 oz water bottles purchased at the store for a few bucks instead of paying 3 bucks for one at the attraction. also if you are staying in a hotel we try to find one that has a fridge and microwave that way we can get snacks at the store for the evening and also check if you are going to an attraction alot of hotel will offer a package like say free tickets to the attraction or free pizza coupons and so on..it never hurts to call and ask.
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