With airline staffing shortages, gas prices through the roof and inflation making everything more expensive, many families are turning to staycations and cheap weekend getaways close to home as an alternative to visiting the most popular family vacations spots in the country. 

Shorter stays and no flights mean you can skip the most painful costs (and hassles) associated with family travel while still creating great memories. Here are 10 easy ways to save on cheap family vacations close to home. 

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1. Make your own weekend

While local weekend getaways are less expensive than big family travel adventures, weekends are still peak travel time. But if you can make your own “weekend” by traveling midweek, you’ll save money and find wider availability wherever you’re headed because hotels typically have lower occupancy on these days. 

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Even if you can’t find time for a Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday getaway, look for an opportunity to overlap your stay a day before (Thursday) or a day after (Monday) most other people travel. You’ll get a lot more bang for your vacation buck. 

2. Travel just after peak season

Shoulder season is that best-of-both-worlds time when the tourists have all gone home but the weather’s still nice – think New England lake towns after Labor Day but before foliage season, for example. Instead of traveling during the peak summer vacation months of May, June and July, plan your family’s weekend getaway for September. You’ll spend a lot less while still enjoying all the perks of high-season travel. 

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