Summer is almost here and I couldn’t be more excited!! We are looking forward to a summer of fun and included in that is at least one road trip/vacation. Because vacations can be a huge money drain, I’m going to post these next few weeks on how to save money on vacation.
First off…how to handle the inevitable “I WANT SOMETHING!” in the gift shops. Gift shops are hard to avoid on vacation, especially if you are going to any kind of theme park or museum (isn’t it nice how they conveniently end every single ride in a new gift shop?). And I personally believe that buying souvenirs is part of the fun on a vacation. I know I remember standing in a gift shop in Central City, Colorado for what seemed like an eternity trying to decide what I wanted and then being so pleased with my bag of polished rocks. So I want to let my kids have some souvenirs. But I don’t want to go broke buying a bunch of junk that they will never play with again. It’s a problem.
There are a few ways you can solve this problem and they all involve communicating your “souvenir policy” ahead of time and giving the kids some of the responsibility. First, no matter what you decide, you MUST talk with your kids about it ahead of time. Make it clear that they will NOT get a trinket in every shop you pass through. Eliminate the opportunity for them to beg for more things by setting a firm limit and stick with it.
As for the limit itself¦that is really up to each individual family. You could give each kid a certain amount of money for them to use throughout the trip and when it’s gone, it’s gone. That not only takes the burden off your shoulders, but it also teaches them financial responsibility and that when you choose to spend money on one big thing, you won’t have as much to spend in the next store. Better yet, have them do extra chores around the house leading up to the vacation to earn their own money to spend on souvenirs!
What works for our family is that we let them pick one small-medium item at each attraction. Now, that doesn’t mean that if we go to a museum, a theme park, and a kids restaurant all in one day that they get three different things¦we define it in broader terms. For example last year when we went to Florida they got one “Disney” souvenir, one “Sea World” souvenir, and one “Kennedy Space Center” souvenir. Once they picked that item we no longer spent any time in souvenir stands during that part of our trip. We do it this way because we don’t want to give them a certain dollar amount, have them blow the whole amount at the very first souvenir stand, and then spend the rest of the 6 day vacation listening to whining. Letting them get one thing at each place spaces out their purchases and also allows them to bring home a few different reminders of a trip.
Another tip¦if your kids are like mine and have souvenirs on their brain the second you walk in the gate of an attraction¦go ahead and let them get their souvenir first! Why not? That way you can move on and enjoy the rest of the day without listening to “when can I get my souvenir?!” Plus, they will be less likely to want more when they are still clutching their brand new toy. Yeah¦you might have to carry a princess doll around with you all day long, but it’s worth it in decreased whining.
Last, let them get what they want (within the financial limits). You may not like what they pick out, and it may very well be a piece of junk that they may not play with much at home, but part of the fun of souvenirs is getting to pick out what you want. So what if you come home with 3 different stuffed sting rays or a gaudy t-shirt? I know I treasured my “Flamingo Beach Club” t-shirt from California and my brother had a nice collection of rubber snakes from Reptile Gardens in South Dakota¦we loved being able to get what we wanted! (Thanks, Mom!)