Giving a Vacation as a Christmas Gift – How & Why!

Ever Consider Giving a Vacation as a Christmas Gift?

I don’t know about you, but I feel like these last few months of the year FLY by with all the holidays right in a row. (It’s sort of a busy, rushy, stressful time – if you let it be.)

Before you know it, Christmas will be here and right now is the best time to make your Christmas plans and get all the shopping out of the way early. If you regularly find yourself rushing and stressing and not spending any QUALITY TIME with your family over the holidays, you could consider giving a vacation as a Christmas gift.

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If you don’t know what to give your family for Christmas, or if you just aren’t sure that TOYS are the best thing you could give your kids, you should consider giving the gift of a vacation.

Or if CLUTTER is a big problem for you… well (And honestly, what parent doesn’t find that clutter is a problem!?). No week on a Hawaiian beach ever cluttered my life, just saying.

We often struggle with the idea of buying our kids things – the honest truth is that they don’t NEED things, and they also don’t APPRECIATE things when things are plentiful.

There are lots of reasons why a vacation could be the single most awesome Christmas gift you ever give your family – here’s the best reasons to consider it! (Always book your vacation through a reputable agency with a price match guarantee – Get Away Today has one –  to be sure that you’re getting the best possible price AND human customer service!)

#1: Memories last longer than STUFF

First and foremost, the experience your family will have on vacation will last way longer than any thing you might buy. If you try and think back on every toy you were given on Christmas when you were a kid, can you remember each one?

But what about your family vacations?

If you’re anything like me, my family vacation memories are some of my favorite memories.

And, honestly, if you are diligent about staying off your phone and being present with your children while on vacation, you’ll be giving the kind of gift that makes a huge difference in your kid’s lives.

Present parents, time with parents, attention from parents – these things are in short supply these days.

Related: Memory Making Christmas Traditions to Start This Year

#2: You won’t be adding to the clutter problem when giving a vacation as a gift

Well, if you have a clutter problem that is. (And many, many of us do.)

Your kids will be just as excited by the announcement that they are going to Disneyland (maybe get a dollar store Disney trinket for them to open) as they would be by a new Barbie or Lego… and you won’t ever have to dust your vacation or kick it out of the way as you head out of the living room. Woohoo!

Related: Clutter-Free Gifts For Kids

#3 You’ll be teaching your kids that experiences > things – a life lesson which breeds happiness

IF you ask any parent what they want for their kids, I bet almost all parents – universally – want life long happiness for their children.

I know I do.

And I also know that our deep-seated values contribute substantially to happiness – or unhappiness – with life that we experience.

People who understand that experiences are greater than things are happier people.

If you MODEL this for your children, and show them – they will embrace it far easier than if you just tell them about it, and then buy them a bunch of things.

For real.

#4: Giving a trip as a gift could actually save you money

This is hard to imagine, but just think how much a regular Christmas costs… it goes way beyond a few presents per kid!

On average, parents spend $300-400 on each kid for presents, that’s about the price of their share of a vacation, so why not put that towards a trip instead?

(And that might actually be a low estimate  – some sources suggest that the average spent on gifts in the USA is more like 900$ per person.)

Did you know that if you’re willing to travel ON the holidays you can get flights DEEPLY discounted? (We often do this when we go to visit my hubby’s family over Christmas. We fly back on new years eve or day, and we always get cheaper flights that way. If you could fly on Christmas eve or day your flights would be EVEN cheaper.)

Another great tip for holiday travel is to minimize the stress of lugging around heavy bags by using a service like Radical Storage. Services like this one allow you to securely store your belongings in convenient locations, giving you the freedom to explore your destination without the burden of extra luggage – even if you have already checked out of your hotel for the day!  

Instead of booking your vacation and buying all the toys for Christmas, use one of these fun ideas to surprise your family.

#5: You’ll enjoy it just as much as the kids

I know, that sounds selfish, but really – you could spend your money on something that the WHOLE FAMILY will enjoy, vs something that the kids will enjoy for a while and you will pick up often.

Busy moms and dads deserve a break once in a while too!

It IS ok, as parents, to make these kinds of judgment calls without feeling like you’re robbing your children.

#6: You could have it all paid off BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Paying for something on a plan isn’t something that I regularly suggest doing, but if you can budget properly you can pay off your holiday over a few months BEFORE you go, rather than having the excitement first and THEN 3 months of bills (which is what often happens at Christmas  + that really puts a damper on the new year). This way you can approach the Christmas season WITHOUT the threat of debt!

If you book your vacation with Get Away Today, you can put your vacation package on their Layaway Lock-In Plan. When you give a vacation for Christmas, you don’t have to travel on Christmas day, you can give your family something fun to look forward to after the hype of the holidays is over. If you are heading to Disneyland , San Diego , or any other Southern California destination, the plan is super simple.

Here’s how it works:

For a one-time $50 fee, you can put down $125 and lock in your favorite hotel and low ticket prices. From there, you can make whatever payments you want, whenever you want, as long as your vacation is paid off 15 days before your check-in date. It’s so simple and you don’t have to worry about the interest on your credit card. If you want to travel somewhere besides Southern California like a cruise or Mexico, there are payment plans available as well! They will depend on when and where you are traveling, but the agents are more than happy to give you the details.

#7: Get Away Today gives you the best price (so one-stop shopping is easy)

When you book your vacation with Get Away Today , you know you are getting the best deal. They have discount Disneyland tickets , other discount attraction tickets, reduced hotel rates and so much more.

They are constantly price checking themselves, but if you do happen to find it cheaper somewhere else, they will match and beat the price! You can book in confidence knowing that you are taken care of.

Related: The Best FREE Christmas Gifts to Give Your Kids This Year

#8: Travel is crazy educational for kids

There is so much about the world that just can’t be learned without experiencing it for yourself.

#9: Family bonding

If you only want one reason to give a vacation as a Christmas gift this is probably the best one – the time that you will spend together as a family.

You will have so much time to bond and grow together that it makes everything worth it. You have the opportunity to get to know each other on another level and that’s the best part of a family vacation, no matter where you travel.

When you give the give a vacation as a Christmas gift, you give your family a Christmas to remember!

When you book your vacation, book through Get Away Today. Not only will you build memories and bond as a family on your trip, but you will know you are getting the best price. (If you end up going to Southern California on your vacation, use promo code MommyOnPurpose to get an additional $10 off your hotel and tickets package.) Give their agents a call at 855-GET-AWAY or book online at getawaytoday.com to book your Christmas vacation now!