Once thought of as a vacation for romance, cruises are fast becoming a favorite for family holidays. Contemporary cruise lines know that if they can plan entertainment for the kids, parents will have fun, too. The first place to begin your search should be to go directly to the cruise companies themselves. A quick search on your favorite search engine, like Yahoo will give all the top cruise lines in seconds. Many of the cruise companies provide last minute special offers that might be the perfect family holidays and save you a bundle. While on these websites, check for package deals for family vacations. Many cruise lines like to partner with the airline companies to provide “one stop shopping” for their customers. These may not always be the best choice but in a few clicks , your family travel can be booked. One of my family’s favorite family vacation spots is sunny Florida. The big theme parks like to put together package deals to make planning your family holidays easier. Most of these package deals will include everything from flight tickets, tickets to the park, rental cars and even free parking at the park. Because Florida is such a success with families, hotels often offer “kids eat for free” deals. This can be essential savings for a family of four. The hotels that offer these discounts are mostly the ones that are kid friendly and offer activities to keep the children busy when not at the parks. Getting there can be one of the biggest expenses of your family holidays, so check to see if the airlines are offering any special discounts to your destination. You may find a buy one ticket and get another for half price deal, or some offer special rates for children under a certain age. If you’re shopping for the best airfare at “the right time” you may even stumble onto a great deal that an airline is offering to fill up seats on specific flights. These are generally deals that are offered for a very limited time, so have your credit card handy when you search. Airlines and tour operators will often offer promotional periods where they will take care of everything for your whole family for one price. These promotions are usually offered just once or twice a year to create advertisement for their business. If your timing is right you can use the opportunity of one of such deals. Ask around to see when and if your airline or travel agent offers these special discounts for family vacation. If you’re not sure of the destination of your trip or how much you should budget for your family vacations, go online and start browsing the web. There are online offers that can not be offered elsewhere, with a little luck and adequate timing, you can plan outstanding family vacations without breaking the bank! permanent residency