Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. Part Eleven: Driving There CAN be Fun!

This is part eleven in my blog series: Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. You can read the rest of the posts here.

I get many questions from people who are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and want Disney World vacation tips and suggestions. Disney vacation planning can be very involved and confusing as well, so the goal of this series is to start at the beginning, and look at everything you need to think about, in the general order you need to think about it. Each week’s post will be numbered and link to all the others so that, when complete, you will have a guide with all the steps and information you need to plan your own Disney magic.

familyVacationStackedCarClipArt Are you considering driving to Walt Disney World? While many folks may dread the idea of traveling long distances with their family, there can be a number of reasons why this might be the perfect choice for an affordable Disney vacation for your family.

First of all, you will probably save money. At one time I would have said “always” but as gas prices have risen, if you absolutely want to go the cheapest way, you will need to compute the cost of gas (and possibly a night or two in a motel along the way) vs. the cost of airfare. There are certainly times, depending on potential available airfares, that you could fly cheaper. But most of the time, especially if you have a large family, driving will save you money.

And not just on the gas vs. plane tickets issue will you save money: by driving, you will have your car available, so no rental car is necessary. Having your car will allow you to pack things like food, snacks, water, and pretty much anything else you can think of. With the food and water especially, it will be a savings for you to bring them from home, especially since bringing snacks will save you money in the parks. And if you are bringing little ones, bringing your own stroller will save you the cost of renting one while at Walt Disney World.

Now what are some ways to make this drive a pleasant “family time”? Plan ahead for activities: put together “travel bags” with different games for the kids. Many folks bring out a new item every hundred miles or so. Built-in DVD players can be a godsend for keeping little ones entertained: see how many Disney movies you can watch on the way! Plan frequent stops to stretch legs and let off some energy. Play “road games”. Bring along books on CD, as this can be a great way to pass time much faster than you realize.

Driving to Walt Disney World can present some challenges, but it can definitely be a wonderful way to create some special family memories, and have an affordable Disney vacation as well!