The autumn holidays are approaching, and with them the long family break of the year. It is also the stretch when flight and hotel prices spike, because everyone is searching for the very same weeks.
Most families do not solve this by skipping the trip — they solve it by shortening the flight. A destination two or three hours away saves money and also saves the first day, which otherwise disappears into travel time and tired kids.
Rhodes and Crete are big enough for a full week without moving around much, with shallow beaches that suit small children. The smaller islands are prettier but need ferries, which is less appealing with suitcases and a stroller.
Under an hour in the air. This is the easiest destination to start with if it is your first time flying with small children, and it works as a long weekend rather than a full week.
Georgia remains one of the best-value destinations in the region: excellent food at low prices, lots of green, and you can combine sea and mountains in one trip. The flight is a little longer than Greece but still short.
Sofia and the mountains around it, or the Black Sea coast. A good fit for families who like hiking and are not looking for nightlife or shopping.
Kotor, Budva and the bays. It looks like Croatia did a decade ago, at lower prices and with less crowding. Best for families with older kids who do not mind short drives.
Not on flights and not on hotels — those you booked in advance and knew about. The budget breaks during the week itself: meals, taxis, entrance tickets, coffee here and there. In a foreign currency, with everyone paying in turn, holding that picture in your head is close to impossible.
This is exactly what TUlon solves. Every expense is recorded in the currency you actually paid in and converted automatically at a live rate, so you always see what you have really spent — not what is left in your wallet. Photograph a receipt and the app fills in the amount, currency and date by itself.
And when several families travel together, the least pleasant part is settling up at the end. TUlon does it for you: who paid for what, and the minimum number of transfers that closes the account. No spreadsheets, no awkward conversations in the terminal on the way home.
Compare hotel prices as early as you can — over the holidays availability runs out before prices settle.
Happy holidays, and travel cheap.