10 Expert Tips to Cheap Family Trips, Even at the Last Minute

It's Thursday night and the cabin fever is coming on strong. As much as you're pining to hit the slopes or soak in some sun, your budget frowns upon any extraneous spending this month so soon after the holidays—especially with that unfinished basement to contend with. But if you don't go somewhere (anywhere!) you may lose your mind—and no one wants Mom or Dad to lose it. Ahead are some expert tips for finding deals on winter or spring travel, even at the last minute, so you can skip town when that cabin fever hits and not worry about it wiping out your savings.

Booking a last-minute getaway doesn't have to mean paying premium prices. Just a quick search on sites like Travel Zoo or Groupon will show all the immediate deals. Sites like these are where you can grab show tickets, hotel deals and even flights for up to—and even less than—half the price.

Last-minute discount sites are also a great place to get ideas for where to go. For example, a recent search found that a spring trip to Ireland costs about $999 per person (kids' pricing is separate), which includes airfare, a three-bedroom villa and a rental car. Winter would be even cheaper, thanks to off-season pricing.

RELATED: How to Take a Cheap Family Trip to Canada

When looking for deals on places to stay, go to sites like HomeAway, Kid & Coe or even Booking.com. When you find a place that you like, don't be afraid to negotiate with the owners. Rentals sit unused all the time. It's worth the owner's time to work with your budget, since they would otherwise make zilch. Focus on asking for lower nightly rates and keep in mind that things like housekeeping might not be negotiable since the owner has to pay the cleaning crew after your visit either way. Tell them what you can afford and see what the owners come back with.

Image via Kid and Coe

If you're looking to stay in a hotel, download the Hotel Tonight app. It will let you know which hotels have availability and how much the rooms are going for. Always remember that, just like rental properties, hotels don't want unsold rooms. When in doubt, call the hotel to see what sort of discount they can give you. Priceline's Name Your Price tool can also get you a cheap rate, if you are willing to take your chances on exactly which hotel you will be staying in. Keep in mind that Priceline's Name Your Price rooms are for double occupancy and your family of four might wind up with just one king bed. (If this happens, call the hotel immediately and see if they'll put you in a room with two beds instead.)

Roomer is another resource to check out, which will allow you to buy someone else's nonrefundable hotel reservation when they need to cancel their trip.

Last-minute flights can be tricky, but they aren't unheard of. Airlines don't like to fly with empty seats. Go to SkyScanner to see where you can get to on your budget. Also, the new app SkyPicker will find the cheapest route to wherever you want to go—even if it is on multiple airlines. Switching carriers mid-trip may add to your travel time and increase connections, but at least you can stay on budget.

Another pro tip: Sign up for newsletters from your favorite budget airline, which will guarantee you first word of their latest deals, suggest Katherine and Tom Temple, travel bloggers and co-creators of The Travelators.

A "glitch fare" happens when the airline accidentally publishes the wrong fare, but will still honor it. Sign up for The Flight Deal's Daily Deals—a daily email that rounds up glitch fares along with other bargain flights—so that you can sweep it up as soon as possible. In addition to glitch fares, keep "flash sales" on your radar as well. Jet Blue, for example, offers flash sales for as low as $20 each way to certain destinations.

If you can travel when people would rather be sleeping, chances are you're going to find a much better deal. And that deal will probably be sweeter if you can fly out on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, note The Travelators. Even with kids in tow, you can turn an early-morning 4 a.m. flight into an adventurous pajama party. As a bonus, being the first flight out generally means less chance of delays, too.

That said, don't forget to look into bus or train options too, which often offer discounted fares for kids. Amtrak, for example, offers free rides for children under the age of 2 and half-price fares for children between the ages of 2 and 12. Greyhound buses also offer a 20 percent discount for children under 12.

When you want to do a last-minute trip on a budget, any "hot spot" shouldn't be on your list. Instead, get creative in your research and look for places just beyond where you might want to travel, suggest The Travelators. For instance, consider spots like New Mexico, Idaho or Montana for skiing instead of the popular Rocky Mountain ski resorts. For an incredible budget-friendly beach vacation, set your sights on Central America or Colombia instead of the Caribbean; and for a charming European vacation, consider Estonia, Lithuania or Latvia over London and Paris.

Even if you don't own an RV or haven't been camping since you were a kid, there are plenty of RV and camping resorts that are far from"roughing it" while still offering a peaceful, rustic getaway. Plus, they're budget-friendly to boot. One example is Mt. Hood Village Resort just outside Portland, which offers vacation cottages, tiny houses or yurts, along with easy access to skiing and snowboarding on Mt. Hood. Or, look into Rancho Oso—a working dude ranch just outside Santa Barbara, Calif., that offers horseback riding, swimming and a plethora of hiking trails amidst its pristine 310 acres.

Photo via Mt. Hood Village Resort

There's still time to get bargain lift tickets for skiing and snowboarding, even though the best deals tend to be over the holidays. You just have to be flexible. Nighttime skiing is generally cheaper than daytime skiing. Weekday lift tickets at certain locations can also save you cash, especially if you are staying on the local mountains and not at a big destination ski resort like Keystone. But even the big names usually offer some weekday deals. Weekends will always cost you more because that's when everyone has time to ski.

Ski vacation packages are also a great way to save. Many mountains have packages that include lodging and lift tickets—some even throw in lift tickets for free if you book directly through them. Keep in mind that many 4th- and 5th-graders ski free throughout the country. You may have to be a resident of the state, but check out this option and call the mountain to find out more details.

Don't rule out your own city (or a nearby one) for a memorable getaway, note The Travelators. Not only will it save on transportation and fuel, you might be able to score some extremely last-minute deals, allowing you to splurge on a fancy hotel or on tickets to more attractions. And don't forget about indoor water parks and their often less expensive weekday rates.