Top 10 free days out for the kids this summer – including restaurants and theme parks
SCHOOL’S out for summer. And that means six long weeks to keep the kids busy.
Parents spend an average of £635 entertaining their children over the long break, according to a new study.
But be clever with your cash and you can do it for a lot less.
Here are our top ten free days out.
1. BOOK kids aged seven to 14 on a free “swim safe” session with Swim England and the RNLI. See swimsafe.org.uk.
2. VISIT a free museum or art gallery. Cardiff’s popular St Fagans National Museum of History was the best-rated free attraction in a recent survey by Which?.
This was followed by the National Railway Museum in York and the Royal Air Force Museum in Cosford, Shrops. Check the list at tinyurl.com/4r6c457v.
3. ANYONE for tennis? If the kids loved Wimbledon, serve up an ace day out at tennisforfree.com.
4. UNLOCK super-sized savings and freebies, including trips to zoos, theme parks and cinemas.
Sign up to Hungry Horse emails and get three months’ free membership with its Kids Pass.
It offers up to 57 per cent off theme parks including Drayton Manor, Staffs; Blackpool Pleasure Beach; and Flamingo Land, North Yorks; plus mega-deals at Go Ape, Clip ’N Climb, Zip world and many more.
You can also cut the cost of cinema tickets at Odeon and Vue by 40 per cent and snip 30 per cent off entry to zoos and safaris including West Midlands Safari, Edinburgh Zoo, and Twycross Zoo.
See hungryhorsesavings.co.uk. The offer ends September 3.
5. ON National Play Day on August 2 there will be a huge programme of free events running across the country. Find out more at playday.org.uk.
6. FIND a free festival. Search the Eventbrite website for one near you or check out the list at moneysavingexpert.com/deals/free-uk-festivals.
7. IF your kids love animals, find out about free workshops at your local Pets At Home store. Search online at community. petsathome.com.
8. MAKE the most of kids-eat-free deals at many of the big chains, from Ikea to Bill’s restaurants. Find your closest one at moneysavingcentral.co.uk/kids-eat-free.
9. CHECK out what’s happening at your local library and sign up for access to free books, DVDs and online reads all year round.
10. GRAB a tasty freebie with your weekly shop.
Heinz is offering families free days on thousands of activities including theme parks, bowling, go-karting and trampolining with special packs of Heinz Meals and Heinz Sauces.
Find out more at dayzout.heinz.co.uk.
SAVE £££s ON YOUR GETAWAY
GOING away? Here’s how to keep your holiday costs under control.
- Driving to your destination? Find the most affordable fuel at petrol prices.com. Travelling by train? Visit splitticketing.com to get the best-value fares for each leg of your journey.
- Look for local deals. Pick up the area’s newspaper or search social media for deals from local attractions, shops and restaurants.
- Take a home-made packed lunch on days out to avoid the cost of eating out.
- Consider a home swap so you can stay somewhere for free. See lovehomeswap.com.
- Hungry family? Look for all-inclusive holidays to keep the kids fed and your budget under control.
- Print out your boarding passes before you travel. If your phone runs out of battery, you’ll save on any reissue fee at the port or airport.
- Paying by card or taking out money at the cashpoint overseas? It’s always cheaper to choose the local currency option.
- Buy your travel money in advance because the exchange rate will be much better than if you wait until getting to the airport to do it.