When the kids were little you probably didn't mind sharing a hotel room too much. Two double beds seemed like plenty. But now that they are a bit older, that one hotel room is going to seem a bit cramped. one solution you might not have thought of is to rent a timeshare. Timeshare rentals don't have to be that expensive and they can help you enjoy your family vacation without everyone being too cramped and close together.

For me, one of the big advantages of a timeshare over renting multiple hotel rooms is that everyone is under one roof, so to speak. My kids are in their early teens and I'm not quite comfortable leaving them unsupervised. My husband and I prefer not to have to split ourselves up on vacation so one of us is sleeping on one room, and the other is sleeping in the room next door.

What I've discovered is that by hunting around, I can usually get a better deal on a 2 bedroom timeshare than I would get for the same number of beds in hotels. Plus it gives everyone room to spread out. There's a living room to watch tv in, so those who turn in early don't get disturbed, and that makes for a decent amount of privacy too.

Also, most of the time I make sure there's a washer & dryer in the unit, as well as a full kitchen. While we still eat out on vacation, we eat breakfast in the timeshare and have the fridge fully stocked with snacks, soda, water and lunch supplies. Having a washer and dryer means we don't have to pack too much for the trip. Now that most of the airlines are charging for checked baggage, this can make a fair difference in how much the trip costs. Multiply $10 or $20 per bag for a family of five and you will see it adds up.