Affording Adoption

Affording adoption travel - Need help with expenses?

We asked our AF reader panel to share tips for saving on travel, which is often the biggest adoption expense, given multiple or extended trips to a destination, domestic or international. Here are your suggestions:

• Ask airlines and hotels about discounts. “When booking our flight, we told the ticket agent that we would be flying back with a baby we were adopting, and got half off the ticket for our daughter,” says Cecy, of Ohio. “While in Nevada, I explained to a hotel manager that we had to stay until the state released us to take our daughter home, and this could be 10 days or more. They discounted our room for the entire stay.”
• Look into local accommodations. “If you’re traveling overseas, stay at a small bed and breakfast or guest house. Many parents stay at ‘Western’ hotels, which are nice, but pricey,” says Samantha, of North Carolina. “B&Bs are often cheaper, and you’ll see more local culture.
• Experience the country you are in—don’t pick up your child and go home."
  Limit the number of travelers. Melissa, of Illinois, says, “My husband and I traveled alone, leaving our sons with relatives, to save on the cost of tickets.”