I Found The Ultimate Money-Saving Hack for Your Next Vacation

Planning a family vacation can be daunting, especially for those who hate the process like I do. As much as I hate to admit it, my tendency to be a cheapskate often leads us to a less-than-ideal destination: a rundown motel outside of town, with a defunct water park.

Feel free to fact check with my wife.  Just ask about the zebra that looked like it died of "cigarette burns".

But recently I've discovered a hack that's perfect for budget-conscious travelers who have some flexibility in their travel plans. This tip might even lead you to explore destinations you've never considered before.

Google Flight Search

Step one: Head to google.com/travel/flights and make your selections:

• Number of passengers
• Round-trip/one-way
• Preferred class

For this example, we chose round-trip, economy class, for two adults and two children.

Choosing Your Departure Airport

Step two: Choose your departure airport. In this case, we selected the Quad Cities International Airport (MLI) because there's more of a chance someone will pick us up and/or drop us off.

No one wants to drive to Chicago.

Exploring Flexible Dates

Don't worry about choosing specific dates yet. Instead, click on "Explore" and then hit "Flexible Dates" to see what's available over the next six months.

Next, you can choose the duration of your trip, whether it's a weekend getaway or a two-week vacation.

Finding the Best Deal

After selecting the duration of your trip, zoom through the map to see the available options.

Using this hack, we found a round-trip flight for a family of four from MLI to Orlando for only $508. That's a steal! Alternatively, a trip to Las Vegas would cost $196 (obviously leaving the kids at home for that one)

Using Google Flight Search with flexible dates can help you find amazing deals on flights for your next vacation. So, start planning and save some money!