Is it really possible to visit Banff and Jasper on a budget? How did we visit the Canadian Rockies on a budget? Let me start off by saying that when we travel on a budget, we are able to travel more often so I am ALL up for it! To be honest with you, travelling with children can quickly add up. Factoring in flights, meals, snacks and activities, before you know it, you are already way over budget.
This is where you need to decide where you would like to splurge. Some like to splurge on flights, some like to splurge on meals, some like to splurge on activities while some splurge on accommodations. Let me break this down for you!
If you are planning to drive from Jasper to Banff on the Icefield’s Parkway, make sure your read our Ultimate Road Trip Guide. We share information on the best time to visit, about the drive and where to stop along the way.
So how did we visit Banff and Jasper on a budget?
- Flights
There are so many factors that play a role in deciding the price of your flight. Typically, overnight flights are cheaper – something we do not do with the girls. A nonstop flight can cost more than one with a layover. Nonstop flights to Banff were twice the amount than a flight with a layover. We did not mind the layover because it gave the girls time to run around and burn off their energy. We are more than happy with the economy seats. If this is where you want to splurge, you can choose to upgrade to better seats. With economy seats, you cannot pick your seats in advance but they will never assign you a seat away from your child. During our flight to Banff, we were seated on two different rows but each of the girls had one of us with them. - Meals
One of the most expensive part of a trip is eating out for each meal. The girls definitely do not eat well when they have to eat out all day. For us, splurging on food is pointless. The girls can barely sit still through a dinner at home let alone a restaurant. We need quick and easy meals that they can pick on throughout the day. Keep reading to see what we do for this! - Activities
We make a list of activities we absolutely want to do and we involve the girls in the planning process. By no means do we do all the activities that a destination has to offer. This can quickly exhaust them and not budget friendly when you are trying to travel to Banff and Jasper on a budget! We try to plan one each day and also take some break days in the middle.
If you would like to read what activities we chose to do, Click Here. Playgrounds are a must on our trips – this keeps them excited throughout the day. Banff and Jasper are part of Parks Canada. Unless you have a Parks Canada pass, you will have to pay for parking at Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Johnston Canyon, etc. You can either purchase a pass at one of the offices when you enter a park or you can purchase an annual pass. The annual Discovery Pass gives you unlimited access to any of the National Parks in Canada. Click Here to check the price for a Discovery Pass and the various options available. - Accommodations
When we visit a new place, we are barely in the room. Our days are packed with activities, adventures and sight seeing. The girls nap in the car, they eat in the car and we go to the room literally just to sleep at night. That being said, we try to find very reasonable accommodations for this exact reason. When we visited Banff and Jasper, we knew our days would be packed with sightseeing. But I also knew that I wanted to stay at least one night on one of those majestic blue lakes and those hotels are quite expensive.
To be honest, Banff and Jasper are pricey destinations and the cheapest options for hotels are also quite expensive! What we did instead was stayed at reasonably priced accommodations in Banff and Jasper but splurged to stay one night on Emerald Lake. We did not do any activities when we stayed at the Lodge and spend every minute on the gorgeous Lake!
How can you make a trip budget friendly?
In addition to these, here are a few things we absolutely swear by and those that keep our spending’s in check:
- Accommodations with a kitchen
Before kids, we never bothered to check if our hotel room or Airbnb had a kitchen. Now, we do not book accommodations without at least a microwave and a fridge. Not only does this save money, but also there is always food for the girls no matter what time. If the room does not have a kettle, we sometimes take one with us. It is a great way to boil eggs or even pasta! - Grocery shopping
Yes, you read that right. When we land at our destination, the first thing we do is find a grocery store. The girls wake up early and the first thing they need is breakfast! Our grocery run includes – fresh fruits, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, bread, butter, some boxed kids lunches, processed meat and snacks as soon as we land. We feed them breakfast before we leave and pack a light lunch for all 4 of us to eat on the road. We also take tons of Nescafe coffee sashes with us. These packets have milk powder and sugar pre mixed and there is nothing like starting our day with some hot coffee filled in our thermos for the day. - What we pack
We often take pre-mixed food items we know the girls will absolutely eat. Amarra needs an Indian food fix from time to time and we mix rice grains and lentils in individual Ziploc bags to take with us. We also make it a point to eat Indian food every few days because I know they will eat to their hearts content. We order extra rice and daal so we can feed it to them the next day as well. - Save on extra baggage
Some airlines ask you to pay for each bag you check in. This can get quite expensive if you plan to pack every single thing your child will need during the trip. Our tip: If your child is in diapers, pack enough for the first few days and then pick some up during your grocery store haul. Also, every hotel will have a laundry facility. Pack light but enough to weather through any time of the day and do a load of laundry at least once.
TIP: Banff and Jasper can get very chilly in the morning and evenings. The weather showed 29-31 degree days and I packed tons of shorts for them but only three pairs of full pants. The only thing they wore was full pants. If you are planning a trip to Banff and Jasper, make sure you take more warm clothes because the weather fluctuates at least 15 degrees everyday.
If you are planning a trip to Banff and Jasper, consider visiting Yoho National Park for a day or two. While think park is NOT located in Alberta, you will be surprised by how close it is. This park is a must visit and you can find ALL the information you may need to play this trip on here.
Where we stayed:
Banff – Hidden Ridge Resort for 3 nights
Jasper – Château Jasper for 2 nights
Emerald Lake – Emerald Lake Lodge for 1 night
Calgary – Hyatt Place Calgary Airport for 1 night
Final thoughts
All in all, there are many ways to save even on a trip to Banff and Jasper. What I have listed is ways we save on trips and what works for us to stay close to our budget. I understand every family and their needs are different so use whichever tips apply to you and tweak others to fit into your families needs.
I’ve heard that going to Banff and Jasper on a budget is almost impossible but here we are! We spend 8 days and stayed at Banff, Jasper and Emerald Lake. Our family of 4 paid $5800 CAD for this trip. This includes park n fly, flights, extra baggage costs, car rentals, accommodations, Discover Pass, meals, groceries, activities, gas, souvenirs and even Tim Horton’s! This was our expense from the time we left home till the time we came back home. We did go during the peak time and August is an expensive month to visit.
If you have any questions about Banff, Jasper and Emerald Lake or even visiting Banff and Jasper on a budget please ask in the comments below or reach out on social media. I would also love to hear if you travel on a budget and if so, where do you save?
