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With the June school holidays coming up, families in Singapore will no doubt be making plans to travel overseas.
One problem for larger families, with three or more kids, is that you quickly learn the world is not designed for you. Costs don’t just rise proportionally. Instead, it spirals into diseconomies of scale, where more people means higher per-person costs and logistical challenges that only large families truly understand.
#1 Hotel Rooms and Accommodation: You’ll Rarely Fit Into One Room
Most hotel rooms designed with families in mind have space for a king-sized bed and two smaller single beds. If you’re travelling with three older children who cannot share a bed, then you are limited to hotels with rooms large enough to fit everyone comfortably. Or, you may have to book two adjoining rooms.
Take for example, a popular holiday destination like Tokyo, Japan. Browsing the number of hotels that can accommodate two adults and three children in one room shows how limited your choices will be.
Just look at how the options shrink on popular travel site, Agoda, when the search is adjusted from two adults and two children to two adults and three children.
Screenshots from Agoda. Travel dates, destination, budget, and other filters are kept constant.
Based on the screenshots, your hotel options inside the city centre drop from 70 to just 13 for larger families. Similarly, options within 2 km of the centre fall from 49 to 17. With fewer practical choices, you may potentially end up paying much more or staying farther out—incurring higher transport costs and longer travel times.
Looking at some of the choices, even when the hotel can accommodate families with three children, the difference in prices skyrocket when a third child is added.
In the example shown below, the rate jumps by 67%, from $1,250 to $2,088 in the first option below, despite no change in other criteria.
Screenshots obtained from Agoda.
Money saving tips for large families: Since larger families often pay much more even for the same hotel, it’s important to review the accommodation details before booking. Some hotels may charge extra for an additional guest and bed, require booking two rooms, or impose age limits for children sharing a bed — all of which can lead to unexpected costs at check-in.
Find out where the nearest train stations are, if there is a supermarket for last-minute childcare needs, and if the hotel provides laundry services. There may also be little benefit to “saving some money” on cheaper accommodations if travel logistics and childcare amenities end up giving you more stress.
Read Also: Step-By-Step Guide to Getting And Using A YouTrip Card For Your Next Holiday Or Shopping Online
#2 Taxis and Hotel Transfers: More People = More Luggage = More Costs
Travelling with young children often means juggling more than just your usual luggage — whether it’s a stroller, diaper bag, or a stash of kid-friendly essentials to keep everyone calm and occupied. Fitting everyone and everything into a standard Uber or Grab isn’t always possible, which makes it important to plan your airport transfers in advance. You will likely need to book a larger cab or even private van.
For example, you can see the cost difference when booking a vehicle to get from the airport into the city of Melbourne below. For the same distance, a family of four with four pieces of luggage (oversized items like strollers are counted as two pieces of luggage) will need to pay $82.29 while a family of five with five pieces of luggage will need to hire a bigger vehicle at $158.75 or $76.46 more, almost twice the price.
Screenshots obtained from Klook.
Money saving tips for large families: Hotel transfers may seem like a small detail, but when you’re exhausted after flying over seven hours with the kids or rushing to check in for your flights to come back home, it could make all the difference. Book the service in advance so that you get the vehicle model you need, when you need it. This will save you from paying extra on airport transfers should you need to make a last-minute booking, either for a larger vehicle or for multiple cars.
#3 Rental Cars: Car Seats, Limited Space & Upgraded Costs
Besides going off the beaten track to explore places mainly accessible by car, having a personal vehicle gives you flexibility in travelling from one place to another. Especially for large families making a multi-city trip, you can start whenever it’s convenient and make as many pitstops as you want.
There will be extra costs when you’re travelling with young children who need car seats. Let’s assume with three children, you’ll likely need to ensure there is sufficient space for both car seats and your older kids. Factor in your luggage, and suddenly you’re upgrading to a 9-seater van instead of the 7-seater you expected.
Just like Singapore, car seat laws for children are strict in many places around the world. In popular destinations like Australia, for example, children up to seven years old need some type of car seat, while in Malaysia, children below 12 years old need car seats. Renting those seats comes with additional charges.
In the screenshot below, you can see how car seat rental is about 265 MYR per seat with tax.
Screenshot obtained from Hertz
If you need to rent two child seats, that will increase your rental vehicle costs by almost 25%.
Screenshot obtained from Hertz
Money saving tips for large families: Consider the financial pros and cons of renting a vehicle, taking note of the additional costs that come with car rentals with a larger family. These additional costs could be incurred at the beginning of your trip, like child seats. Don’t forget to account for other costs, such as toll passes, and even one-way fees if you’re not returning the car to the same location.
When booking the rental vehicle, you can choose to pay using a YouTrip card to enjoy competitive wholesale exchange rates with no transaction fees or markup.
If you’re planning a trip to Malaysia, you’ll be happy to know that YouTrip has recently introduced their Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) wallet, allowing you to exchange and lock in MYR if you decide to exchange in advance. When we checked the rate on Google, sourced from Morningstar, YouTrip’s MYR rate was highly competitive — making it a convenient and cost-effective option for regular travellers looking to optimise their exchange.
Screenshots obtained on 9 May 2025, 3:18pm Singapore time. Screenshot on left is from Youtrip app, screenshot on the right is the Google rate, sourced from Morningstar.
Start tracking the exchange rate between the Singapore dollar and the Malaysian ringgit. If the Singapore dollar is getting stronger, you’ll be able to exchange for more Malaysian ringgit than previous days, and that is when you can use YouTrip to lock in that ideal exchange rate from the convenience of your mobile phone. Alternatively, if you’re not sure what a good exchange rate is, you could also dollar-cost average over several weeks or months, so you don’t end up exchanging at the worst possible time – be it much earlier or at the last minute.
Don’t have an account yet? Sign up for YouTrip and use our exclusive code DNS5 at registration and receive a S$5 welcome credit in your YouTrip account.
#4 Eating Out: Splitting Tables & Splitting Parents
Regardless of whether you are home in Singapore or travelling overseas, when you’ve got a larger family, finding a table at a restaurant that fits everyone can be surprisingly hard, especially during peak dining hours.
In many restaurants, having a larger group means having to wait longer for a table that’s big enough. On such occasions, it may be more convenient, maybe even necessary to split the family across two tables. This means only one parent can watch the younger kids, while the other entertains the older ones. It’s not ideal, especially when you’ve been out all day and everyone’s tired and hungry.
Money saving tips for large families: If you anticipate having a tight holiday schedule, consider skipping lunch and having a heavier breakfast so that it can last you till dinner. You may want to consider packing finger food to fill any hunger pangs that may arise too.
If your accommodation has a kitchenette, consider cooking simpler meals in the comfort of your overseas stay. Not only will it be more convenient for everyone, but it may even be a fun bonding experience for the children and cheaper too!
#5 Causeway Jams: School Holidays Mean Peak Prices
Travelling with kids means you’re limited to school holiday schedules: typically, March, June, September, and December. Which also happens to be when traffic at the Causeway reaches peak insanity.
To beat the jam, some families drive up the night before and stay in a JB hotel — which not only means another night’s cost, but another night’s logistics to plan for. Others hire private transfers, so they can sit in comfort even through multi-hour queues. And of course, accommodation and attractions in Malaysia are also more expensive during these peak periods.
Money saving tips for large families: Since there’s no way to avoid paying peak travel period prices, make sure you lock in the best exchange rates ahead of the June holidays using YouTrip to help you save more over time. To make the most of your budget, try planning weekday check-ins, booking hotels early and check if any of the travel booking platforms offer any family promos for the June holidays.
Read Also: Looking To Transfer Money Overseas From Singapore? Here’s 5 Things You Need To Know
Planning a Trip to Malaysia With Your Family? Here’s How YouTrip Users Can Enjoy More Rewards Across the Causeway
From now to 17 June, YouTrip users can enjoy a range of perks that make travelling to Malaysia even more rewarding. Score exclusive cashback at selected merchants in Malaysia when you spend with YouTrip: 5% at Lotus’s, 10% at JD Sports, 5% at selected Decathlon outlets, and 5% at CARiNG Pharmacy.
Full details of the promotion, including exclusive prizes that you can win at YouTrip’s pop-up booth at Komtar Mall on 6 – 8 June can be found here. If you’re already planning a trip, it’s worth making your YouTrip card part of the journey.
