It's all well and good to entice you with exotic places to see in Coastal Florida, but to do so successfully without putting a strain on the family budget takes some planning. First and foremost, budget for your family's comfort level. If you can't afford to stay in accommodations in which everyone will be comfortable, then plan to stay fewer days, staying in hotels with amenities to your family's liking. Generally, you should plan on spending no less than $250 per day for a family of four for hotel, food, and rental car. That, of course, doesn't count the amount you'll need to spend on air or train fare, or gasoline if you're driving to Coastal Florida.

Depending on the location, good family resorts go for $150 to $250 per night. If you want to keep costs down, stay at hotels like Hampton or Comfort Inn where you'll also get a continental breakfast each morning.

Carrying Your Money

The best way to carry your money is in travelers' checks. The most widely recognized are American Express and Visa. The advantage of using the better-known checks is that they can be cashed in more places — shops, restaurants, and gas stations. Get them in $20 denominations.

If you have a Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card, you really shouldn't leave home without it. Almost all stores, most restaurants, and many services will take some kind of credit card. In addition, hotels and car rental companies will ask for a card either to establish your creditworthiness or as security, or both.

You can also use your Visa or MasterCard to withdraw cash at any bank displaying relevant stickers, or with the correct card and your Personal Identification Number (PIN), you can use an ATM machine. While you can't do this with an American Express card, you can use it and your PIN number to get travelers' checks from machines at most major airports. Using an ATM machine to get cash is safer, and at only about a dollar per transaction, it's also more economical.