Fall Vacations for Black Families on a Budget

Kimberly Seals Allers, award-winning author of the Mocha Manual series of books, wants busy moms and dads to know that there is still hope for those who want to squeeze a pre-winter, pre-holiday getaway in. The former Fortune and Essence writer-turned-multicultural parenting expert has formed a partnership with Visit Orlando, the official visitors resource for tourism and travel. Seales stopped by rolling out’s headquarters recently and spoke with us about parenting, travel and making the most of your lifestyle. –roz edward

Why travel?
Travel is important, especially as a parent when you’re trying to create memories. That is something that has been very important for me with my children.

How can families travel affordably?
One thing that I encourage with getaways if budget is an issue — and it is for everyone these days — is to think about what’s in driving distance. In our community we have a long-standing tradition of driving south and to other places. … Driving is part of our culture and it’s nice to incorporate that into your vacation. I still do that with my children and when we think about our destination, we also look for places to stop and visit on the way. … Like if you’re in Atlanta, Orlando is a great drivable destination. Even for flying there [was] an amazing promotion called Second Summer and they offered great discounts on hotels and admissions to theme parks.

When can you get vacation deals?
You really have to know the timing. Sometimes when kids go back to school, in that first bit right after Labor Day, you can really find some great deals. Think about off-season like just after Labor Day, airfares go down. Orlando is an affordable destination in general, so when they run a promotion, you know that your going to get great deals.

How do you find vacation specials?
It’s really easy to find deals by using the Internet. Like Orlando’s deals are at visit Orlando.com/deals and you can see everything. My children and I had a really great vacation there, but the deals are so amazing we have to go back.

What are the best destinations for African American families?
We like the South, that’s why Orlando is such a popular destination and it’s affordable. There’s Disney, but there is also so much else to do. We actually had a Disney free vacation in Orlando, and we were just exhausted by the end of it. We did everything else, but Disney. Of course, we have also done Disney as well.

But sometimes we like to go to cities and we attach those vacations with family visits and reunions. But aside from that, the Caribbean is popular and Mexico is popular. The good thing about Mexico is that it’s dollar friendly, so when you think about travel other than the U.S., look for dollar-friendly places.

For more information, visit mochamanual.com.