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I've visited Florida 50 times – here's how I get a US family holiday for LESS than an all-inclusive in Europe

From flights to car hire - there are some outstanding deals for holidaying in Florida if you know where to look SUN SWAP I've visited Florida 50 times – here's how I get a US family holiday for LESS than an all-inclusive in Europe FLORIDA is a big destination for Brits - but family adventures stateside don't always come cheap. As return visitors to Florida, we save thousands on our family trip every year with these clever holiday hacks. It's so easy, you could do the same. Advertisement 7 Helen (pictured in Melbourne, Florida) goes to the USA multiple times a year and knows how to get there for a bargain price Credit: Helen Wright 7 Helen's children (pictured with their rental car in Cocoa Beach, Florida) loved going on a mini road trip and said they preferred it to a resort holiday in Spain Credit: Helen Wright 7 Cocoa Beach is less than an hour from Orlando and doesn't get overcrowded Credit: Getty It often easier to keep it simple and book a package holiday to Spain, but this doesn't mean it's the better - or even the cheapest option. As a travel blogger and USA expert, I have been to the SUNSHINE STATE over 50 times and you may be surprised how frugal Florida can be if you know a few tips and tricks. Advertisement People don't believe our last trip to Florida cost me £268 per person for return flights and car rental for seven days. And no, we didn't have to stuff everything in small backpacks for the journey - the price also included a suitcase each. Over the same dates, the average cost for an all-inclusive holiday in Costa Brava, Spain with a splash park and water slides was over double this price, at £850 per person. There were cheaper options in Spain, but they didn't offer much for kids to do during the day, so I knew we would end up spending extra money leaving the resort and paying for extra attractions. We saved £400 before we left the UK I got this great price by booking the basic Florida Fly Drive package with TUI. Advertisement Included in the fare, you get unlimited mileage, an intermediate-size hire car and fully inclusive insurance all in a package with your flight. The deals are always really good, with packages around £400 per person. But when I booked last minute, around two weeks before the trip, I got this even better, bargain price. I was one of the first people in the world to visit Universal's new mega theme park – one attraction took my breath away It was over £100 cheaper per person than if we flew the week after, saving £400 before we'd even left home! Flying from London Gatwick to Melbourne Airport on Florida's east coast, it's an easy nine-hour flight. Advertisement Economy prices include a 20kg suitcase in hold luggage and 10kg hand luggage to carry on board. You also get two meals on board. One is served a few hours into the flight and then you get a light lunch before landing in Melbourne. Melbourne airport is on the Atlantic coast of Florida, just below Daytona Beach and Cocoa Beach, where you can find the NASA Space Facility and Kennedy Space Center. If you plan to go to Orlando, where Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando are located, the airport is an hour away. However, the terminal is so small, we cleared customs in less than 20 minutes, which is much speedier than immigration at Orlando International Airport. 7 Helen's daughter, Isobel, playing on Cocoa beach, five minutes from their budget hotel Credit: Helen Wright Advertisement 7 Finn and Isobel loved going to Kennedy Space Centre. It was much cheaper than Disney and they got to meet a real life astronaut Credit: Helen Wright Accommodation is not included with the TUI package but since we had a car with the deal, our plan was to do a mini road trip and explore the coast. Knowing we wouldn't be spending a lot of time at the hotel, we opted for the basic Best Western chain, which is similar to our Travelodge hotels, and has different locations across the USA. This budget chain was only £85 per night. The Melbourne Florida outpost was a five minute walk to the beach and even had its own pool, gym and 24-hour reception. Plus, breakfast was included. Advertisement Even better, our room had a fridge and a microwave, so after a quick trip to the supermarket, I was able to make an easy mac and cheese or tomato pasta for lunch before a dip in the pool. My kids loved it and it saves loads of money! One evening, we had pizza at a restaurant for dinner and it was so big, there was loads left. I heated it up in the microwave the next day and it fed us all for lunch too. Swap theme parks to save money Since this was a budget holiday, we didn't plan to visit Walt Disney World on this trip. With tickets for the week over £500 per person, a trip to Orlando would have totally blown the budget. However, the brilliant Kennedy Space Center was a 20-minute drive from our hotel. This museum-theme park was only £49 per person for the day. Advertisement As well as real-life rockets, informative galleries and the opportunity to meet a real-life astronaut, there are also a few immersive attractions too. The best bit was the massive planet-themed soft play, which kept the kids entertained for hours while we enjoyed some much needed aircon. The rest of the week was spent exploring the coast, playing on the beach and watching surfers ride the waves at Cocoa Beach. It was easy to keep the kids entertained along the busy beach path and we hardly spent any money. The £7 body board from Walmart was a hit. I even got time to sunbathe and read my book. Advertisement Better still, both kids said it was their favourite holiday yet. For dinner most days, we grabbed a quick bite at one of the many beach bars. 7 Cocoa Beach has lively beach bars and cafes along the sea front Credit: Alamy 7 Melbourne Florida, where TUI flies to, is not overcrowded and has a beautiful beach Credit: Getty Kids' meals were massive and only £7 each. My children, who are eight and five, were easily able to share. Advertisement Adult meals, such as freshly-caught snapper and rice, or a burger and chips at Grills Seafood that has views of the rocket launches, were around £15 each. There is no shortage of Happy Hour cocktails at bars like Coconuts on the Beach, where a Margarita is only £8. Since our hotel had a fridge, we were fully stocked with cold drinks and fresh fruit and we bought a cheap cooler for the car to take along to the beach. We even went bowling one night and that was only £26 for the whole family to play. Overall, our week's holiday to Florida was a brilliant budget trip. We spent around £3000, around £750 per person. Advertisement The all-inclusive to Spain was more expensive, at £858 per person - and that was before extra activities, such as amusement arcades and water parks. Plus, our Florida trip felt like a little adventure. The kids loved having a car and getting to experience a mini road trip along the coast. We also got to spend quality together as a family, instead of the kids disappearing into the kids club every day. It was so good, I'm already searching for another irresistible deal so I can go back.