• We've spent a lot of money on activities and add-ons to keep our kids entertained on vacation.
• So, for a recent family trip to Los Angeles, we prioritized free activities and limited spending.
• We found a lot of fun things to do that cost us nothing and we still had a great trip together.

In April, my husband and I took our 4 and 6-year-olds to Los Angeles for a beach vacation.

We love traveling as a family, but sometimes it feels like a struggle to keep our kids entertained due to their short attention spans.

On previous trips, we've ended up spending more money than we planned trying to keep them busy. Trip after trip, my husband and I found ourselves stressed after buying tickets to play places and museums, only to have our kids want to leave 20 minutes later.

This time, we prioritized free experiences, and it made our trip more enjoyable and changed the way we plan to travel going forward.

We chose accommodations with amenities we knew we would use

On our trip to Los Angeles, we kept our readjusted priorities in mind when choosing accommodations.

Most of the time, we book vacation rental properties for the extra space and home-like conveniences, but this time, we ditched the separate bedrooms in favor of access to complimentary amenities.

Since beach activities were central to our trip, we looked for locations with easy beach access in walkable neighborhoods to limit our driving time.

We chose the Sandbourne Santa Monica (a Marriott property), which offered everything we needed, including a heated pool for afternoon swims; direct beach access; free towels, beach chairs, and umbrellas; and easy walking distance to restaurants and the Santa Monica Pier.

I researched free things to do in advance

Before our trip, I spent some time searching the internet and social media for no-cost activities in the Los Angeles area.

I knew the beach would be free, but I was struck by how many museums and outdoor activities were available to access at no cost.

At home in Denver, we have memberships to our local zoo, botanic garden, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Something I tend to forget about is that most of these memberships come with reciprocal benefits in other cities.

A quick search confirmed that we could access several museums and botanical gardens for free, including the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Given my kids' love of art, we chose another no-cost museum — the Getty.

We minimized extra spending by sticking to our plans

On our most recent trip, we kept our plans simple and maintained a similar schedule each day. In the mornings, we did an activity away from the hotel.

For us, that included visiting the Getty, walking around the Santa Monica Pier, and visiting the UCLA Mathias Botanic Garden. In the afternoons, we spent time at the beach, followed by swimming in the hotel pool.

The second morning, we walked to the Santa Monica Pier to take in the sights and enjoy an early lunch. Before we got to the pier, my kids could see the iconic Ferris wheel, towering over the dozen or so other rides along the boardwalk.

My 6-year-old asked if we could ride the roller coaster, something not on our agenda. In the past, we might have said yes despite the $14-per-ride price tag, but this time we stuck to our plans.

Rather than spending more money on a few minutes of thrills, we reminded our kids that we had an afternoon of beach fun ahead of us and that we could go on amusement rides another time.

After splashing in the surf, any disappointment was long forgotten.

Prioritizing no-cost activities reduced our stress and helped us connect

I don't mind purchasing tickets for experiences I know my family will enjoy, but prioritizing free activities made several things very clear.

Firstly, I felt no guilt or frustration when my kids wanted to end an activity early. The Getty, for example, involved a lot of walking and quiet observation of art, which can be hard for young kids. Knowing the museum didn't cost us anything made it much easier to leave when our kids wanted to.

Something else that became clear is that we don't need to spend money to connect and make memories as a family.

Playing with our kids in the surf or talking about life as we strolled along the pier felt more meaningful than spending money trying to fill every moment with activities.

Prioritizing free experiences helped us relax and enjoy the local scene in a new way, and I plan to do it again. That isn't to say we won't pay for activities in the future, but this trip taught me that free doesn't mean less; in many ways, it feels like a lot more.