Gavin, Meet Mickey Mouse

It's official, Gavin's going to Disney! I just bought plane tickets for a whirlwind Florida weekend trip before Christmas. The two of us will join my dad for four days in the sun, visiting my grandparents, aunt and cousins, and, of course, a day at the happiest place on earth.

Thankfully, the trip is extremely affordable, costing us about the same as if we spent a long weekend in the Cities. Crazy cheap direct flights from Allegiant Air (it's sort of like riding on a budget senior citizen bus tour, but I can deal), generous stays with family, a deal on a rental car (thanks, Dad) and free access to Disney means we'll have a great and affordable trip.

I already did this once, with Natalie two years ago, and had a wonderful time. My sister is looking at a similar option in a couple years with Ansley. You can't go wrong!

Here's the scoop:

1. Allegiant tickets are very cheap, but stay away from the zillions of extra charges they can tack on. Yes, we could end up at the back of the plane again, but shoot, it's only for a couple hours.

2. Don't check anything. We'll won't be checking any baggage and we'll double-check that our carry-on luggage is small enough to pass. Each person can take a carry-on and a purse/diaper bag/etc. That's a serious amount of packing space. Each paying passenger can also take a stroller or car seat for free. (Read: we'll be taking both and could add a third if we needed it.)

3. Save on Disney tickets. We're going to Disney's Animal Kingdom free ($180 savings.) Kids are free until they turn three. I took Natalie to Magic Kingdom a month before she turned three and it was wonderful. She was old enough to really "get" it, but we saved some serious money. Now it's Gavin's turn. I'll be getting in free thanks to Disney's Give a Day, Get a Day program they ran earlier this year. By registering online and donating a few hours of service locally, I earned a free day pass. (I know, you don't really get the warm fuzzies of service learning from such a self-centered project, but I decided the benefits outweighed the shame in this particular case.)

4. Stay with friends or family, if possible. I owe big hugs and thank-yous to my grandparents, whom we'll stay with during our trip. It's wonderful to see them and they're generous to open their home to us. It doesn't get any better.

Any other suggestions for affordable travel?