SoFi

Planning your next getaway? For many people, especially families with kids, amusement parks and adventure parks are high on the list of popular travel destinations. Whether it’s Disney, Universal, Six Flags, Cedar Point, or any number of other parks, you’re likely to have an amazing time twirling, swooping, spinning, and splashing through the rides.

Because many of the biggest amusement and adventure parks are very popular (and expensive), it can take a bit of planning if you want to maximize your fun given the crowds and costs you can encounter. That’s where some vacation strategy comes into play.

Here, you’ll learn the smart tricks and tips that can help you make epic memories when visiting adventure and amusement parks.

Best Times to Visit to Avoid Crowds

If you love big roller coasters, water rides, haunted houses, and other heart-pumping rides, you are not alone. Lots and lots of people head to the parks in a typical year. For instance, the most popular theme park of 2022, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida, welcomed more than 17 million visitors.

This means that many of the most beloved adventure parks can get quite crowded. If you are trying to book summer travel, schedule a spring break vacation, or travel over a holiday weekend, expect that many other people are also trying to visit a theme park at those same popular times.

While there may never be a time when there aren’t any crowds at some of the larger amusement parks, traveling midweek or during the offseason may help you avoid some of the crowds.

5 Tips for Making the Most of Your Amusement Park Trip

Here are a few of top tips for getting the most out of your amusement park trip:

1. Go Early

One of the best budget-friendly travel tips is to get to the park early. In many parks, crowds tend to only get bigger as the day goes on. If you’re there right as the park opens, you may be able to minimize the lines for rides and do more during your time at the park. Starting your day early may help keep you out of the sun with lower overall temperatures.

2. Prioritize Your Top Rides First

Along those same lines, you’ll want to take a look at the top rides that are most important to you. Prioritize riding those early in the day; you will likely avoid the disappointment of showing up midafternoon and discovering an incredibly long wait.

Most amusement parks have one or two new or really popular rides that generate the biggest crowds. Or perhaps it’s a forever favorite, like Space Mountain at Disney or the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal. Lines for these rides tend to only increase as the day goes by, so if you want to ride, make a beeline for those attractions.

3. Make Reservations for Meals

Many restaurants at large amusement and adventure parks work on a reservation system. That means that you can’t just show up to the restaurant at noon and expect a table. Instead, you could wind up wandering around in a hangry state, unable to find what you want to eat.

You might be able to make reservations through the park’s mobile app. Another option: You can often stop by the restaurant earlier in the day to make a reservation for when you want to eat.

4. Bring the Right Gear

It can be smart to bring the right gear when you go to a large amusement park. This could include things like sunscreen, water, umbrellas, and/or ponchos. It may be difficult, costly or impossible to get some of these essentials inside the park.

If you’re traveling with infants, toddlers or young children, you want to make sure that you have all the essentials for them as well. Check your park’s policy on strollers and other large bags to make sure you’re not turned away at the entrance.

On the topic of planning ahead: When booking a trip to a park, you may want to consider getting travel insurance to protect your investment in your vacation. You may be covered by credit card travel insurance or want to buy a separate premium.

5. Pace Yourself

While it can be tempting to turn your day at an amusement park into a marathon, it’s wise to be flexible about how long you spend at a park. If you get there when the park opens, don’t feel that you have to stay there the whole day. If you do, make sure that you take frequent breaks so you don’t wear yourself (or your family) out and can get hydrated and oriented, especially if you’ve been doing a lot of spinning rides.

If your schedule allows and your park permits it, consider leaving the park during the hottest part of the day, going back to your hotel to relax, and then returning for the evening. Many small kids really enjoy this kind of pace, with pool time or a nap in the afternoon.

How to Help Young Kids Have a Good Time

Amusement park trips can be wonderful for young kids…or something significantly less than that.

Recognize that many parks are loud, crowded, and have lots of exposure to the elements (sun, humidity, rain, etc.). Waiting in line isn’t easy for little ones, nor is walking from one end of a park to the other. All of this can lead to kids being hungry, tired, and cranky.

Some advice to make the most of your visit to a park:

•  It can be wise to prioritize the kids’ top choice in terms of rides. This should help minimize aimless wandering and disappointment over missing their favorite rides.

•  Make sure that you have snacks and drinks on hand for them. Take frequent breaks to rest and refresh. Bringing your own food can also be a way families can afford to travel.

•  Acquaint yourself with where bathrooms are as soon as you enter the park.

•  Explain height requirements to kids, and figure out beforehand which rides they can go on so you don’t wait in line and then get turned away.

•  Also, many kids go a little souvenir-crazy while at the parks. It can be wise to set a budget in advance and help them understand how much they have to spend and that once it’s gone, it’s gone! That may help them spend wisely on souvenirs they won’t regret buying.

Ways to Save Money on Your Theme Park Visit

While many large theme parks are quite expensive, there are a few ways that you can save money on your visit.

•  Look for discounted tickets, either through a big box store, online deal, or at a travel agency. You can also look at staying at a hotel that is affiliated with the park which may reduce or eliminate park admission fees; while these accommodations may be pricier than other rooms, the bonus free park access could wind up making it a way to be a frugal traveler.

•  Don’t forget to see if you can use credit card rewards to buy down the price of your trip.

•  Bring your own snacks to the parks, including drinks (avoid glass bottles as some parks don’t allow them inside). Bottled sodas and water can be $5 or more at some of the most popular parks.

•  Also know that many theme park restaurants and snack stops will give you a free cup of ice water upon request.

•  If you do eat at the parks, consider sharing a meal. Portions as well as the price tag can be hefty.

•  See if you can snag discounts with memberships like those at AAA or Costco. Those can sometimes lower everything from hotel prices to car rental costs.

Recommended: Ways to Save Money on a Disney World Vacation

The Takeaway

Many large amusement or adventure parks are magnets for family travel, but they can also be quite expensive and crowded. Consider traveling in the off-season, arriving at the park early, and taking frequent rest breaks throughout the day as a few strategies to maximize your enjoyment at the park. Also bring some key supplies (sunblock, water, snacks) before you hit the parks.

SoFi Travel is a new service offered exclusively to SoFi members. Earn 2x rewards when booking with your SoFi Mastercard or debit card. Then apply those rewards to your next trip when you book through our travel portal. SoFi makes planning a getaway fast, easy, and convenient — perfect for people on the move.

FAQ

How do you beat the lines at an amusement park?

A couple of the best strategies to beat long lines at an amusement park: Travel during a less-crowded time of year, arrive at the park as early in the day as possible, and make sure to prioritize the most popular rides early in the day.

Are adventure park rides safe?

Many adventure park rides are regularly inspected, either by the park itself or certain independent or government inspectors. While amusement park ride injuries are rare, they do happen. You’ll want to do your own research to decide what parks and what rides you feel comfortable with.

What should I bring to a theme park?

Basics like water, snacks, sunscreen, and appropriate rain gear are good things to bring to a theme park. If you have young children, you’ll want to make sure that you have all the supplies that they will need as well.

Photo credit: iStock/wundervisuals

Saving for kids’ college expenses can be a massive undertaking, but a critically important one. If you’re a parent, you’ve probably heard the mantra that education is the key to a successful future for your child. You’re also likely aware that college isn’t cheap, and it isn’t getting cheaper.

The escalating costs of college may have you worried about how to pay for higher education. You’re smart to think about how to start saving for college, even if your kids are still young. If you truly want to give your child the gift of a college education and free them from overwhelming student debt, the time to plan is now.

When to Start Saving for Your Kids’ College Tuition

Generally speaking, the sooner you can start saving for your kids’ college fund or overall education, the better. Tuition, even at in-state public schools (which tend to be the least-expensive options for many people) are already in the four and five-figures territory, depending on where you live. And, as noted, it’s unlikely that costs are going to decrease in any meaningful way in the near future.

For parents who paid for college using student loans, emphasizing saving for their children’s college expenses may be a no-brainer. Those parents may benefit from looking through a student loan refinancing guide, too, to see if they can free up space in their budget to increase their capacity for saving – more on that in a minute.

Yes, there are schools that offer free tuition, but it’s probably best to plan on paying for attendance – you never know what could happen going forward.

With that in mind, it’s never too early to start socking away money for your children’s education. Getting a head start gives your money more time to grow over the long term and to rebound after any dips.

It also means you can recalibrate if your child seems to be on track for scholarships related to sports or academic achievements, or if your child decides to forgo college. Keep in mind that the money you save will generally affect the financial aid package your child qualifies for.

Before you launch a college savings plan for your kids, it’s best to have your other financial ducks in a row. You might first focus on paying off any credit card balances or other high-interest debt. Then you might want to make sure you’ve paid off your own student loans (or looked at student loan refinancing, at least) and saved an emergency fund (generally three to six months’ worth of living expenses), and are on track in terms of saving for retirement.

After all, your child always has the option to take out student loans, but you can’t rely on that to pay for a crisis or retirement. You wouldn’t want to have saved for your kids’ college only to burden them with your living expenses after you retire because you haven’t built a nest egg.

Again, if you’re still grappling with your own student loan debts, you can experiment with a student loan refinance calculator to see if refinancing can make it easier to pay it off, and put you in a better position to start saving for your child’s education.

The Best Ways to Save for Child’s College

If you’re ready to start saving for higher education, you may be tempted to keep that cash reserve in a savings account. While it might seem like that would protect your funds from market ups and downs, you might actually be losing money.

That’s because even accounts with the best interest rates aren’t keeping up with the pace of inflation. Especially if your child won’t be going to college for a while, investing your savings is a way you might see your money grow. Keep in mind that investments can lose money.

It’s also worth mentioning, again, that many parents may still be struggling with their own student loan debts. As such, it’s worth asking: should you refinance your student loans? It’s worth considering, at the very least, or speaking with a financial professional about if you think it may help you save for your child’s college expenses.

Here are some of the best ways to save for a child’s college:

529 Plans

A 529 plan, also known as a “qualified tuition plan,” allows you to save for education costs while taking advantage of tax benefits (the plan is named after the section of the Internal Revenue Code that governs it). 529 plans break down into two categories: educational savings plans and prepaid tuition plans.

Educational savings plans, which are sponsored by states, allow you to open an investment account for your child, who can use the money for tuition, fees, room and board, and other qualifying expenses at any college or university. You can also use up to $10,000 a year to pay for schooling costs before college.

You can invest the money in a variety of assets, including mutual funds or target-date funds based on when you expect your child to go to college. The specific tax benefit depends on your state and plan. Generally, you contribute after-tax money, your earnings grow tax-free, and you can withdraw the money for qualified expenses without paying taxes or penalties. If you withdraw money for anything else, you’ll pay a 10% tax penalty on earnings.

Not all states offer tax benefits, so be sure to look into this when choosing your plan.

💡 Quick Tip: All investments come with some degree of risk — and some are riskier than others. Before investing online, decide on your investment goals and how much risk you want to take.


Prepaid tuition plans, as you may expect, allow you to prepay tuition and fees at a college at current prices. These plans are only available at certain universities, usually public institutions, and often require you to live in the same state. A prepaid tuition plan can save you a lot of money, given how much college costs are increasing each year.

Depending on the state and the 529 plan, you may be able to deduct contributions from state income tax. However, if your prepaid tuition plan isn’t guaranteed by the state, you might lose money if the institution runs into financial trouble. You also run the risk that your child will choose to go to a school that’s outside the area covered by the plan.

Coverdell Education Savings Account

Like a 529 educational savings plan, a Coverdell ESA allows you to set up a savings account for someone under age 18 to pay for qualified education expenses. The money can be invested in a variety of stocks, bonds, or other assets, and grows tax-free.

Your contributions are not tax-deductible, and the plan is only available to people who earn under a certain income threshold.

When your child withdraws the funds for qualified educational expenses, they won’t pay taxes on it. The money can also pay for elementary or secondary education. But note that you can only contribute $2,000 per year to a Coverdell ESA per beneficiary.

UGMA and UTMA Accounts

You can open a Uniform Gifts to Minors Act or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act account on behalf of a beneficiary under 18, and all the assets in it will transfer to the minor when he or she becomes an adult (at age 18 to 25, depending on the state).

Young adults are able to use the funds for anything they want. That means they won’t be limited to qualified education expenses. Another plus is that you can contribute as much as you want. The downside is that there are no tax benefits when contributions are made. Earnings are taxable.

A custodial account is an irrevocable gift to the minor named as the beneficiary, who receives legal control of the account at the age of majority.

The Takeaway

Given the increasing costs of higher education, parents are smart to save for a child’s college early and often. But rather than keep the money in a savings account, they’d likely benefit by choosing an option that lets their money grow.

The more popular routes for doing so often involve 529 Plans, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, and UGMA and UTMA accounts. But you’ll need to do some thinking and research before deciding on the right strategy and accounts for you and your child. Just remember: The sooner you start saving, the better — generally speaking.

Ready to invest in your goals? It’s easy to get started when you open an investment account with SoFi Invest. You can invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, alternative funds, and more. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).