I don’t know about you, but it gets costly amusing the kids during the school holidays – and depending on the size of your family, it may actually prevent you from enjoy days out during the summer. We want to help, and these tips for ways to save this summer on outings are sure to come in handy.

We also have lots of ideas for FREE things to do in Ireland, which are some of our favourite places that don’t cost a penny to visit and still offer lots of opportunities for family fun!

On selected Kelloggs cereals and snack packs you’ll find vouchers that allow grown ups to go free with the purchase of kids tickets to 40 different attractions in the UK and Ireland. The current promotion vouchers are valid until June 2022.

Don’t miss the chance to have your say! We’re looking for parents to get involved and give their feedback on all aspects of family life.

You can use your Tesco Clubcard to Boost for Vouchers towards other activities, travel and holidays.

At the time of writing, they had Dublin Zoo, the National Aquatic Centre, Aquadome, Odeon Cinemas, and Milano restaurants in their Boost Vouchers offers.

If you are an SSE Airtricity customer, you can get 20% off Dublin Zoo day visit tickets with their SSE Rewards offer. You can also get a free tea or coffee during your visit.

Sign up for emails from a venue or attraction that you want to visit as they often send special offers to subscribers. Be sure to follow their social pages for possible discounts or news about special days or off peak visits too.

Visiting the website for the attraction you plan to visit is always time well spent. You may be able to save by booking online. For example, Belvedere House, Gardens and Park offer 20% off online tickets, which is a nice saving.

The attraction may also have special days with extra discounts, offers and off-peak tickets.

Many online offer pages such as Living Social, Groupon, Quidco, gogroopie or Pigsback carry regular family days out discounts. It’s worth signing up to their emails too.

If there’s a place that your family loves to visit, have a look at their annual membership as it will save you money over the year if you go often enough.

If you are in the UK, National Trust membership gives you access to hundreds of places to visit, as well as free parking at their sites. English Heritage also offers a good annual membership option.

Dublin Zoo’s annual pass also gives you entry to Fota Wildlife Park in Cork, as well as admission to four UK zoos – Edinburgh Zoo, Colchester Zoo, Twycross Zoo and Paignton Zoo – during the 12 months.

Likewise, when you become a member of some of the UK Zoos or animal parks, you often get membership and access to other zoos. For example, joining Chester Zoo gives you one exclusive free annual entry to 7 other zoos: Bristol Zoo, Colchester Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, Newquay Zoo, Marwell Zoo, Paignton Zoo and Twycross Zoo.

Consider the savings of a family ticket if going with a friend, rather than buying tickets separately. Some places offer family tickets with 2 adults and up to 6 kids which can help you to save on entry.

If you live in or plan to visit the UK, check out Kids Pass, it offers lots of discounts off entry tickets and kids eat free deals too. They have an app for members where you can search for savings near you.

Check with your employer, HR dept or staff intranet. Often Staff and Social Clubs or Employee Schemes have discounted entry tickets to places near where you work.

• Go to lower cost places – we have put together a list of places that have entry under €40 for a family of four.
• Choose free places to visit – in Ireland, we have wonderful attractions that are completely free to visit such as our National Museum of Ireland museums.
• Visit OPW sites which are offering free admission this year.
• Look into the best transport option. Is it possible to pre-book parking at a cheaper rate? Does public transport offer a more direct and speedier alternative?
• Take a picnic and drinks with you, it will really help keep the cost of the day out down.