We are a family of 5. Since I was a Stay At Home Mom for so long, living on a tight budget is second nature to me. We love to go visit and explore new places. Travel can be expensive, but we've found a way to cut down on the expenses as much as we possibly can. Since planning for spring break and summer vacation trips has just begun for many people, I thought I would share a few of the things we've learned along the way.
1) Books on tape are great. (Play Away, CD, whatever format your car has). We go to the library before we leave on vacation and check out several books to listen to. Many of these books are read by some very well known actors, and they outdo themselves when reading these books. To date, my personal favorite is Dragon Rider, written by Cornelia Funke and read by Brendan Fraser. Our kids got into these books at a young age. My Dad lived in Indiana at the time (a 10 hour car ride from home) and I remember them listening to these books when they were preschoolers.
2) Stop every couple of hours and run around. KEEP A VERY CLOSE EYE ON YOUR KIDS no matter where you stop! We still stop at rest areas, run around, and maybe play a little catch or frisbee. Unless if we're eating a meal, our stops run about 15 minutes. (Longer when they were younger.)
3) Pack your own meals. Food on the road is gross and greasy. For our recent trip to Savannah, we packed bread, peanut butter and jelly, a fruit salad that I made before we left home, and a Quinoa Pilaf - with diced cooked chicken on the side, hummus, and corn chips. We ate the peanut butter and jelly, along with the fruit salad for lunch. The quinoa pilaf was for dinner - the non-vegetarians amongst us added the diced cubed chicken. We had the hummus and corn chips for a late evening snack. By far, the largest expense was the fruit, but it was well worth it! (pack your own plates and utensils, too)
4) Drink only water. We travel with our own bottles, and refill them at every stop. When we traveled across Kansas several years ago, we took several thermoses of water with us - we were not certain how close together rest stops and gas stations would be. Excellent forethought on our part. They are far and few between out there.
5) Stay in a hotel that:
a) Offers free breakfast. (These hotels tend to keep fresh fruit out all day, so you can pick up a piece of fruit for a snack on your way in during the afternoon.)
b) Has a club of some sort that allows you to build up points to earn free stays.
6) Meals in a different place:
This varies from place to place. We typically stay in hotels that include refrigerators and microwaves. If we are going to eat out while we are adventuring somewhere, that meal will be lunch. Many times, we will make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit, and head out for our adventures of the day. Depending upon how close we are to home, I will take dinners with us, or we will stop and pick up fixings for a meal or two on our way into town. Since Savannah was a drive, I packed things in the cooler that would hold for a few days for dinner. Salmon Pasta Salad is a perennial favorite in our house, and it holds well for a couple of days in the fridge. I had also made a batch of confetti rice before we left. Combined with the leftover diced chicken, it was a hearty meal. The vegetarians in the family added chopped almonds and fake chicken crumbles to theirs. I had an extra bag of chili in the freezer, so I threw that into the cooler, also. We reheated that individually in bowls in the microwave, and that made a tasty meal one chilly evening!
*Note- if you bring paper, you don't have to wash it in the hotel sink. I've tried washing dishes in the hotel sink. I prefer using paper plates. (But we travel with our own reusable wooden eating utensils. I have to draw the line somewhere, and that's the line. Wooden utensils. Go figure.)
7) Park your car.
You are in a new location, explore it! We've used public transportation in cities all over the United States. It's an interesting way to get to see the new city, and a lot of hotels will provide transportation (or are within walking distance of) metro stations and points of interest. We stayed in the city of Savannah, and walked everywhere while we were there. The city is laid out on a grid, and it is much more friendly to pedestrian traffic than automobiles.
8) Camp
We did this more often when the kids were younger. Camped out to Mount Rushmore, in the Black Hills, the Badlands, Devil's Tower, and home again. Done it a few times on the beach at Assateague Island, and in several National and State Forests. It's a great way to get away for very little. (Meal planning when camping is crucial! No refrigerators on site, and you're cooking over a camp stove or fire. It's a blast, but make sure you plan ahead!) The cost for a night in a tent at most campgrounds in National Forests runs around $20. No television, no electronics, it's a great way to spend some family time with no distractions!
Traveling can be expensive, but if you plan ahead, are willing to walk and forgo meals in restaurants, you really can have a great frugal vacation!
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