Budget-Friendly Family Trip Ideas

[Anonymous]

Hi,
We're looking for budget-friendly family trip inspiration for this summer, in the U.S. We live in California and looking to go outside of the state. We love to hit national parks (they're in our backyard, after all) but are open to trying something different or maybe outdoor adventures in the midwest or city adventures in the east. We have elementary aged kids so something like the dude ranches sound wonderful but are unfortunately out of our budget. $5k or less. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

How many people?

[Anonymous]

2 adults, 2 kids

[Anonymous]

Camping!! With tents - not RVs. Save money, stay in beautiful places and teach your kids to love the outdoors.

[Anonymous]

Have you considered home exchanges? No cost for lodging can make $5K go a lot further. http://homeexchange.com is one of the better known groups.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you are looking for something more organized. Look at YMCA of the Rockies or maybe one of the Jellystone Parks across the country.

My favorite place as a kid was Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, TX. You could combine it with some historic San Antonio stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you considered home exchanges? No cost for lodging can make $5K go a lot further. http://homeexchange.com is one of the better known groups.

I hadn't considered this - great idea, will check it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Camping!! With tents - not RVs. Save money, stay in beautiful places and teach your kids to love the outdoors.

I wish! I can.not. sleep in tents. If not for me, this would be a great option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you are looking for something more organized. Look at YMCA of the Rockies or maybe one of the Jellystone Parks across the country.

My favorite place as a kid was Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, TX. You could combine it with some historic San Antonio stuff.

Thanks, hadn't thought of any of these.

[Anonymous]

I’d probably look at driving vacations to have more for food and activities unless the 5k does not include that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Camping!! With tents - not RVs. Save money, stay in beautiful places and teach your kids to love the outdoors.

Bugs. No sleep because everyone is sweating uncomfortably with no AC. Sounds of drunks camping on site 10 feet away. Derelicts eyeing your kids! Camping! No FW!

[Anonymous]

Williamsburg VA area historical sites, theme parks, VA beach if you want a boardwalk, Richmond science museum, Monticello in Charlottesville, possibly Natural Bridge or other park for hiking.

[Anonymous]

These thoughts are based on my recollections from my youth and so may be outdated. I highly recommend you verify with more current sources.

If you haven’t been to see the sequoias/redwoods yet, I highly recommend them. My parents took me to National Parks all over the US, but those made the biggest impression on me, by far. While I’m not typically a forest person, those are in a class by themselves. They’re in California, but what you save in travel would allow you extra to spend on activities.

If you haven’t been to Canada, you might consider it. As tense as things are now (and will probably be more tense by summer), I think Canadians still differentiate between their hostility towards the US government and their friendship with the American people, but their sentiments are (understandably) becoming more negative, and Americans may become persona non grata in the future. FWIW, I thought Banff/Jasper (Lake Louise and Moraine Lake) were breathtaking and I loved Victoria.

You might want to consider joining AAA or Good Sam. I think that both offer trip planning and travel discounts, in addition to roadside assistance.

If you decide to camp, test out your equipment before you go. The worst vacation We ever had was when we rented a camper, only to discover on our trip that it leaked like a sieve. Since our location had daily rain showers, it was utterly miserable. I think everyone got sick.

We used to camp at KOA campgrounds. As a chain, they were held to standards which meant they were usually relatively well maintained. They were also widely available and pretty affordable.

Bon voyage! I hope wherever you decide to go that your family has a wonderful vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These thoughts are based on my recollections from my youth and so may be outdated. I highly recommend you verify with more current sources.

If you haven’t been to see the sequoias/redwoods yet, I highly recommend them. My parents took me to National Parks all over the US, but those made the biggest impression on me, by far. While I’m not typically a forest person, those are in a class by themselves. They’re in California, but what you save in travel would allow you extra to spend on activities.

If you haven’t been to Canada, you might consider it. As tense as things are now (and will probably be more tense by summer), I think Canadians still differentiate between their hostility towards the US government and their friendship with the American people, but their sentiments are (understandably) becoming more negative, and Americans may become persona non grata in the future. FWIW, I thought Banff/Jasper (Lake Louise and Moraine Lake) were breathtaking and I loved Victoria.

You might want to consider joining AAA or Good Sam. I think that both offer trip planning and travel discounts, in addition to roadside assistance.

If you decide to camp, test out your equipment before you go. The worst vacation We ever had was when we rented a camper, only to discover on our trip that it leaked like a sieve. Since our location had daily rain showers, it was utterly miserable. I think everyone got sick.

We used to camp at KOA campgrounds. As a chain, they were held to standards which meant they were usually relatively well maintained. They were also widely available and pretty affordable.

Bon voyage! I hope wherever you decide to go that your family has a wonderful vacation.

Thank you for taking the time to share these ideas, I appreciate it. I've heard of KOA campgrounds but I've never looked into them in detail so that will be a first port of call. That, and the Jellystone facilities that someone else mentioned above. We have seen many redwoods in our state, but I don't think we've actually taken the kids to Muir Woods or the Sequoia National Park per se. Thanks again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Camping!! With tents - not RVs. Save money, stay in beautiful places and teach your kids to love the outdoors.

Bugs. No sleep because everyone is sweating uncomfortably with no AC. Sounds of drunks camping on site 10 feet away. Derelicts eyeing your kids! Camping! No FW!

You should probably stay home.