Budget-Friendly Family Trip Ideas

[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Anonymous wrote:These thoughts are based on my recollections from my youth and so may be outdated.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.

Canada also has the advantage of a very nice exchange rate for USD.

[Anonymous]

Vancouver Island - surprisingly affordable, beautiful, very kind people.

[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!

We once went camping and it rained so hard our tent was floating on water. Luckily the campgrounds had cute little wooden cabins for rent. They were very small and had no running water or bathrooms. You had to use the communal restrooms that everyone else used.