Affordable vacation strategy

When we do big cities we still don't eat out. You're right - that is a very big expense - especially with a family. What we do when we visit a city is bring small snacks, like maybe granola bars. And water (sometimes we buy that). Then we go back to the camper for dinner which is usually cooking all day in the crock-pot.

That has worked well for us when we visited DC, Philadelphia, Boston, and NYC. I know... We were supposed to get steak and cheese in Philly - but we didn't. We did enjoy exploring the Reading Terminal Market though! :)

We try not to fall into the tourist traps with all the junky souvenirs. A decent camera is inexpensive and with the digital era you can shoot and delete at will these picts are the memories not some cheap souvenir. We plan trips not to have to speed through them. In the past we tried to get too much in and it made the trip not so pleasant. We pack much lighter these days and stop and replenish with what we need mostly 1 week at a time. We live in a great state for summer beauty and have many places closer to home. Our new rig lets us park in comfort and explore from there. We eate in the TT rather than at restaurants with just the 2 of us we have more tastes in common when it comes to meals and adventure. As noted in other posts laundry soaps and such save from the high price of laundry matt purchases. We just bought many of our summer close at the end of the summer season we saved 70% or more and got the same clothes as what we would have got during the season. We will wait to get our fall and winter attire until after the new year. We allow the grand kids to pick out 1 or 2 things and make it a special treat rather than a give me this all the time.

pasusan wrote:
When we do big cities we still don't eat out. You're right - that is a very big expense - especially with a family. What we do when we visit a city is bring small snacks, like maybe granola bars. And water (sometimes we buy that). Then we go back to the camper for dinner which is usually cooking all day in the crock-pot.

That has worked well for us when we visited DC, Philadelphia, Boston, and NYC. I know... We were supposed to get steak and cheese in Philly - but we didn't. We did enjoy exploring the Reading Terminal Market though! :)

That is what worries me about our summer trip. We're going to DC, Philly, NYC. I don't want to eat out all the time but we can't carry lunch on us when it's august. Water and snacks will have to do as well as a big breakfast to fill us up.
Glad to hear you managed it, that's encouraging. I would imagine that by the time it's dinnertime well be hot and tired and ready to head back to the campground anyway.

We have always taken a different tack. We try to do with less during the year to have more for vacation. In real life I am pretty frugal (nice word for cheap)

But not so much on vacation. Trying to be to cheap on vacation, can just ruin it for everyone in my opinion.

I would say, sounds like your kids are still going with you. Won't be to long before they won't want to go. Enjoy them while you have them. If everyone wants ice cream, or you find a really cool tour I say do it. Not saying however one should blow money like a drunken sailor.

From experience, $500 or $600 more spent on vacation, may seem like a lot of money at the time. But it is not in the grand scheme of things.

We can always make more money, but these vacation times with the kids, they are gone forever.

In my opinion, money spent on vacation, to go see and do and bond as a family is money well spent. That is where I would put my effort, rather than seeing how inexpensive you can do it.

My suggestion is a longer duration trip. We go to Florida almost every February. We make a 2 week trip out of it (most time I can really take off at once) and it brings the cost per night down quite a bit. Fuel getting to and from is your biggest expense. If you stay for 2 weeks as opposed to 1 week, you are cutting your biggest expense in half when calculated per night.

Another thing we do is try to stop at side destinations while en route to Florida. We stop at Savannah, Ga for a couple nights on the way down and Charleston, SC on the way back home. That allows us 3 different beautiful locations for the same miles driven. Makes the trip seem more worth it to us.

Making your own food saves money and allows you to eat better usually. When we are in Savannah or Charleston we usually eat 2 meals at the campground and either lunch or dinner out on the town. When you are in places with great food, its hard not to go out and enjoy the local eats!

Bottom line, camping isn't really mean to save money for most people. Camping is an opportunity to get out, meet new people, enjoy relaxing times by the lake or at the beach, get out of winter doldrums or have a vacation with a group of friends. I'm afraid if you try to view it as inexpensive vacation you will be upset at the result and not get to enjoy all the benefits of camping.

Either way, enjoy and put some miles on!!!

On vacation I don't worry about expenses. As winnietrey mentioned, memories for you and your children will be cherished and last a lifetime.

I use a crock pot, through in the crock pot the food on low before you take out for the day. When you get back from site seeing you have a nice hot meal for not much money.

T-shirts and hoodies make great souvenirs. Instead of buying them at the park a lot of times Wallyworld close to the park will have the same thing at a much lower price.

I would only go to a nice restaurant once a week for a treat. Top off the fuel tank when in lower cost areas. Look for coupons at the campground for things you want to do. Involve the kids in saving money, it will help teach them the value of a dollar and make them feel involved.

You can use Wallyworld or Passport America for no or low cost campgrounds on the way to the destination.

michigansandzilla wrote:


That is what worries me about our summer trip. We're going to DC, Philly, NYC. I don't want to eat out all the time but we can't carry lunch on us when it's august. Water and snacks will have to do as well as a big breakfast to fill us up.
Glad to hear you managed it, that's encouraging. I would imagine that by the time it's dinnertime well be hot and tired and ready to head back to the campground anyway.

That's when we DO bring our lunches with us! I put some fruit, a jar of PB, some Nutella, some nuts, a knife and some tortillas in my backpack. Each of us had a water bottle. We had lunch on the Mall in DC, sitting on a foldable quilt that DH had in his backpack. We ate sitting under a tree in front of Constitution Hall in Philly, sitting on a bench at the Statue of Liberty and in Central Park another day while in NYC.

The kids really enjoy the picnics because it allows us to sit as a family and we talk about what we saw during the morning and what we want to do in the afternoon. I let the kids suggest lunch items and they help pack them.

We have been known to do taco meat in a large mouth thermos, taking shells and cheese along in a backpack. We have eaten Manwiches and chips, spinach dip and chips, and other assorted items. It's not always basic sandwiches, but that is easy and the other requires a little bit of planning and prep work before leaving.

For souvenirs, my Mom taught me not to get caught up in the "it has the location's name on it" purchases and instead bought something I would love forever.

For girls, it's easy - a pretty piece of jewelry will be able to provide memories forever, and once they are grown up, they can pass them down to their girls and share the memory. For boys, I'd go with something they love. If they're into baseball, find a local shop and buy a new baseball card. A nice photo frame is great also as they could insert their own favorite photo of the trip. The idea is that whatever you get them, they will forever connect to that trip - it doesn't have to say "Yellowstone" for them to look at it and relive the memories of their trip to Yellowstone.

Get them something that can last through adulthood. Plastic trinkets, children's clothing, etc. will be gone in a year and will mean nothing. One nice item per trip or major stop will be far more treasured.

If the kids can handle it, rather than doing a full lunch each day, do snack items on the go. My niece loved spray cheese - so when we went out doing wildlife photography for a full day, I'd bring crackers and a can of spray cheese. She was able to set up in her camera bag and eat on the go (she was quite ingenious with her "table on the go" setup). A good breakfast in the morning and a good dinner afterwards and she was no worse for wear. She saw the spray cheese and crackers as a special treat, and I didn't have to deal with a starving kid and trying to find her food. And it was all easy to carry around all day.

Other than that, I agree with others who say don't worry too much about saving money. Spend the money on those far away trips (the ones you aren't likely to get back to very often), and save the money on trips close to home and at home.

My basic strategy is stay at state parks if convenient. Wal Mart Overnight if convenient.
But don't penny pinch to a fault. Pick a destination you can afford. If going to Disney stay at Ft Wilderness for the full experience vs. a cheaper alternative(at least the first tme).
If it's going to be an all day thing. Be prepared to buy lunch somewhere vs. eating PB&J or some penny pinching alternative. Leaving the high priced attraction to return to the car is a costly waste of premium time.
Shoot for Pizza or Mc D's vs. the museum cafeteria.
Vacation is generally the families one time a year to enjoy themselves.
Enjoy it to the fullest. It is not the time to cheat yourselves.
In the end it is more about time than money. You will get a chance to earn/save money however you will not relive the vacation moments.
Be it lunch,a nice CG or an attraction, on vacation I try to live for the moment vs. living for the dollar. I can recapture the $$$'s in time but the moment can never be recreated.
As I get older I come to understand that the family vacation era is a limited amount of time. The kids will go off on their own one day. I try to enjoy the vacation moment to the fullest vs. trying to save money.
THere are plenty of reasons and times to save money, however vacation is not one of those times.
Set a budget,pick a destination you can afford and enjoy yourself.
The OP's trip sounds like a blast.
I live in the middle of all of the OP's destinations. Yes they can be expensive places however you are better off cutting back on the scope of the trip vs. starving, eating peanuts, or not participating.
You came all the way there to enjoys yourself,choose another way/time to save money.
Don't spend the money on fuel to go to NYC/DC/wherever if you can't afford to eat and visit the attractions.Don't visit the attractions if you can't afford to participate.
I'm not suggesting you blow your mortgage payment but I am encouraging you to enjoy yourself without guilt or worry about the cost.
An east coast tour will not be cheap. Save where you can, but more importantly enjoy the moment it is a once in a lifetime adventure/moment.
Sure you could over night at a Wal-Mart. But overnight at a CG with a pool can be a lot more memorable. I have done both.
Only you can decide the budget/details.
There is no magic bullet. Make the goal to enjoy yourself and you will have a good time. Don't let the budget dictate the adventure. There will be times to save and times to splurge.
But more importantly there will no no do overs. Enjoy your trip and don't fret over finances.