Click HERE to listen to The Highly Unlikely Podcast episode on Vacationing On A Budget.
In the summer of 2007, I was rushing around my house finishing laundry, cleaning like a madwoman, stuffing clothes into suitcases, and sweating in the sweltering heat as I prepared for an entire summer of travel.
So rather than sit around the house and dwell on the fact that I was alone with three kids for the next six months, I hatched a plan.
I had just said goodbye to my husband as he left for a six-month deployment. So rather than sit around the house and dwell on the fact that I was alone with three kids for the next six months, I hatched a plan.
Being a military spouse, I had friends all over the United States, along with friends and family I didn’t get to see nearly enough.
But money for traveling to see them was scarce in my world.
I had been working part-time at CVS for the last year. I had managed to pay off all of our debt, including the truck payment that plagued us. So I had started setting aside the money I would have spent on the truck, along with my paycheck for six months, and saved up a nice nest egg of money. Not enough to stay at fancy hotels and eat fine food, but enough for gas money and minimal expenses.
…I pulled out a map of the United States, and I marked where all my friends and family were located on the map.
I sat down at the kitchen table one night after I tucked the kids in bed, I pulled out a map of the United States, and I marked where all my friends and family were located on the map.
I figured out a way to make it all the way from Las Vegas to North Carolina and back home using a different route with only one night needing a hotel stay. This route included a trip to Yellowstone national park, two camping trips, and several visits to friends and family.
I planned to be gone for the entire summer.
My sister and her family were in the process of moving to Las Vegas and needed a place to stay while their house was being built, so they were going to stay at my house and pay the utilities for those months…which left more money in my budget for traveling.
Boom! I had a solid plan.
We left the end of June with the car packed to the hilt with suitcases, camping gear, kids, food, games, movies, and big anticipation. We returned home in August with enough time to go school shopping and get school supplies. Mission accomplished.
But it was so much more than just a vacation.
It was incredible to see how much we could do and see on a limited budget!
We reconnected with our friends and family, but we also made memories and had amazing experiences. It was incredible to see how much we could do and see on a limited budget!
Today, I want to share with you some things you can do to plan and carry out your own vacation, no matter how small your budget is. Whether it’s a weekend away or you want to hit the road for an extended period of time, traveling is something you can do when money is an issue, and I’m going to tell you how.
Plan Ahead
When money is an obstacle, you need to make a plan in advance to save, make changes, and map things out to suit your budget.
My girls recently told me they want to take a second trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. But that particular vacation was as expensive as it was fun!! So when I told them the price tag to revisit the park, they were shocked.
But then, they quickly came up with a plan that impressed me!
At the beginning of this year, we decided to try something new. We started a 52-week saving jar where you put in $1 for every week of the year, e.g., on the first week of the year, you put in $1, and on the last week of the year, you put in $52. So if you add money every week for the entire year, you will have $1,368 at the end of the year.
The girls suggested that we use our Saving jars to pay for the trip and reminded me that since it won’t be our first trip, they won’t want all the souvenirs they wanted on the first trip, saving money.
We’ll see if they stick to their plan and do the work to save the money so we can take the trip they want!
…grab a jar, and start setting money aside each week.
But this is a great way to start saving for a vacation! So grab a jar, and start setting money aside each week!
Another effective way to save up money for traveling is by paying off debt and then taking those debt payments that are no longer allocated for debt payments and setting them aside each month in a vacation fund. Again, planning allows you to calculate how much you will have in your vacation fund by the time you are planning to leave.
Planning also gives you time to make arrangements with friends and family in advance to make sure you get to see everyone you would like to visit along the way!
Map Out Your Route
This is an essential step in taking a vacation on a small budget because you need to plan where you will stay each night in advance.
By planning each stop well in advance, you can book hotels months before you leave, which will literally save you hundreds of dollars. Last-minute hotel reservations are convenient, but you pay a steep penalty for that convenience. So plan your stops and book early!
Camping is cheaper than any hotel, booked early or not! So if you have camping skills, this is a great way to save money while traveling, especially if you will be staying in the same area for a few days.
If you don’t have camping skills…this is a great way to learn!
You can cut hotel and camping expenses completely by staying with friends and family along the way. This allows you to multi-purpose your travels. Site-seeing and relationship building with loved ones.
And lastly, mapping your route allows you to find places you want to stop and site see along the way and budget for those things in advance.
Bring Your Food
Eating out three times a day is super expensive- especially with kids.
But you can keep your food budget in check by packing a cold breakfast and lunch for each day, and only eat out only for dinner…make it cheap if you need to.
If you are staying with friends or family that night, you can save even more money by planning on eating dinner with them when you stop for the night. Most of our friends and family are thrilled to have dinner with us, and if they don’t feel like cooking, we plan to meet them at a restaurant for dinner. Either way, it is so fun to share a meal and catch up after a long separation!
You will also need to bring snacks and drinks for the ride because everyone is a happier traveler when they have fun snacks in the car on a long drive!
Find Things To Do That Are Free
There are so many things to do that are free or very low cost!
Hiking or stopping to see the world’s largest rocking chair…totally free
Other things, like national parks, are very inexpensive. For instance, you pay a small fee to get into the Grand Canyon National Park, and then you can spend the whole day hiking and explore for free. Plus, they have a fantastic visitor center where you can learn about the history and geography of the Grand Canyon that is completely free. Many national monuments are set up the same way, like Mt. Rushmore and Devil’s Tower.
Stopping at a park next to a lake or a river for lunch and then spending the afternoon playing in the water and relaxing is completely free…and very fun.
Staying close to home and seeing things in your state that you have never seen can save you money because many places have discounts for locals or state residents. This is a great way to save money on site-seeing, but also travel expenses.
Our feet were exhausted by the end of the day, but we never had to deal with a bored child because they were all engaged and excited about what they were seeing.
Museums and tours are inexpensive activities that kids and adults typically really enjoy. When we went to Washington DC, we spent one whole day touring museums. It was an amazing experience. Our feet were exhausted by the end of the day, but we never had to deal with a bored child because they were all engaged and excited about what they were seeing. It made the trip even more special.
But it doesn’t have to be a big fancy museum. On one of my trips cross country with the kids, my friend suggested we all go to the Dr. Pepper factory in Texas. It was very inexpensive, and the kids all loved seeing how the bottling process works and learning about the history of Dr. Pepper…plus, they all got a free bottle of soda at the end of the tour. It was a simple and fun day!
Touring a ghost town is completely free and a very cool piece of history. A ghost town is just a town that used to be a thriving little town that is now completely vacant. Some buildings have been restored, so you can see what they looked like when they were occupied; others are broken down and in disrepair from decades of neglect. Many ghost towns have signs and information about the town, the people who once lived there, and give you a look into our past as a country. Other towns have been completely restored and turned into outdoor museums. These charge a fee for entry to pay for the restoration and the people who maintain it, but it’s worth every penny!
You can ask your friends and family that you will be visiting for suggestions of things to see in their area that are completely free or low cost…you will be amazed at what they have close to them.
Don’t be afraid to stop along the way if you see something interesting- that’s the fun of road tripping!
Even if I am going somewhere that I have been to several times, I try to see something new while I’m there. If there is a sign along the road for something interesting, I will stop and explore.
It also adds more memories and experiences to your trip, which is the whole reason you hit the road, to begin with!
Stopping for some impromptu site-seeing gets you up moving to stretch your legs and have a break from the car. It also adds more memories and experiences to your trip, which is the whole reason you hit the road, to begin with!
Most importantly, have fun! Try new things in new places…it’s exciting, makes you a well-rounded person, creates beautiful memories, and deepens relationships with the people in your life who matter the most.
There you have it! Four ways to vacation on a budget. By planning, mapping your route in advance, packing your food, and finding free things to do, you will find that you CAN afford that vacation you have wanted to take.
So get out your map, and get busy planning your next adventure.
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