Cross country vacation....how can it be done on a budget?

[sheryl]

When I was growing up, we lived in Ohio and traveled out west 3 times. My dh and I have been in NC for over 20 years. DD turns 13 Sat and she so wants to go out west. I'd love to take her as she's never been to that part of the country.

 

We would not rent a camper as they cost an arm and a leg in gas - at least for that distance and back. We would travel by car and not fly to visit several places en route. Now, in addition to gas, we add on hotels and food. From NC to CA it might be a 3 night stay - 4 day drive....one way. We would stop off in AZ to visit my cousin and stay there a couple nights. We have NO other family with whom we can stay, and we'll need to factor in hotels every night.

 

Are there places to stay other than hotels? Years ago I thought people booked rooms at our local university. That wouldn't make it for me though....I remember the dorm floors.

 

Have any of you traveled cross country with a family of 3? If you have and you vacationed for 2 weeks, would you tell me where you stayed and the approximate price? For everything - gas, meals, souveniers, tickets, hotels, etc.

 

I asked a similar question regarding our first trip to DW 2 years ago - posted about it here and got SO MANY GOOD responses. I bugeted a certain amount (based on the replies) and we came home having exceeded our budget by only a small bit. SO,

 

I know you'll give more good advice.

 

Also, what states - attractions would you recommend along the way. Family of 3. DD who is 13 (in a few days). Best season, etc.

[Jen500]

If you tent camp and make a lot of your own meals it's a lot cheaper. I used to travel in the summer with friends this way--we weren't in a rush and it was a lot of fun. We stayed at a lot of national/state parks.

[Jennifer in MI]

I only have a minute here - but we've done this a couple times. It's great!!!

 

When do you plan to do this? One of the things we did to save money was get a credit card that earned us free nights at hotels. That would take time though.

 

We also took most of our own food. We did it because our ds had just been diagnosed with food allergies and we weren't comfortable eating out yet. I can give you hints on how to do that if you want.

 

I'll be back later with more details! I need to get some things done!

[whitestavern]

:bigear:

 

We really want to do this, but are still in the planning stages so I can't offer up any advice, but will be watching with interest!

 

We are thinking of starting in the NE and heading across the top of the country beginning in September. Then heading down coast of CA and sort of following Route 66 and then dipping down into TX (lots I'd like to see there) and then diagonally heading back to the NE. We are planning 2 months for our trip. We priced out RVs which we thought were remarkably affordable, but then when we starting adding on the price of campgrounds (geesh; they cost as much as hotels in some places) and gas, we decided to look into driving and hoteling it.

 

I did recently read about farm vacations. There's a website here: http://www.farmstayus.com/ . I haven't had a chance to check it out but I'm thinking they may be more reasonably priced than hotels.

[sheryl]

:bigear:

 

We really want to do this, but are still in the planning stages so I can't offer up any advice, but will be watching with interest!

 

We are thinking of starting in the NE and heading across the top of the country beginning in September. Then heading down coast of CA and sort of following Route 66 and then dipping down into TX (lots I'd like to see there) and then diagonally heading back to the NE. We are planning 2 months for our trip. We priced out RVs which we thought were remarkably affordable, but then when we starting adding on the price of campgrounds (geesh; they cost as much as hotels in some places) and gas, we decided to look into driving and hoteling it.

 

I did recently read about farm vacations. There's a website here: http://www.farmstayus.com/ . I haven't had a chance to check it out but I'm thinking they may be more reasonably priced than hotels.

 

 

I'd LOVE to go on an extended month/s long cross country "tour", but we can not do that right now. Sounds great. We'll be driving out and back in probably 2 weeks. In that time we need to factor in round trip and "visiting" family and doing fun things. I get it with the camper thing. That's what my dh said. They can be pricey to feul up....especially driving through mountain ranges and needing AC in the desert. Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. That is actually something else I've always wanted to do is visit/work on a working farm. LOVE THAT!

 

If you tent camp and make a lot of your own meals it's a lot cheaper. I used to travel in the summer with friends this way--we weren't in a rush and it was a lot of fun. We stayed at a lot of national/state parks.

 

Thanks Jen. I used to go camping and would like it if I knew it wouldn't get hot, but it will be too hot for me. I'd do cool weather camping though.

 

I only have a minute here - but we've done this a couple times. It's great!!!

 

When do you plan to do this? One of the things we did to save money was get a credit card that earned us free nights at hotels. That would take time though.

 

We also took most of our own food. We did it because our ds had just been diagnosed with food allergies and we weren't comfortable eating out yet. I can give you hints on how to do that if you want.

 

I'll be back later with more details! I need to get some things done!

 

OK, I offically declare Jennifer/MI is hereby declared the official travel planner. :D

 

We won't be doing this for maybe 2-3 years. Planning a trip to DC first. Money is the factor. With money, we'd make this trip asap. Pack your own food...did you literally pack it from home and pack in ice? Credit cards that earn free nights in hotels? I like that idea. We are part of the Choice Hotel awards program. Is that the same thing? Our card is a hotel member card and not a credit card. Is yours a credit card? More info when you have time.

 

Talk to you soon. THANKS all!

[regentrude]

Take a tent and sleeping bags and camp (inexpensively in state parks and national parks for about $10/night, for free in wilderness areas and national forests.)

Take a camping stove and cook your own food. We do not take a cooler, just things that do not need refrigeration - we buy fresh stuff when we stop somewhere.

 

We have driven from Missouri to California with the kids and stopped at several fabulous places. We frequently drive to Utah or Colorado as well. There is so much public land out there.

 

We drive a Honda Accord, and packing carefully it is no problem to carry four people and all the camping gear, several gallons of water, and a large box of food. (We were even able to accommodate a hitchhiker with a large backpack and a dog for a bit)

 

ETA: Just saw you don't like heat. Even when traveling through the West in the summer, it is possible to camp cool if you go up to elevation. For example, in Utah's Capitol reef park in July it is in the 90s at 5,000 ft elevation - but half an hours drive brings you to cool pine woods at 8,000 ft elevation with cool nights where you are glad for a good sleeping bag. I have camped in Cedar Breaks in July at 10,000 ft next to snow piles.

Edited May 15, 2012 by regentrude

[milovany]

When we moved from Washington to Colorado, we stayed in the basic (non-kitchen) cabins at KOA Kampgrounds rather than in hotels/motels and saved half what we would have spent on lodging. And had a great time! Some KOA's are "destination" campgrounds, and they tend to be more expensive (but still cheaper than a motel, usually; again, NOT the cabins with kitchens, just the beds). You'd have to pack bedding and towels for the trip. The kids loved our time in the cabins (if you're going in the summer, you'll get swimming at most of them, too). You'd have to plan food but will have access to an outdoor fire pit and grill. Worth checking out!

Edited May 15, 2012 by milovaný

[Scarymelon]

Someone should start a WTM couch surfing forum. We don't have a ton of room, but we live in Washington state and I think it would be fun to host another homeschooling family for a few nights in our tent trailer. At the very least it would be cheap! We do a lot of road trips, but are very careful when we stay with anyone that they are up to a family of 6 staying the night. We live nicely situated between Mt. Rainier and Olympic National Parks.

[Jennifer in MI]

I

 

OK, I offically declare Jennifer/MI is hereby declared the official travel planner. :D

 

We won't be doing this for maybe 2-3 years. Planning a trip to DC first. Money is the factor. With money, we'd make this trip asap. Pack your own food...did you literally pack it from home and pack in ice? Credit cards that earn free nights in hotels? I like that idea. We are part of the Choice Hotel awards program. Is that the same thing? Our card is a hotel member card and not a credit card. Is yours a credit card? More info when you have time.

 

Talk to you soon. THANKS all!

 

LOL! I swear I was a travel agent in a former life! I absolutely love vacation planning - mine and everyone else's!

 

Food packing - I packed enough stuff to get me from home to my first major destination. And, I had to plan when we would be in hotels and when we'd be on the road. We brought a microwave with us - so we could use that to heat up meals in the rooms. We also had a cooler that we kept re-filling with ice. We liked to try to get our traveling done earlier in teh day so we could check into a hotel and explore the town and swim a little and then cook dinner in the room.

 

Okay - dinners. Here are some that worked really well:

 

1. Burgers. Pre-cook and freeze them. Heat in the microwave at the hotel. Pack buns, tomato (don't forget the knife!), mayo, ketchup, etc. I usually also bring frozen veggies to cook so we all still get our veggies.

 

2. Nachos. I precook and freeze the meat. Then, pack cheese, chips, tortillas, beans (don't forget the can opener), etc, etc, etc. Frozen veggies worked well all nights!

 

3. Spaghetti and meatballs. Precook the spaghetti and meatballs. I bought canned sauce. Again, it all gets heated up in the microwave at night.

 

The nights that we wouldn't be at a hotel by dinnertime, we tried to stay in the hotel long enough to heat up one of those bigger meals and eat an early lunch at the hotel. I wanted to get one big meal a day.

 

Meals that can be eaten easily on the road:

 

1. Sandwiches, chips, and sliced veggies. I detest lunch meat, so I'd cook a chicken and slice it myself. Pack bread, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. We stop and I make the sandwiches and then eat in the car. Or, tuna sandwiches. I'd pack a bowl and a couple forks and a can opener, etc so I could make these on the road. (Tuna was usually eaten later in the trip after the refrigerated stuff was gone.)

 

2. Cup O' Noodles. Most gas stations have hot water for tea that they're happy to let you use if you buy something there - dh and I would get a coffee. They were a fun treat as we don't usually eat them!

 

Make sure the hotels you book at have a free breakfast and eat a LOT!!!

 

With only two weeks, I'd recommend picking out a few places you'd like to visit and sticking with them. Long drives in between. We had enough time that we were able to drive 4 - 5 hours a day and then really see the towns we were stopped in. It also allowed us a lot of time to be spontaneous! With two weeks, you probably won't have the time for that. But, if you pick,

say, St Louis as your first stop, get there in one day (I have no idea how long of a drive that is - it was our first stop on our trip), do a riverboat tour and see the arch the next morning, and drive again all afternoon and get in late to your next city.

 

Another option would be to fly out to LA (or other destination city) and rent a car and drive around that area. It would give you more time for really exploring. (We did this last September and saw the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Slide Rock STate Park, Sedona, Phoenix (with the in-laws), and back to LA for a few nights. We did that in two weeks and stayed with the in-laws 5 nights.)

 

The credit cards - we have a credit card that earns us points toward free nights at MArriott properties. I don't remember the last time we paid for a hotel stay! We also have a Chase card that allows us to choose cash back as a reward. We use that money for traveling. We put everything on those cards - Cable bills, orthodontist, EVERYTHING! I usually end up with about ten free nights each year and about $1000 cash from the other card.

[creekland]

We've done two major western trips camping and loved them both (1 month and 2 months respectively). I agree with Regentrude about going up in elevation for cooler temps. Yellowstone and Bryce come to mind as being in warmer areas, but being cool enough at night to comfortably camp. I'm sure there were others.

 

With just 2 weeks you are going to have to make more decisions on what you want to see. For our first trip we let everyone in the family pick a point they wanted to see and connected the dots - then filled in more along the way. Our official "goal" was to take the kids to see the Pacific Ocean. We ended up with 30+ official spots we saw - some along the way (Golden Gate Bridge) - some we stopped at briefly (Sea Lion Caves) and some we spent more time - a couple of overnights - at (Grand Canyon).

 

In case anyone is curious, the points chosen were:

 

Grand Tetons NP

Sequoia & Giant Redwoods (chose Redwood NP and Sequoia NP for this)

Grand Canyon

Four Corners

Mt Rushmore

 

When I did a survey of each of us individually afterward, none of those were our top "glad we went there" things though! Things like Badlands NP, Yellowstone NP, and Mesa Verde/Chaco Canyon won - those chosen because they were along the way! You never know...

 

On our 2nd Western trip we did some of our favorites, then took other routes and visited others we had missed before.

 

I'd do it again in a heartbeat if we had the $$.

 

We do travel with a cooler, but to have cold drinks without having to pay a ton. We buy fresh foods along the way.

[blondeviolin]

To do it the cheapest, camping is a must. Make sure you have a good tent. Lots of fun!

[Mama Geek]

You might look up hostels as well. I haven't stayed in one and it has been years since I knew anyone that stayed in one in the US. I do know people who stay in them overseas.

[sheryl]

Thanks everyone! I, I, I - it's been a loooooong time since I've camped. I'm just not a "hot weather" camper. Perhaps summer is not the time to go then. :lol:

 

Camping would be the cheapest. Maybe spring or fall?

 

However, if we can find clean and affordable hotel or hotel-like accommodations WITH AIR CONDITIONING (that works :tongue_smilie:) we'd go that route.

 

More ideas are welcome!

[LostSurprise]

We did that last year.

 

We talked about camping (that's the cheapest if you have space) but we didn't feel we had room for all the gear because the van was already full. We didn't really have room for sleeping bags either but we found a way around that.

 

We stayed in KOAs. If you buy a year membership you also get 10% off. That can definitely pay for itself and sometimes save you money depending on how long you stay out. We used the 6 person cabins. KOAs away from huge attractions (Yellowstone) were cheaper and more restful. Most had pools. Each of the boys kept a backpack of their clothes, toiletries, and a towel at their feet.

 

We ate from grocery stores more than we ate from restaurants. I packed a single milk crate of food/cooking supplies. We had a small cooler. I packed breakfast (cereal, granola, yogurt) and drinks/snacks. We picked up lunch at a grocery store (sandwiches, roast chicken, even lunchables once) and ate at parks. We grilled at the campground or occasionally ate at a restaurant (we usually picked up the meat/food when we got to the town where we spent the night).

 

Everyone had refillable water bottles.

 

We stayed with family/friends. When we got to Oregon from the Midwest we stayed with dh's aunt and uncle for almost a week before heading home.

 

To fit the sleeping bags in a full van dh found a saddlebag which hung off the trunk. Like this.

 

SIL couldn't believe we could do it so cheaply (less than they spend on a week at Disney), and we would do it again in a heartbeat.

Edited May 15, 2012 by LostSurprise

[sheryl]

We did that last year.

 

We talked about camping (that's the cheapest if you have space) but we didn't feel we had room for all the gear because the van was already full. We didn't really have room for sleeping bags either but we found a way around that.

 

We stayed in KOAs. If you buy a year membership you also get 10% off. That can definitely pay for itself and sometimes save you money depending on how long you stay out. We used the 6 person cabins. KOAs away from huge attractions (Yellowstone) were cheaper and more restful. Most had pools. Each of the boys kept a backpack of their clothes, toiletries, and a towel at their feet.

 

We ate from grocery stores more than we ate from restaurants. I packed a single milk crate of food/cooking supplies. We had a small cooler. I packed breakfast (cereal, granola, yogurt) and drinks/snacks. We picked up lunch at a grocery store (sandwiches, roast chicken, even lunchables once) and ate at parks. We grilled at the campground or occasionally ate at a restaurant (we usually picked up the meat/food when we got to the town where we spent the night).

 

Everyone had refillable water bottles.

 

We stayed with family/friends. When we got to Oregon from the Midwest we stayed with dh's aunt and uncle for almost a week before heading home.

 

To fit the sleeping bags in a full van dh found a saddlebag which hung off the trunk. Like this.

 

SIL couldn't believe we could do it so cheaply (less than they spend on a week at Disney), and we would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Thanks! So much to consider. Hotels are convenient. If we could work free nights like Jennifer suggested, that would be great! Hostels look interesting. KOA's too. If I don't have to pack it, I'd rather not. :tongue_smilie:

 

Could you resend link? It didn't work! Thanks!

[Reesegirl]

We did a big cross country road trip about 10 years ago and went from Oregon to Washington DC. We had a mini van with a car top carrier so there was room to pack some camping gear. We traveled 5 nights staying at super 8 motels, getting their frequent stay card and saving 10% and they allowed us to have 5 people in a 2 bed room. We had their contintental breakfast and then stopped each day and made lunch at a park with food that we brought with us. For dinner I had prepared food for 3 nights and froze it prior to leaving, taking a cooler. I think I made burritos, baked chicken dinner and tacos. I didn't prepare past 3 days since I wasn't sure if I could keep it all super cold and healthy. We took a small microwave to reheat. After the 3 days of prepared food we picked up dinner at a grocery store for the remaining nights. When we got to Virginia we stayed in a KOA camping cabin for 4 nights and then moved to a different KOA location outside of DC for a week. We used our camp stove, microwave, pancake/waffle grill and 2 cup electric coffee pot! I am not really into roughing it. The Virginia KOA had a ceiling fan and fortunately it was a cool week in May. The KOA outside of DC had air conditioning! I took my crock pot so that I could cook stews or other one dish meals while we were out exploring. You can't cook inside of a KOA cabin but you can take an extension cord and let it cook outside on a picnic table.

 

On the way home we stayed at two KOA's and 3 motels , purchasing most of our dinners at a grocery store or preparing at the campground.

 

We were gone about 3 weeks and though I can't tell you exactly how much we spent, gas at the time was $1.50 a gallon and so many of our activities were free in DC.

 

I like the idea of the frequent stays at various motels....earning free nights...they didn't do that 10 years ago.

 

Last summer we stayed at a KOA in Petaluma CA and found that the fees for KOA camping cabins have doubled since we went but still, the cabins are move in ready and make for a quick unload and reload if you need to just stay one night....no hassle of blowing up air mattresses or putting up a tent. Plus the added activities are nice...evening movies, swimming pool, etc...

[MtnTeaching]

Awesome thread! Which route are you planning on taking across the country? Northern (Rushmore, Yellowstone, Tetons,) Southern (New Orleans, S. Colorado, Grand Canyon, Vegas)?

 

I am just now starting to plan our trip from CO to CA. Dh has a big family reunion in the LA/Malibu area this summer and the kids want to spend some time with their two cousins in the Bay Area. After checking the cost of flights into San Francisco, renting a car and then flying out of LA ((gasping,choking sounds as she grabs her neck)), I have decided to drive. I am just now starting to look at places to stop and things to see on the way.

 

Tentative plan:

Drive to San Francisco by way of Tahoe to see friends . Use SILs house as homebase, take the 2 cousins with and "do" San Fran for several days. They are familiar with my "homeschool in the summer" mindset.:D Also hang out at SIL's pool some. In-laws are flying out & staying there as well and have offered to have dinner ready for us when we arrive each day tuckered out from sight-seeing.

 

Drive south along coast followed by SIL w/in-laws. Stop at a few colleges - CalPoly (where dh & SIL went), UC Santa Barbara, Westmont (Fil's college). We will have 10th, 9th, 8th, & 6th graders with us. Dh will fly in and join us here.

 

Attend 4 day reunion in Malibu area and hit the beach. Everyone will return home and my little family will stay in the LA area for a few days. DH will work from his corporate office while kids and I do a few educational/fun days in LA. I want them to see that Hollywood is not all it is cracked up to be and hit a few museums - maybe even Knott's Berry Farms if we can afford it ((once again - the gasping)).

 

Dh is then taking vacation as we drive back home. Still planning this, but wish list so far includes: Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Bryce & Zion (can in St. George at a friends condo), Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes, still planning. Not sure if we will go south to the Flagstaff area (I really would like to see Sedona) or north to Bryce/Zion area..

 

Now, to find out how to do this on a shoestring.:lol::lol::lol: (Yes, this is a sarcastic, hysterical laugh.)

[MrsBear]

I have a huge one month loop road trip starting tomorrow.....MO-KS-CO-UT-NM-AZ-NV-CA-OR-ID-MT-WY-NE-MO and have worked on the plans now for about six weeks. This is by far the longest road trip we've done - in the past we've done a week or two, but this one is going to take us a month!

 

Sites to check out for cheap(er) options outside of hotels/motels:

 

AirBnB.com

VRBO.com

HomeAway.com

BedandBreakfast.com

KOA.com

 

I've also spent time on TripAdvisor.com reading through reviews of accommodation options in different areas to see how they rate and have found some things that aren't popping up on other sites there, but will pop up if I put the name into google.

 

Also, if you know some of the areas you'll be, directly google for cabins, rentals, etc. with the area name, you'll often find sites that are stand-alone that aren't connected to the big sites and/or the ones above.

 

SkyAuction.com sometimes has some deals, as does Groupon.com under their travel section. TravelZoo (registration required) has a Top 20 Deal page each week, sometimes they're good deals, sometimes not so much.

 

Also in areas you're looking to stay google the area name and "unique lodging" and you'll often have something pop up that is unique or different (yurts, luxury tents, huts, tipis, etc.)

 

Over the course of our road trip we'll be staying in a mix of B&B's (breakfast included), cabins, private rentals (log cabin, cottage and condo) and hotels, both chain and private ones, a cave, a tipi, a hogan, and a yurt. DH is taking DS camping in backcountry in CO, but I'm staying in a private rental with our 1-year old since it's an 18-mile in and out hike/camp thing.

 

With private rentals (like on VBRO.com) you can sometimes negotiate the rate, have them waive the cleaning fees, etc. - but it's harder to do that if you're only staying a night or two....easier if it's more nights OR if you catch a "gap" on their calendar where they're booked solid except for a night here or there and you can fill in that gap.

 

AirBnB is often a room in a house, the pool house, a carriage house or above the garage type stuff, but many of them are unique type places to stay and/or the whole house, condo or apartment.

 

For our month, I've done a few things while reserving places - one is to make sure at least once every five days we have a stay somewhere with a washer and dryer so I can do laundry where we're staying, not in a laundromat since that takes time away from doing other things and is easier to just do it while we're relaxing at night before bed.

 

I try to always have a place that has a refrigerator, mini at minimum, a full if at all possible so we can keep our food cold and I can also freeze things overnight before we head out again (or if we're staying before we leave again). At B&B's you can usually call ahead and ask about using the fridge in the kitchen for your stay - almost every place says yes to that type request. MANY B&B's have family size rooms, with a king or queen + a twin or trundle bed in the room, so that saves money too....especially when everyone is fed a home-cooked hot breakfast in the morning (not just the buffet of muffins and such at the hotels).

 

I travel with a cube cooler and inserts that can be frozen as needed rather than using ice since ice makes things soggy as it melts. On our routes I try to figure out where the grocery stores are that will have organic products we like so I can pick up things like goat milk while we're traveling.

 

Overall for this upcoming trip, our nightly average is $72 a night (with tax), with the cheapest being a cabin in UT ($47 a night, private ranch) and the most expensive a log cabin in the San Juan's in CO ($200 a night, private rental - but it has a hot tub, is on 15 acres and is on a lake with a canoe to use and no fishing license is needed for DH there). The oddest place is a cave in NM....most unique a tipi in MT. Also, sometimes going outside a major area by 15-30 miles means rates drop significantly and the areas aren't quite as touristy or crowded, but the place to stay is still good and access to the bigger area is just minutes away.

 

Have fun with the planning - there are so many cool options in the SW and west....PM me if you want some ideas!

[JennifersLost]

We have driven across the country countless times with a family of six.

 

Our $ saving tips include:

 

Food

 

(Like others have said) Packing all breakfast and lunch foods. Eat fast food for dinner. We eat sandwiches for breakfast and lunch and pack bread, butter, mustard, lunch meat, salami and cheese and re-up the perishables every few days from grocery stores along the way.

 

For dinner, we don't let anyone go overboard. In other words, the teen boys don't get to order two big Macs. Everyone gets one meal; if they're still hungry, have another sandwich.

 

We also pack bananas and apples and cheap snack foods.

 

Hotels

 

I alternate cheaper motels with more expensive places. The mid-west is super-cheap and a lot of places have water parks - lots of fun after a day in the car. The eastern part of the country is worse.

 

All six of us slept in one room for years. I just told people up front, paid the extra fees if I had to and told them there was no way I was sleeping separately from the kids. We'd ask for extra pillows and blankets and made "nests" on the floor for anyone who didn't fit in a bed.

 

Attractions

 

This is all about planning ahead. Set your budget and then research, research, research. Often the big museums and national attractions are the most expensive. There are tons of places along the way that are far cheaper. The library is full of books about travelling on a budget.

 

South Dakota has a lot of neat places - the Black Hills, the Badlands, The Crazy Horse Monument, Mt. Rushmore.

 

Souveniers

 

Again - set your budget and stick to it. Tell your family it's the experience, not the shopping, that's important. Agree up front that you'll take tons of photographs, but only buy things in a couple of places, and then try not to load up on cheap trinkets that you'll throw out in a few months.

[ChristusG]

We are SO going to do this one day! I hate road trips, but I love planning vacations, so maybe the mixture will allow me to have fun while traveling LOL.

 

We have a 6 month old and I want to wait till she's quite a bit older....so maybe within the next 5 years. That would put our other kids at 13 and 10 years old, which would be good ages.

[Ottakee]

Tons of good advice here.

 

If you hotel it, look for ones that have a HOT breakfast. Some even offer a "light dinner/snacks" in the evening and a hot breakfast---things like Homewood Suites which might be a bit more expensive, depending on the area, but if you get 2 meals for free that can really add up. The one we stayed at had things like a taco bar for supper--make your own tacos, nachoes and cheese, salad bar and mexican rice.

 

If you do stay at parks, some have cabins that are very reasonable. Even alternate between camping and hoteling it.

 

Deli food is a treat here and a $5 deli chicken with a few sides would feed the 3 of you for supper and likely enough meat left over for lunch the next day.

 

We rarely to never buy souveniers. We just don't need more stuff around here.

 

Have your daughter think of 1 or 2 really neat things to do that are more expensive and then the rest of the time stick to very cheap'/free things.

 

I don't know if she would qualify but due to her special needs you might qualify for a special national park pass which I think gets you in for free, discounts on camping/cabins, etc. I think it is a Golden Eagle pass or something. Dh got one for ds when they went out west and made good use of it.

[sheryl]

Awesome thread! Which route are you planning on taking across the country? Northern (Rushmore, Yellowstone, Tetons,) Southern (New Orleans, S. Colorado, Grand Canyon, Vegas)?

 

Tentative plan:

Drive to San Francisco by way of Tahoe to see friends . Use SILs house as homebase, take the 2 cousins with and "do" San Fran for several days. They are familiar with my "homeschool in the summer" mindset.:D Also hang out at SIL's pool some.

 

Drive south along coast followed by SIL w/in-laws. Stop at a few colleges - CalPoly (where dh & SIL went), UC Santa Barbara, Westmont (Fil's college). We will have 10th, 9th, 8th, & 6th graders with us. Dh will fly in and join us here.

 

Attend 4 day reunion in Malibu area and hit the beach. Everyone will return home and my little family will stay in the LA area for a few days. DH will work from his corporate office while kids and I do a few educational/fun days in LA.

 

Dh is then taking vacation as we drive back home. Still planning this, but wish list so far includes: Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Bryce & Zion (can in St. George at a friends condo), Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes, still planning. Not sure if we will go south to the Flagstaff area (I really would like to see Sedona) or north to Bryce/Zion area..

 

Now, to find out how to do this on a shoestring.:lol::lol::lol:

 

Thanks. There's so much here and I'm going to re-read it! You vacation sounds great. Hey, we could just tag along with y'all, huh? :D

 

 

I have a huge one month loop road trip starting tomorrow.....MO-KS-CO-UT-NM-AZ-NV-CA-OR-ID-MT-WY-NE-MO and have worked on the plans now for about six weeks.

 

Wow, thanks for responding when you're so close to cleaning on your own USA whirlwind vacation. Thinking of southern route this time. Northern next time! :tongue_smilie:

 

Sites to check out for cheap(er) options outside of hotels/motels:

 

AirBnB.com

VRBO.com

HomeAway.com

BedandBreakfast.com

KOA.com

 

Thanks for these - I'll check them out.

 

I've also spent time on TripAdvisor.com reading through reviews of accommodation options in different areas to see how they rate and have found some things that aren't popping up on other sites there, but will pop up if I put the name into google.

 

SkyAuction.com sometimes has some deals, as does Groupon.com under their travel section. TravelZoo (registration required) has a Top 20 Deal page each week, sometimes they're good deals, sometimes not so much.

 

Also in areas you're looking to stay google the area name and "unique lodging" and you'll often have something pop up that is unique or different (yurts, luxury tents, huts, tipis, etc.) OK, I'm intrigued by this. Will research!

 

With private rentals (like on VBRO.com) you can sometimes negotiate the rate, have them waive the cleaning fees, etc. - but it's harder to do that if you're only staying a night or two....easier if it's more nights OR if you catch a "gap" on their calendar where they're booked solid except for a night here or there and you can fill in that gap. Good pracical info here.

 

AirBnB is often a room in a house, the pool house, a carriage house or above the garage type stuff, but many of them are unique type places to stay and/or the whole house, condo or apartment. Again, helpful info.

 

I travel with a cube cooler and inserts that can be frozen as needed rather than using ice since ice makes things soggy as it melts. On our routes I try to figure out where the grocery stores are that will have organic products we like so I can pick up things like goat milk while we're traveling.

 

Overall for this upcoming trip, our nightly average is $72 a night (with tax), with the cheapest being a cabin in UT ($47 a night, private ranch) and the most expensive a log cabin in the San Juan's in CO ($200 a night, private rental - but it has a hot tub, is on 15 acres and is on a lake with a canoe to use and no fishing license is needed for DH there). The oddest place is a cave in NM....most unique a tipi in MT. Also, sometimes going outside a major area by 15-30 miles means rates drop significantly and the areas aren't quite as touristy or crowded, but the place to stay is still good and access to the bigger area is just minutes away.

 

Have fun with the planning - there are so many cool options in the SW and west....PM me if you want some ideas!

 

Thanks for everything. Yes, I see a pm coming in the near future! :D

 

We have driven across the country countless times with a family of six.

 

Food

 

(Like others have said) Packing all breakfast and lunch foods. Eat fast food for dinner. We eat sandwiches for breakfast and lunch and pack bread, butter, mustard, lunch meat, salami and cheese and re-up the perishables every few days from grocery stores along the way.

 

For dinner, we don't let anyone go overboard. In other words, the teen boys don't get to order two big Macs. Everyone gets one meal; if they're still hungry, have another sandwich.

 

Hotels

 

I alternate cheaper motels with more expensive places. The mid-west is super-cheap and a lot of places have water parks - lots of fun after a day in the car. The eastern part of the country is worse.

 

All six of us slept in one room for years. I just told people up front, paid the extra fees if I had to and told them there was no way I was sleeping separately from the kids. We'd ask for extra pillows and blankets and made "nests" on the floor for anyone who didn't fit in a bed.

 

Attractions

 

This is all about planning ahead. Set your budget and then research, research, research. Often the big museums and national attractions are the most expensive.

 

South Dakota has a lot of neat places - the Black Hills, the Badlands, The Crazy Horse Monument, Mt. Rushmore.

 

Souveniers

 

Again - set your budget and stick to it. Tell your family it's the experience, not the shopping, that's important. Agree up front that you'll take tons of photographs, but only buy things in a couple of places, and then try not to load up on cheap trinkets that you'll throw out in a few months.

 

 

This is great - much appreciated!

 

We did a big cross country road trip about 10 years ago and went from Oregon to Washington DC. We had a mini van with a car top carrier so there was room to pack some camping gear. We traveled 5 nights staying at super 8 motels, getting their frequent stay card and saving 10% and they allowed us to have 5 people in a 2 bed room. This is good. We had their contintental breakfast and then stopped each day and made lunch at a park with food that we brought with us. For dinner I had prepared food for 3 nights and froze it prior to leaving, taking a cooler. I think I made burritos, baked chicken dinner and tacos. I didn't prepare past 3 days since I wasn't sure if I could keep it all super cold and healthy. We took a small microwave to reheat. We used our camp stove, microwave, pancake/waffle grill and 2 cup electric coffee pot! I am not really into roughing it. The Virginia KOA had a ceiling fan and fortunately it was a cool week in May. The KOA outside of DC had air conditioning! I took my crock pot so that I could cook stews or other one dish meals while we were out exploring. You can't cook inside of a KOA cabin but you can take an extension cord and let it cook outside on a picnic table.

 

We were gone about 3 weeks and though I can't tell you exactly how much we spent, gas at the time was $1.50 a gallon and so many of our activities were free in DC.

 

I like the idea of the frequent stays at various motels....earning free nights...they didn't do that 10 years ago.

 

QUOTE]

 

 

Everything here is useful. Thanks.

 

We are SO going to do this one day! I hate road trips, but I love planning vacations, so maybe the mixture will allow me to have fun while traveling LOL.

 

We have a 6 month old and I want to wait till she's quite a bit older....so maybe within the next 5 years. That would put our other kids at 13 and 10 years old, which would be good ages.

 

Tons of good advice here.

 

If you hotel it, look for ones that have a HOT breakfast. Some even offer a "light dinner/snacks" in the evening and a hot breakfast---things like Homewood Suites which might be a bit more expensive, depending on the area, but if you get 2 meals for free that can really add up. The one we stayed at had things like a taco bar for supper--make your own tacos, nachoes and cheese, salad bar and mexican rice.

 

If you do stay at parks, some have cabins that are very reasonable. Even alternate between camping and hoteling it.

 

Have your daughter think of 1 or 2 really neat things to do that are more expensive and then the rest of the time stick to very cheap'/free things.

 

I don't know if she would qualify but due to her special needs you might qualify for a special national park pass which I think gets you in for free, discounts on camping/cabins, etc. I think it is a Golden Eagle pass or something. Dh got one for ds when they went out west and made good use of it.

 

Thanks Ottakee! I forgot about s.n. passes - thanks. Something to consider. I agree with souveniers. We will buy sparingly. Two years ago when we went to Canada and came back through Niagara Falls; we actually did allow dd to buy a souvenier. She bought a wolf mug with Canadian emblems on it and we use it often. What we buy we'll use.

 

Good tips - THANKS!

[vonfirmath]

We camped (KOAs. In a tent) in order to be able to go on vacation growing up.

[creekland]

Beware of motels that offer a free hot breakfast. Many times (not all) in our experience they cost more than buying a breakfast elsewhere with a less expensive motel. The last time we had this option the "free breakfast" motel would have cost us $45 more plus taxes. Breakfast at Waffle House next to our less expensive motel cost us $25 including tip.

 

Sometimes they are a better deal... compare prices.

[LostSurprise]

The car saddle bag is here: http://www.amazon.com/Rightline-Gear-100B90-PackRight-Saddlebag/dp/B0009NWQWI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337183256&sr=8-1

 

I just remembered...some state parks have camping/cabins/yurts and they can be very cheap but it depends on how early you get your deposit and reservation in. Last year we decided to go at the last minute, and we were traveling in August, so everything useful and inexpensive was wayyyy off the highway and not in our travel plans.

 

However, there are some cool rustic cabins/yurts out there (I so wanted to stay in a yurt). Check your travel plans and look for state parks along the way. It will say on their web page if they have accommodations.

 

Also some faiths (Catholics for instance) have places of rest and will allow visitors for a low fee (monasteries and so forth).

 

I did look at a lot of unique places to stay last year, but almost every time the KOA was cheaper (and when it wasn't it was on the way and saved us equivalent $ in gas and time over the alternative).

[LAS in LA]

I didn't read all the replies, but did anyone mention the Mennonite-Your-Way directory? It's a very cheap way to travel and you can meet "locals", on farms and in cities and suburbs. Most are some variety of Christian. Not all old people either (as the photos on the website show). :001_smile: http://www.mennoniteyourway.com/Myw/

[leeannpal]

I hope it can be done on a budget because we need to go see my husband's family. His mother is not doing well, so we plan to drive from middle Georgia to Niagara Falls in the near future. If we can go during the summer or early fall, we could tent camp, but we may have to wait until Thanksgiving or even Christmas. We cannot stay with his mother because she needs special medical care and has a live in helper. Her house is very small. he has a sister and brother who live there, but they have large families in small houses. The tips for cheap travel have been great!

[sheryl]

I hope it can be done on a budget because we need to go see my husband's family. His mother is not doing well, so we plan to drive from middle Georgia to Niagara Falls in the near future. If we can go during the summer or early fall, we could tent camp, but we may have to wait until Thanksgiving or even Christmas. We cannot stay with his mother because she needs special medical care and has a live in helper. Her house is very small. he has a sister and brother who live there, but they have large families in small houses. The tips for cheap travel have been great!

 

Middle GA - you are maybe 5 hours from us. We are in Charlotte and traveled back from N Falls almost 2 years ago. You could actually split up the driving and drive straight through. My sister and her dh in Detroit area "used" to travel from Detroit to FL (Sarasota) in 1 day...driving all the way through. I'd prefer not to do that, but it "can" be done if need be.

 

I didn't read all the replies, but did anyone mention the Mennonite-Your-Way directory? It's a very cheap way to travel and you can meet "locals", on farms and in cities and suburbs. Most are some variety of Christian. Not all old people either (as the photos on the website show). :001_smile: http://www.mennoniteyourway.com/Myw/

 

Thanks for that one too. Creative. Love that. But, I NEED AIR CONDITIONING - I need to control it with an in-room unit. Central ac would be great too, but so many people set it above what I prefer. (Recent thread on this).

 

We camped (KOAs. In a tent) in order to be able to go on vacation growing up.

 

Yes, others suggested KOA. I'm checking into all options.

 

Beware of motels that offer a free hot breakfast. Many times (not all) in our experience they cost more than buying a breakfast elsewhere with a less expensive motel. The last time we had this option the "free breakfast" motel would have cost us $45 more plus taxes. Breakfast at Waffle House next to our less expensive motel cost us $25 including tip.

 

Sometimes they are a better deal... compare prices.

 

See, we agree with this. Some hotels are higher priced to "pay" back for the "free" (not) meals.

 

The car saddle bag is here: http://www.amazon.com/Rightline-Gear-100B90-PackRight-Saddlebag/dp/B0009NWQWI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337183256&sr=8-1

 

I just remembered...some state parks have camping/cabins/yurts and they can be very cheap but it depends on how early you get your deposit and reservation in. Last year we decided to go at the last minute, and we were traveling in August, so everything useful and inexpensive was wayyyy off the highway and not in our travel plans.

 

However, there are some cool rustic cabins/yurts out there (I so wanted to stay in a yurt). Check your travel plans and look for state parks along the way. It will say on their web page if they have accommodations.

 

Also some faiths (Catholics for instance) have places of rest and will allow visitors for a low fee (monasteries and so forth).

 

I did look at a lot of unique places to stay last year, but almost every time the KOA was cheaper (and when it wasn't it was on the way and saved us equivalent $ in gas and time over the alternative).

 

Thanks for this - again, creative! AC questions. :D

 

Thanks everyone - super info. Much appreciated!