We\u2019re back from our 12-day road trip of the Northeastern US. Over the years, we\u2019ve come to believe that the road trip is the best frugal way to travel as a family<\/em>. Let\u2019s look at how we make our trips memorable (and manageable). Get ready for an adventure as we explore the Keep Thrifty guide to the best family vacation on a budget: the road trip.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve used these methods to take our family of five to 46 of the 50 states in the USA over the last 4 years. Through five trips our approximate total cost has been $15000 with a total of 54 days of travel!<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot to pack in, so here\u2019s the outline:<\/p>\n When looking at your options for travel, there\u2019s a clear advantage for families to hit the road over taking a flight. On a plane, you pay for every member of your family individually. Road tripping has the same travel cost whether you\u2019re alone or in a clown car packed to the brim.<\/p>\n Our family\u2019s road tripping obsession started with our first trip in 2014. We needed to get from Wisconsin to Arizona and back for my sister-in-law\u2019s wedding. With three kids (aged 3, 2, and 2), we were due to pay for five full-price flights. At the time, that would have been $500 each, totaling $2500. When we researched the costs to road trip, we discovered that we could get to Arizona and back for the same $2500 when we included food, gas, hotel stays, and activity costs over nine days of travel.<\/p>\n In the end, the costs were a wash but we were getting much more bang for our buck<\/em> by hitting the road. Rather than a 4-day vacation with one destination, we got a 12-day trip at a more leisurely pace that included hitting up national parks, zoos, playgrounds, and seeing parts of the country we had never been to.<\/p>\n When flying, the focus of a trip is the destination. When road tripping, the focus is the journey. (Tweet this <\/i><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve found our experiences on the road to be life-changing – giving us the time and empty space to push outside our comfort zone, tackle new challenges, and dream together (even to the point of drastically improving our marriage<\/a>).<\/p>\n Sold yet? Ok then – let\u2019s get into the nitty gritty, starting with the budget.<\/p>\n The first step to planning any vacation should be setting a rough total budget. This will help set the guideposts for your trip so it doesn\u2019t become an extravaganza.<\/p>\n For reference, here\u2019s how our five road trips have panned out for costs:<\/p>\n Start with a preliminary target for your top-limit budget and cut 10% off to cover unplanned expenses. Then, as you go through the planning steps below, keep an eye on how things are rolling up so you can adjust to fit within your limit.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve gone on a few trips, you\u2019ll get a feel for average expenses for food, hotels, gas, and activities for your family and budgeting for future trips should get easier.<\/p>\n Beyond this, please follow this fundamental rule:<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have the money saved up, don\u2019t book the trip.<\/em><\/p>\n I can\u2019t emphasize this enough. Going into debt for a vacation is a terrible idea. The interest you pay on debt for that trip will make future trips even harder to go on and put you in a downward spiral. Just don\u2019t do it. If your finances are constrained, check out the last section of this article for some creative options for low budgets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve got your budget set, you can start planning out your trip.<\/p>\n As you go through the process, you may find yourself in a position where things just aren\u2019t working out due to budget, timing, or other constraints. Don\u2019t get bummed out if you get to this point – we\u2019ve had to scrap our first plan for most trips. The second time through goes much faster and you\u2019ll have a better idea of what you absolutely want to keep in your itinerary.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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Why Road Trip?<\/h2>\n
Budgeting<\/h2>\n
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Planning Your Trip<\/h2>\n
Picking Your Route<\/h3>\n