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Road trips: Skip the airport hassles and hit the road. Even with the high cost of gas, driving is cheaper than flying a family of four, says Carol White, who wrote “Live Your Road Trip Dream,” with her husband Phil.
“It’s also a great way to reconnect with your spouse or family,” said White, who recommends leaving the electronics at home for real bonding time. “How long has it been since you played cards or a board game?”
To save on lodging and meals, White suggests camping out in a tent or RV in one of the national or state parks. Yellowstone National Park has biking, horseback riding, boating, hiking and park education programs for kids. Most of the national parks also have Junior Ranger programs for children.
“You can pack a picnic to your favorite spot, take a whitewater rafting trip on the Rio Grande, go snorkeling at Dry Tortugas, rent a sailboat (on a lake) in Grand Teton,” said White. “The list is endless and just depends upon the features of the park itself.”
For couples, “there are a lot of beautiful parkways and scenic drives all over the country that you can combine with activities along the way,” such as California’s State Route 1 (Highway 1) along the Pacific or routes through the state’s wine country in Sonoma and Napa Valley. In New England, U.S. Route 1 includes small towns and the coast. Pick a theme, such as historic mansions, golf courses, or wine, and map out the route.
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Paul Souders / AP file On your road trip, save on lodging and meals by camping out in a tent or RV in one of the national or state parks. |
Cities: It’s not impossible to travel to a sophisticated city for $600. Get out of the casino, the high-end restaurants and upscale shops, and Vegas can be done for less than $500, says Bryan Allison, vice president of marketing for Vegas.com.
Vegas.com has several deals on air-hotel packages, including two airline tickets from Phoenix and two nights at the Circus Circus Hotel & Casino for $474 per person (double occupancy).
Once in Vegas, spend the afternoon relaxing in your hotel pool complex, and at night wander the Strip to see free attractions like the Bellagio’s fountain show, Conservatory and Botanical Garden; the Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand; or the “Sirens of TI” show, staged four times a night outside Treasure Island Hotel. Red Rock Canyon, 17 miles from Vegas, offers hiking and a 13-mile scenic drive ($5 car entry fee).
Washington D.C. is a great destination for families looking for fun on a budget, since many museums are free. Visit the National Mall, the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court Building. Check out the Smithsonian and the Museum of Natural History. Stroll through Constitution Gardens. See the pandas at the National Zoo. And for a night on the town, head to Adams Morgan or Georgetown.
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Finally, you can plan a trip to New Orleans that’s not only in your budget, but that can help the economy there. “We have a bit of a ways to go to get to where we were before Katrina,” said Mary Beth Romig, spokeswoman for the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Roundtrip airfare from Boston to New Orleans and a three-night hotel stay at the three-star Pelham Hotel is $574 per person, according to Cheapflights.com.
Stroll down Bourbon Street, eat beignets at Cafe Du Monde, listen to street musicians in Jackson Square, check out the new Louisiana African American Heritage Trail, or tour parts of the city that are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
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