Yes, this blog is called Tales from a Middle Class Kitchen, but middle class people cannot live by bread alone! They also need to get away from daily stressors and responsibilities and take much-needed vacations. For me, though, the word ‘vacation’ conjures up images of airplanes, cruise ships, and gigantic dollar signs, but this middle class family has learned that doesn’t have to be the case! As long as you can handle being trapped in the car with your family for a few hours, road trips are a great way to see the country (or, in our case, the Midwest).
In the last two summers, our 3-person family has taken several mini-vacations. I (The Wife) have been the one to coordinate these. I am a notorious penny-pincher and have found ways to make a small budget stretch a long way. Here is the basic step-by-step process I follow.
#1: Choose a destination. Sometimes, our choice needs to be reasonably close to a family get-together. (For example, both summers, we have planned around a 4th of July party in the Chicagoland area.) Other times, the locations may be based on an acquaintance’s suggestion. (Our trip to Indiana was based solely on running into a former student who mentioned the name of a distillery where she had recently attended a wedding.) You might also want to work in quick visit with someone. (That’s how we ended up in Minnesota this year.) Or, if you’re like us, maybe there is something strange in Atlas Obscura that you just have to see!
#2: Consider what your family enjoys doing. The husband’s requirement is that he get to visit a distillery. Our daughter enjoys hiking and anything that involves animals. When I can, I try to work in a genealogical adventure for myself. Depending on where we go, that’s not always possible, but I can almost always find an interesting historical landmark or museum to visit.
#3: Start searching for activities in the surrounding area. I generally just go to Google Maps and type in our proposed location. Once you get to the map of the area, you should see an option at the top that says “Things to do.” Click on that, and start exploring! At this point, I like to create a Word document or Google Doc to keep track of any ideas I might have. I include the name of the attraction, address, hours, phone number, and cost.
#4: Consider costs. I don’t like spending money. At all. I still don’t understand why it costs as much for adults to get into a children’s museum as it does for the child. What am I spending money to do? Chaperone my child? I do that all day for free! But I digress… The last thing you want is to arrive at a location and find out the cost is more than you want to spend. So here are some pointers:
• Most historic sites and state parks are free or close to it.
• Colleges and universities often have free museums. At worst, you might have to pay for parking.
• Some attractions have free admission days. As someone who actively avoids large groups of people, I don’t generally take advantage of this option, but it is available.
• Look for discounts. Are you a teacher? A veteran? A member of an organization whose membership includes free admission to certain places? Sometimes it isn’t listed on a website, so it might not be a bad idea to call and ask. One museum we went to in Minnesota was free for teachers, but we only found out when the husband thought to ask when we were purchasing tickets.
#5: Set an itinerary. Your itinerary can be as basic or as detailed as you want. It might just be a list of all the possible places to visit, and you just play it by ear when you get to your destination. For places with limited hours, free admission on certain days, etc., you might want to simply list what attractions you want to visit on what day. Totally up to you. Make sure you check to see how long it will take you to get to your destination, and don’t forget to consider time changes! We only had to worry about this once in 8 trips, but it’s still worth mentioning if you are planning to travel a considerable distance.
#6: Book a hotel. Unfortunately, there is very little chance of finding a free hotel (unless you are visiting friends/family, and they are willing to put you up), but you can still minimize the cost. I use Expedia. It has a rewards program where you earn money to apply to future travel, and it allows me to filter hotels by price, ratings, and amenities. (There are plenty of apps/websites that do this, so use whatever makes you comfortable.) When traveling, it is necessary for my daughter to have a pool and for all of us to have a free breakfast. I look for places with more than just your basic continental breakfast because loading up on breakfast usually means we can make it until dinnertime without having to eat. Look through the pictures the hotel provides to get an idea of their breakfast options and/or read the reviews. We have had some stellar breakfast bars…and a few not-so-stellar.
#7: On the day of your trip, pack snacks. Our child is apparently on the verge of starvation at all times. As a result, we pack a small cooler with car-friendly snacks: juice boxes, sandwich crackers, fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, etc. This keeps you from having to spend money at rest area vending machines or gas station convenience stores. It also keeps you from having to stop the car every hour. If you have room, pack an empty cooler. We often end up with leftovers from our dinners out, and while your hotel room will probably have a refrigerator, you’ll want a way to transport the leftovers home if you don’t eat them during the trip.
#8: If you see something interesting, stop! Here in central Illinois, there are Abraham Lincoln sites pretty much everywhere. One day, we took a detour to the World’s Largest Covered Wagon…driven by a statue of Abraham Lincoln. I also remember traveling through South Dakota just before the husband and I got married. For miles, we had been seeing signs for Cosmos Mystery Area. We were intrigued, so we stopped. It was ridiculous, but it was fun, and we even got a bumper sticker to commemorate our visit!
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| We did, in fact, survive it. |
#9: Relax, and enjoy your getaway knowing that it did NOT cost a small fortune.
Additional tip for adults: If you and/or your spouse enjoy an evening cocktail, we suggest packing mini liquor bottles, sodas, and juices. Once you’ve settled into your hotel room for the evening, simply hit the ice machine, and you have the makings for an adult beverage or two!
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| Good Times! |
