Our family loves to
travel.
We love to go places we have not
been.
But traveling could be expensive.
So we have found a way to be able to afford our favorite activity while
sticking to our goals and budget.
We drive.
We drove our way to Vancouver
And a lot of different places
like:
Whistler Canada
Lake Havasu, Arizona
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Las Vegas, Nevada
Los Angeles, California
San Francisco, California
Park City, Utah
Branson, Missouri
Saint Louis, Missouri
and all the places in between.
After several of these
experiences, we have observed some leeway and drawbacks of long drive
vacations:
Leeway:
1. It is cheap, especially for a
family of four. We have Nissan Frontier truck and spent only approximately $250
for gas from Denver all the way to Canada with no additional charge of paying
for extra luggage and renting a car upon reaching our destination. Aside from
that, we were able to save food by packing our own. In order to avoid paying
costly hotels on layovers, we make use of certain hotels rewards program,
freebies from Swagbucks or Ebates, our own timeshare (which we paid off only
the remainder of the amount as it was foreclosed and without paying interest
rates) and bookings on cheaptickets or other travel bargain websites.
2. It is more fun and
educational. By driving, you'll be able to explore the distinctiveness of one
place to the other, the erratic change of temperature from rapidly moving to
different longitudinal areas and of the many landscape our earth is rich of. My
daughter has been in-charged of a travel log which is a journal of important
events of the trip, essential information of a place and its people, and some
photographs to go with it.
3. We have more freedom of our
time. While some kids would want to discover a city, we can do so because we
are the captain of our ship. On one of our trips, we passed by Oregon, a
gorgeous and green state. We then stopped on one of the scenic picnic areas and
celebrated the breathtaking gift of God.
4. We control our layovers. Since
layover is defined as a period of rest of waiting before a further stage in a
journey, our family redefines it as an exciting part of our journey that
enables us to rejuvenate and to sustain the fun (not to cease it by waiting in
vain). If we have to sleep in one place, we always choose a hotel with pool and
hot tub, free breakfast and nice sheets. By the next day, we all have a
relaxing dip in the pool and tub, a good night's rest, and happy tummies. Then
everyone is ready for the next day's adventure.
5. Food cravings are satisfied.
My son only eats meals with rice (it's an Asian thing :)) so I always cook at
least 3 entrees and freeze some of them before our trip. By the time we reach
our layover or destination, everyone craves for a hot adobo or baked salmon
with rice. What a blessing to have those foods ready to feast on. However,
during planning for the trip, we always make sure to book a hotel with
microwave and refrigerator.
6. Travel bug, begone!
Drawbacks:
1. More demanding on time.
2. More demanding of our energy.
3. Flying is the only option for
traveling overseas.
Musts:
1. Prepare.
2. Budget.
3. Bring Rice Cooker.
4. Assign responsibilities.
5. Have Fun
Must Not:
1. Drive when tired.
2. Compare your lifestyle with
other families- Some families post luxurious family vacations on social media
whether it was paid by cash or credit card, it's none of our business. What is
essential is we know our own financial status when it comes to vacations and we
don't end up paying all the mounted credit card bills racking up during the
trip.
3. Think that the effort is yours alone- That's why assigning tasks is important and not to be taken lightly
because as a mom, I don't want to travel mad. I want my crew to know that they
can contribute to this wonderful event as a family. And of course, it would
give each and every family member a sense of responsibility and therefore a
sense of pride to be accomplishing something phenomenal.
4. Forget your camera!
I hope this post provides at
least an inspiration that family vacations do not have to be expensive. I
believe most families keep postponing overdue trips due to that reason. There is never
a best time to travel but now.
Enjoy you life and your family.
The world is full of adventures!
Love,
Ehma
Great article! My husband and I love to travel too. However, since we don't have our own car, we take public transportation such as buses and trains. We always travel light so we only bring essential things. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you also for sharing, Faithy xoxoxo
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