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I’ve never talked much on this blog about money or budgets, but with the economy being in the state it’s in, and with everyone talking and writing about staying home this summer, I’m feeling the need to do so. Not because it’s trendy but because I realize that anything I can do to show families the value of travel – and how to do it less expensively – will help keep more of them traveling, which is of course one of the goals of this blog.
Which also means it’s true confession time: Part of why I don’t talk about budgets is that I don’t usually have one.
Now mind you, this isn’t because I’m fabulously rich. I certainly SHOULD have a budget. And before we leave home I’m usually more frugal – I can find a discount plane fare or a good hotel rate. It’s just that once we’re actually on the road I don’t do so well. My brain tends to do this funny thing when I travel, what I like to call going into vacation mode. You know how they say that if no one sees you eat that big dish of ice cream right before bed the calories don’t count? Well I’m kind of like that about travel budgeting: I’m on vacation, so any money I spend is from a Monopoly game. It’s vacation money! Not real money!
This does not mean we stay in luxury hotels or throw money away on 4-star meals that the kids don’t eat. But I’m not one to pass up a chance to spend big bucks on local honey at a farmer’s market or a cool t-shirt at the science museum, to say nothing of a wonderful lunch for all four of us at some great bakery. And then there’s the daily helping of artisanal ice cream and a nice bottle of wine for Matt and I to enjoy once we’ve piled the kids into bed….And before you know it, any semblance of a budget is out the window.
But I am resolved that our road trip at the beginning of this summer will be different. I’m actually going to keep track of what we spend. I might even think about setting a daily budget and trying to stick to it. We’re also going to save money by staying with family and friends and I’m going to see what I can do to keep all expenses at a minimum. I will of course share any insights or tips I come up with here.
And most importantly of all: Matt and I have decided that our entire road trip, which as you can see below will be fairly extensive and will cover several thousand miles, will be conducted at speeds of under 60 miles per hour. That’s right – we’re going to save money (and the environment in our own modest way) by slowing down. Maybe I’ll even get real math-y and try to figure out just how many gallons of gas (and how much money) we’ll save overall by doing this.
I’ll have more details next week about just where we’ll be going on this trip (which will be taking place at the end of June) and what sights I hope for us to see, but our path will roughly be this:
- Drive across PA, OH, IN, and IL to reach southern WI
- A nice long visit with family in Wisconsin
- Drive from Wisconsin to Kansas City to see friends
- Kansas City to Saint Louis (hopefully to see more friends)
- Travel home from Saint Louis – somehow. I haven’t decided if we want to take the more northerly or southerly route. It will depend on what we decide we want to see.
All of this seen going at a maximum of 60 mph and blogged about exhaustively of course! If any of you have suggestions for things we shouldn’t miss that lie roughly in the geographic region we’ll be covering, I’d love to hear them.
Photo used courtesy of visual.dichotomy.
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8 Responses to “Introducing our 60-mile-per-hour fabulous *budget* adventure”
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What an ambitious adventure! I hear you about the lack of travel budget or perhaps loss of travel budget. I am going to try to be more disciplined as well.
Bridget’s last blog post..Mondays are for Dreaming: The Perfect Camping Trip
I hear you on the budget, Mara. I’m really the same way – will scour the net for good deals prior to going, but once we’re on the road, anything goes and usually on the same items as you buy! One thing that works for us is to buy sandwich fixings and make lunch on the road – it does save a bit of money and eases the guilt when purchasing the super-yummy-groovy ice cream and local-vineyard bottle of wine.
One of the many things I like about the Aussies is that in their public parks, more often than not, there are free gas grills that are usually really well maintained. So it’s really common to see people buying BBQ stuff and having a lunch or dinner in a park when they’re on vacation. We do it too – I usually bring a roll of tin foil, just because I like to line the grill for my own sense of hygiene. Cheap and easy for sure!
I like your trip outline – when I was a kid, my folks would take a four-week holiday (can you imagine?) and we’d drive to ID, where my dad’s mother’s family is from. We’d spend a little more than two weeks on a lake in the panhandle, plus the five days there-and-back driving. So I’m nostalgic for our ID interludes now!
This is going to be a great trip to follow, I’ll look forward to your posts and photos from the road. Also, I think the idea of not exceeding 60mph will have a lot of side benefits. Given that the entire foundation of your trip will be *not* to rush, it will less stressful, easy going, you’ll-get-there-when-you-get-there type of journey.
Lorraine’s last blog post..It Doesn’t Take Much
I can totally relate. I think we have done better recently but still our recent trip we still can’t resist to shop for the souvenir. Gotta have that mug.
I am looking forward to your summer trip’s story.
Amy @ The Q Family’s last blog post..Fun Free (Cheap) Things to Do with Kids this Summer
Where do you travel through in Illinois?
Lisa Fink’s last blog post..Apologies to …
So all I’m thinking is that if I tried to drive under 60 mph on Cali freeways, I would have a lot of mean, mean people yelling bad things at me
I hear you about the budget though, I’m good at keeping most cost downs, but I find a few things to splurge on. It’s about enjoying the moment I suppose. I can’t wait to follow your trip.
Carolina’s last blog post..Today’s Tip: Vacation Rhymes With Education
The same thing happens to me when we’re traveling.
Regarding your route, I’d recommend:
Stopping to see an “S” bridge or the “Y” bridge in Zanesville, OH.
In my opinion, COSI in Columbus is to science museums what Please Touch is to children’s museums. Very well done if you have the time.
Another nice stop is the Children’s Discovery Museum in Normal, IL.
I DO NOT recommend stopping for a break at the truck stop/DQ that is just across the interstate from the big candle, near the Ohio/Indiana border. If only we’d known there was a rest area a few miles down the road…
Have a great trip, and be sure to write about it!
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