It’s finally here! Road trip season!
We love road trips, but planning a road trip, especially with a family of 5 can be expensive yet one of the best values in family travel. You get to see much more than if you just flew to one destination and the opportunities for adventures are endless. Here are some of the things to keep in mind when planning your own road trip.
Flying
Sometimes before your road trip, you have to fly to your starting point. When we fly with our children, we try to avoid connecting flights as much as possible, but because we also aim to travel from the nearest airport to our house, sometimes we end up at destinations that are not a major airline hub, which require connections. We have even been known to take red-eye flights with our kids to save money and/or time.
Take note that all these details can add up: Do you want a direct flight? Are you willing to travel with a different airline than what you normally choose (We have paid a little bit more to fly with a specific airline)? Do you want a flight out of your local airport? Is it a major hub? Are you willing to take earlier/later flights?
Also note that if you fly with your children often, it doesn’t hurt to sign them up for airline miles as well. Never too soon to start accumulating those benefits!
Hotels/Camp Sites
We often set up our lodging experience to be as diverse as the places we will be visiting. In one trip we have been known to stay on campsites as well as stay in hotels. We reserve our campsites very early on because these tend to book very quickly. Many camp areas require a non-refundable deposit, equivalent to a one-night stay (and cabins can be harder to come by the longer you wait).
If you plan on traveling during major holidays, such as 4th of July, it may be it hard to find a hotel in major cities. We will often book outside of the cities to save money, but also to get more room. Be flexible when booking your hotels. If you stay right outside city limits you increase your chances of finding more affordable options and better deals.
We also often decide to dish a little extra on hotels that offer us more space, free breakfast, and laundry whenever possible. But spending a lot of money on hotels is not necessary. If you have a tighter budget and would rather splurge more on activities, there are many nice hotel options out there to meet your basic lodging needs and where you would feel comfortable staying with your family. Research each location carefully, as individual hotels, even within the same brands, can sometimes shift in quality levels.
Many resorts offer vacation packages that include excursions and other experiences as part of the deal. We often check out smaller hotels along the way as well, as it not only contributes to supporting small business but also because these were easier to find in smaller towns. We research them online and book all our stays through the hotel website directly as they offer the best deals. Some of these smaller hotels can’t afford to be listed on deal sites, so it’s always a good idea to check the destination tourism sites, where they are regularly listed.
Car Rentals
When you are taking a road trip you must consider whether or not you will be taking your own vehicle or rent a car. When we did our road trip from NYC to Austin, TX in 2010 we had to rent a car last-minute because after taking ours in for an inspection – which you should always do before a trip like this – we were told that our car would probably not make it. The rental was pricey, but worth it because it spared us the pain of dealing with car problems while traveling.
A car rental that requires a pick up in one city and drop off in another can be expensive, but sometimes unavoidable. So search early and reserve early, a good call as prices almost double as as you get closer to date.
Attractions/Activities
Always, always, always connect with the local tourism group and/or visitors center of the destination you are visiting. They are happy to help with information that fit what you are looking for. Planning a date night while on the road? Need a sitter service? Any local events to check out? Deals, coupons, discount passes? They’ve got you covered. I never travel without connecting with them because they are so helpful in helping plan our visit.
The Total Cost
Our 2013 out-of-pocket costs (and estimated budget) total for this 2 and a half week road trip, for a family of five, along the West Coast was $8,000.00.
It took us a year to save up for it. We reserved the car and hotels early, and purchased our airline tickets a couple of months before the trip.
We really pulled in a lot of our resources for this one and I freelanced a lot of hours to make it happen. My husband stayed up late digging through websites in search of good prices and scouting hotel locations. It wasn’t always the most fun trip to prepare for, but once we had everything in place, I felt it was so worth it. All the planning beforehand allowed us to relax during the trip. (Bonus for the 2013 trip was that even though we had it all planned, budgeted, paid for and reserved, I ended up partnering with G Adventures and Onstar – read here – which was a really cool, unexpected plus! However, because this happened much later after the planning stages, costs for the trip were already set up and even incurred.)
We hope this insight helps you if there is a trip that you have in mind. Just remember that with patience and careful budgeting and planning, you can make it happen and have the time of your life in the process.
To see images of all the stops we made along the way during our West Coast road trip, check out the #Gadvroadtrip hashtag on my Instagram (@GirlGoneTravel).
Kim StuffedSuitcase
Carol, I'm so excited for you. I'm a Seattle mom, so it's going to be fun seeing what you think of our emerald city! I saw your post on Pinterest, but I'm going to be adding you on my other profiles too, so I can follow along. Best wishes & safe travels!
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caincarol
Kim StuffedSuitcaseThanks so much Kim! I've never been so am super excited to visit : ) Please feel free to share local tips!
Kim StuffedSuitcase
caincarolI'd love to share some tips. How much time will you have and what are some of your favorite types of experiences?
My recent post Packing List for Families
caincarol
Kim StuffedSuitcaseAwesome! We will be in Seattle from tomorrow till the 30th…and we LOVE local favorites and unique spots : ) Thank you!
Kim StuffedSuitcase
caincarolWell, the Chihuly Glass Exhibit is a big tourist spot, but gorgeous. Kerry Park has great views but Discovery Park has views & more. Take a ferry to Bainbridge or Bremerton. Buy flowers in Pikes Place Market if you like flowers. See if you can get in to the theo chocolate factory tour if you have chocolate lovers. And of course visit a drive thru espresso booth (we're the home of Starbucks, but everyone has those :)). Breweries are big in Seattle, but I don't have a specific one to recommend. The Ballard locks are kind of a tourist spot, but very unique. The salmon should be swimming the ladder too. If you like libraries, check out the Seattle Library. 🙂
My recent post Packing List for Families
caincarol
Kim StuffedSuitcaseKim, you are a rock star!! THANK YOU! xoxo These ALL sound so awesome!
Kim StuffedSuitcase
caincarolYou're very welcome! Hope you have safe & smooth travels tomorrow!
My recent post Packing List for Families
Sandra Foyt
Looking forward to following your road trip adventures! I've been driving across the US almost every summer for the last few years, and each time it's a completely different and amazing experience. Happy trails!
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caincarol
Sandra FoytThank you so much Sandra!
HarlemLoveBirds
Wow! I can't wait to follow along. I've always wanted to do a big trip out West someday perhaps in an RV!
caincarol
HarlemLoveBirdsThank you! We are super excited : )))
Amy Whitley
Great route! It will take you right by our house, actually, but we'll be in Alaska! We especially love the CA coast, and I'm glad to see Yosemite on the itinerary. Also want to second your tip about checking for local lodging on CVB or tourism sites instead of just the 'big box' listing sites. We find great boutique hotels this way.
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caincarol
Amy WhitleyOh! Enjoy Alaska Amy! How great! And, yes, thank you! People underestimate the value of the tourism boards for great local finds : ) Thanks for sharing!
Dee
Nice ride! Sounds like you will need a vacation from your vacation. Assuming you will be watching the fireworks from Crissy Field (do they still do fireworks at Crissy Field?)
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caincarol
DeeHaha! Road trips are tons of fun, but yeah, can be exhausting! We have made sure to add some relax time for sure : )) Crissy Fields still has fireworks, but we haven't decided where to go yet!
Pam @triplethreatmom
Carol, I am so excited to read along and travel with you. The Pacific Northwest is a destination that my husband and I have always wanted to take the girls so I'll be "Liking" and "Favorite-ing" a lot of your tweets and pictures.
Very excited to see and read all about it! Safe travels!
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caincarol
Pam @triplethreatmomThanks Pam! We are so very excited. I can't wait to share all my discoveries with you : )
Dariela
Wow! Looks great! I imagine the amount of work for planning that takes. I would love to do a rod trip with the family one day. Looking forward to your updates! Oh and I love love the map 🙂
caincarol
DarielaThanks Dariela!
Anna
Congrats on making a big trip happen, have a great trip!
caincarol
AnnaThanks Anna!
New Orleans Tours
Some of the most unique climates to get a trip with the road. The options and activity levels are endless.
RobbyGiltCity
Where in Big Sur did y'all stay? A few buddies of mine and I went camping right on the beach.. it an amazing experience!!
caincarol
RobbyGiltCityWe didn't. We just drove by. Wish we had more time to explore.
Britany
We are planning a trip like this. Did you share your itinary on here? I would love to see the details. Where can I find that? Thank you!
caincarol
BritanyHi Britany! Thanks for your comment and question! I didn\’t write one out, however (and I added it to this post), I did keep track of all of our stops pn Instagram so that readers could also see photographs of all the places even if I didn\’t write about them. I linked the hashtag in the post, but just in case it\’s #Gadvroadtrip on GirlGoneTravel Instagram. Also, here is a link to all my posts around that trip: https://girlgonetravel.com/tag/road-trip-2013/. I hope that helps and have a great time! Thanks for reading : )