It’s spring break season. A time when most people are planning (or dreaming about) taking a family vacation somewhere warm and sunny. Not me, I am packing up two preschoolers and heading north to visit my family and friends in Minnesota.
I consider myself to be a professional family road-tripper. I take this fourteen hour jaunt every two or three months. (That’s one benefit of working from home – I can pack up and head home whenever I feel like it). That being said, traveling is expensive. As I am watching the gas prices rise almost daily, I’ve been thinking about other ways that I will need to cut back.
Here are a few suggestions from my bag of frugal travel tricks…
Stop by the dollar store. You don’t necessarily need expensive gadgets, games and activities to entertain your children. Pick up a dozen or so dollar items and pass them out when the kids get antsy. In a previous trip I spent money on rented DVD’s, expensive travel toys, new books and music CD’s. Ironically, the kids were happiest when I simply handed them a sticker book, some crayons and a clipboard. During the last trip, I let the kids pick out six things at the dollar store. I kept the items up front for great bribe material. “If you are good until we get to the next stop, you can have your plastic tiara and ring set”. It worked like magic.
Stock up on snacks ahead of time. It is so tempting to grab a candy bar, licorice sticks, bottled sodas and chips however you’ll end up spending twice as much money if you rely on gas-station goodies. Instead, stop at a wholesale store or Wal-Mart and pick up a box of cereal, some granola, fruit snacks, cheesy goldfish, cheese sticks and other “snacky” stuff along with a package of snack bags to make individual packets which kids love.
While it is more cost-effective (and healthier) to pack some lunchmeat, cheeses, fruits and drinks in a cooler for your trip, chances are you’ll want to stop at a drive-thru. (That’s part of the fun of road-trips!) While your kids will probably beg for happy meals, split an adult-sized value meal with them instead. (This is where you can bribe them with your dollar store goodies). My kids and I can easily split a ten-piece McNugget Meal at McDonalds (with a bonus cheeseburger for me). I get the large soda, and they get the juice boxes I’d packed ahead of time.
Mix your own bottled drinks. My own biggest vice on road trips is stopping for coffee and bottled pop. I recently purchased a can of iced tea mix and a dozen bottles of water. This way, I can mix my own inexpensive drinks on the road. (You can also purchase some Tang or other powdered drink mixes for the kids too).
Do you have any frugal road trip tips to share with us? Post them in the comments section. In the meantime, enjoy these related articles.
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