Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3
Results 21 to 29 of 29
  1. #21
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Posts
    930

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by bisous View Post
    Yellowstone is calling my name. I appreciate the recent posts here. I gotta figure out how that would fit in... DS2 wants to grow up and be a vulcanologist. I can see him loving Yellowstone!
    We went this August. Beyond amazing. The kids ended up doing the young scientist program - cheap, educational, and the kids loved it. It helped that there were geologists mapping the geysers the day we did it. They spent a lot of time impromptu teaching my kids and answering lots of questions. if he is interested in volcanoes he would love this.

    The older kids (13) had to form a hypothesis about if they think the supervolcano will erupt again. There may have been a time frame for it(i was helping the younger kids so the teens worked on it on their own). I know they had infrared thermometers and had to measure temperatures of hot springs, geysers, mud pots, etc. it was fun ( but i am a nerd).

  2. #22
    marinkitty is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    North Shore Chicagoland
    Posts
    2,614

    Default

    Where you are, you could do so many great outdoorsy vacations for little expense:

    Channel Islands - take the ferry over and camp
    Joshua Tree
    Alabama Hills/Eastern Sierras (there is so much to explore there, lots of dispersed (free) camping and not as many people as the national parks)
    Kings Canyon/Sequoia (DS1 and I went there this summer - we rented a camper van but you could easily car camp - and we really enjoyed it, esp, Kings Canyon)
    Yosemite (going in the shoulder season would make it easier - we went this summer and found camping just outside the park and just drove it early and parked before it got too crowded and then rode bikes all over the valley and did day hikes)
    Mono Lake
    Tahoe

    The UT national parks aren't too far away or Death Valley in the winter.

    One thing I really dislike about living in Chicago is how far you have to travel to get into the wild. Other than heading far north into Michigan and Wisconsin everything is a haul. Being in SoCo you have so many fabulous natural resources nearby. For budget travel its hard to beat plus it get your kids more active, which I remember you were interested in as well.

    ETA: We didn't find camping in Big Sur this summer (trip planned on short notice) but we spent a day driving through and that area was also FABULOUS. We stayed at State Parks in San Simeon, Big Basin Redwoods and near Point Reyes - so coastal camping trips are also easy and so beautiful and bring a whole different vibe to the trip).

  3. #23
    WatchingThemGrow is offline Blue Diamond level (20,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Posts
    20,072

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by bisous View Post
    Yes. Free. When DH and I went there we also had 50% off hotels, and 40% off the dining plan which was TONS of food. If we could just get there.... Maybe a road trip is the answer but it is far from Southern California!

    \
    We flew on Frontier from Orlando to San Diego for either $59 or $79 each one way. I get the Discount Den then we check one 50 lb bag and put the rest of our stuff in a backpack (each) which makes the total luggage cost $60 (for there and back). We pack snacks and don't buy any food on the plane. The deals we've found are about 45 days out, but I just read that on a blog and tried it. Shop around for flights. You don't have to drive!

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    North-East
    Posts
    4,989

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by WatchingThemGrow View Post
    We flew on Frontier from Orlando to San Diego for either $59 or $79 each one way. I get the Discount Den then we check one 50 lb bag and put the rest of our stuff in a backpack (each) which makes the total luggage cost $60 (for there and back). We pack snacks and don't buy any food on the plane. The deals we've found are about 45 days out, but I just read that on a blog and tried it. Shop around for flights. You don't have to drive!
    Agree with that. Also agree with Marinkitty, you’re really in prime location for lots of options to do vacations by car with all those points to pick from as the destination.

    But I also wanted to touch on about Disney with your 50 percent off hotels etc. budget airline is the way to go if flying is an option. I often fly with sprint or frontier for less than 150 RT to cities like orlando, Miami, Chicago, and other cities.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    Mummy to DS1-6/11 and DS2-1/14

  5. #25
    essnce629's Avatar
    essnce629 is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    12,007

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DualvansMommy View Post
    Also agree with Marinkitty, you’re really in prime location for lots of options to do vacations by car with all those points to pick from as the destination.
    There's so many places to drive to from CA. My best friend and her husband are both teachers (so strict budget) and spend a lot of time on road trips to national parks with their two DDs. They occasionally tent camp, but usually stay in cabins for pretty cheap. Monterey, Vegas, Mammoth, San Francisco, Palm Desert, San Diego, Catalina Island, Borrego, Grand Canyon, Sequoias, Yosemite, Zion, Red Rock Canyon are all driving distance.

    Sent from my SM-J700P using Tapatalk
    Last edited by essnce629; 09-20-2019 at 01:10 AM.
    Latia (Birth & Postpartum Doula and Infant Nanny)
    Conner 8/19/03 (My 1st home birthed water baby!)
    Parker 5/23/09 (My 2nd home birthed water baby!)

  6. #26
    SnuggleBuggles is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    .
    Posts
    47,708

    Default

    We just did a weekend at a local YMCA family camp. If YMCA doesn’t work for you, I’m sure there are other options. We had a cabin with attached full bath. All meals were provided plus a snack shop and coffee available all day long. There were so many activities! In the summer, the counselors lead kid activities and grown ups do their own thing then families spend the rest of the day together (or kids take off to hang out together). Boating, swimming, archery, obstacle course, hiking, fishing, sports, bikes, horses, crafts, places to play board games... The fact that all food was taken care of and itineraries were set- there were a few choices open at any time- so it was effortless and not that expensive (again, especially when you factor in not having to pay for food and activities!). Look and see if you can find something like that!


    Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains

  7. #27
    bisous is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    .
    Posts
    14,564

    Default

    This is giving me chills. I'm so excited to plan and love the variety of options. I was actually feeling a little bit down because we have multiple family members that have a tradition of sitting down with their kids and saying "okay where do you want to go" and that just sounds SO fun to me. I know this is a total want (not a need) but it just seems beyond fun to me to be able to get the kids input like that. I am excited because now I feel like I can kind of put together a list of affordable options and let them at least pick from among them!! It kind of accomplishes the same purpose for me but still works for our budget and feels responsible.

    And yes to all those pointing out how fortunate we are to live driving distance to so many amazing locales. We have never lacked for a family vacation but often do the same things each year. We do a cabin in Mammoth Lakes for one week per year and it is wonderful enough that two of my kids want to live there when they grow up.

    So I'm going to make some lists from this thread and council with my kids. Will they want to take a trip to Vancouver? Or the grand canyon? Maybe we can price out a Disney World vacay dependent on getting some cheap flights! ($59 flights would be amazing!!!)

    Anyway. Super grateful for the ideas.

  8. #28
    SASM is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Happy place :)
    Posts
    5,245

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by bisous View Post
    That's the kind of thing that I think might be completely unforgettable! But I feel like others were posting that it was expensive once you were there? I want to go to the hot springs there!
    I was trying to make Iceland work within our very limited budget last summer. Even though I found reasoanbly priced tickets (we would have to drive 6 ours to that airport), it would have still be costly once we got there - camper van was cheap but groceries, gas, etc were costly per trip reports that I read.

    I planned a trip to Bergen, Norway for 3 within my $6k budget. My DDs loved it! Restaurants were expensive but I found cheap-ish food, we ate bfast in the AirBB/sometimes just had dessert for dinner, and we did splurge on a few activities.

    Scotts Cheap Flights is great for deals and sometimes you can add onto a reservation to include early seat selection and checked bag.
    Mom to:
    1 BLUE (03) and 2 PINK (05 & 07)
    ^i^ 10.01 & 12.03

    Pardon my typos...blasted Auto-correct!!

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    1,575

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by bisous View Post
    True. Truth is I don't love camping with kids. I thought maybe it is because I don't have the right gear? I like backpacking, when its really ok to be grungy and sleep on the ground. You have the advantage of solitude and privacy that camping just doesn't have.

    I really think that more than comfortable lodging I require adequate bathroom facilities. I love to be able to shower properly when camping! Something to research!
    I’m like this too. This year we rented an RV and it was a game changer. You only unpack once and the grunge factor is greatly reduced. Although the RV had a shower we never used it - the shower facilities at the campsites were much better.
    I saw you were offered used of a camper - try it! We spent a total of about $70 on gas for a three day RV trip - of course it depends on how far you’re traveling and how big it is but it’s worth a try even for a long weekend.
    Mom to Mr. Sunshine 9/08
    and Miss Happiness 3/11

Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •