Fantastic Vacations without Debt Regret

A boy jumping off of a diving board into a swimming pool.

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What do you remember most of your childhood family vacations – the places you visited, the things you did or the people you were with? Now think back to your last vacation as an adult.

What are your most lingering memories – the sites and people or the monthly credit-card bills that taint your mailbox? Vacations should be events that build positive interactions and create long-lasting, fun-filled memories, all without breaking the bank.

According to the 2002 American Express Leisure Travel Index, the average American family will spend $2031 on their annual vacation. Some sources would have us believe that the “mouse amusement park” is one of the only ways to have a truly memorable family vacation. Go against the tide –  there are unlimited options for those treasure seekers willing to do a little digging. If you lack the funds for a vacation, take it as an opportunity to exercise creativity rather than your credit card. In his diminutive bestseller, Life’s Little Instruction Book, H. Jackson Browne Jr., wrote the following to his son:

“When starting out,
don’t worry about not having enough money.
Limited funds are a blessing not a curse.
Nothing encourages creative thinking
in quite the same way.

We’d like to challenge you with the notion that vacations don’t need to be expensive to become cherished memories. There are many ways to have a great vacation.

Stay-Cations  We’ve “taken” home vacations several times and have created some of our greatest family memories. We plan the schedule with a mix of activities, relaxation, home projects and family-fun times. We usually plan two or three field/day-trips for the week and alternate full days of activities with days to sleep in and relax. Some of our local activities have included visits to the Ceretta candy factory, the Desert Botanical Garden’s Butterfly Pavilion, Wildlife World Zoo and Picacho Peak Park Civil War Reenactment days.

Annette grew up on Long Island and never visited the Statue of Liberty. Not until after we were married and went back to New York to visit friends and relatives did she finally visit this landmark. We all live near historic attractions. Many of us never visit them because we are so busy working we don’t take time to enjoy the treasures in our own backyards. So make a list of the sights in your city and surrounding area. Contact the local visitors’ bureau and have them send you brochures on area attractions. Visit AAA, if you have a membership, and pick up a tour book for your state. Research possibilities at your public library. Check the local paper for events occurring the week you’ve planned to vacation. Many museums select one day each month to be free to the public –  find the day and plan your vacation accordingly. You’ll be amazed at the vast array of available options.

A home project completed during a week of vacation may sound illogical, but it can really be a stress reliever. You know, one of those necessary projects that have been on the “to-do” list for years. The kind of thing that you’ve avoided because it just isn’t going to be fun.

We have a citrus orchard with 30 trees. The trees weren’t growing well because the irrigation system wasn’t operating correctly. The thought of reworking the system over several weekends was overwhelming. It was a huge task that needed to be done. We scheduled it for a home-vacation week and mixed in some recreational activities to make the work more bearable. Now, when we walk in the orchard and look at the trees, we see new growth, healthy trees and large delicious fruit to enjoy.
Other projects we’ve done include building new garden beds, cutting down or trimming trees, cleaning out filing cabinets and building storage-room shelves. Your list might include putting photos in photo albums, cleaning out closets, baking a huge batch of cookies or, if money is tight, gathering unneeded stuff from the house and having a garage sale at the end of the week. Whatever is on your list, review it, discuss it and make plans to conquer it.

Home Recreation Ideas

  • Borrow or Rent a movie or two   It’s a special thing to watch a movie as a family. Most libraries have loads and loads of classic movies and great documentaries.
  • Cook a special meal   How about a complete turkey dinner or some other family favorite?
  • Go bowling   Bowling alleys have discounted rates —  Call for information.
  • Discount theaters   Look around your area for $1.50 movies.
  • Play miniature golf   Two-for-one coupons are great deals.
  • Christmas in July   Do some Christmas shopping at thrift stores. Our kids love it because they get so much more for their money.
  • Game days   Pull out the board- and card games. It’s relaxing (sometimes) and builds relationships. Monopoly, Risk, Uno, Taboo, Catch Phrase, Settlers of Catan and Mille Bornes are among our favorites.
  • Free tours   If the state capitol is nearby, take a tour.

Keep it a secret   We don’t tell friends or the office where we will be. We just say we’re unavailable. This keeps our vacation week from becoming full of daily distractions.

Stay-cations don’t have to be a boring or second-rate alternative to a “real” vacation.

Out of Town Vacations

Planning and research can make out-of-town travel affordable too. Even if you have the money saved, these ideas will help you stretch it further. For the sake of brevity, we are discussing only a few driving and lodging ideas.

Camping in the Woods

A large family tent pitched in the forest.

Nothing beats the scents and sounds of the forest. Camping is a great way to connect with nature, family and friends.

This is one of the least expensive options for getting out of town. Author Gary Smalley believes that camping vacations are one of the best ways to build family unity because “something always goes wrong.” These “wrong” things become the stuff of family history and laughable legends that will be told and retold for years to come. Go to the library and get a listing of national or state parks in your area that allow camping. These locations are usually reasonably priced. Yes, there are campsites with showers for those of you who, like Annette, want more of the comforts of home in the wild. Ask your camping friends about places they have found to be picturesque. If you borrow camping equipment, always return it cleaner and in better shape than when you got it.

Borrow a Cabin

A large cabin in the woods.

Borrowing a cabin is a great way to get out
of town and into the woods.

Most of us know someone who owns a cabin. If money is tight, ask if you can use it for a few days. It may cost you utilities or a small fee. Be sensitive, leave it neater than you found it and always provide a thank-you gift.

College Dorms

Consider this option instead of a hotel. Many colleges rent out their dorm rooms during the summer; some even set aside a few during the school year, usually for people taking campus tours. Years ago, we stayed at a college in San Diego located right on the beach! There are numerous options from New York to Hawaii –  that’s right, Hawaii, for only $40 per couple per night. (Check out Hawaiian Mission Academy). You’ll have to make some phone calls, but the savings can be significant. Don’t forget that if you have children, exposing them to different colleges can help them develop a vision for higher education. So make a college tour part of your vacation agenda.

Discounted Hotels

With our depressed economy, travel bargains abound. If you need a hotel room, research, research, research. Ask for discounts. Ask if they provide a free breakfast. As we researched a recent vacation, we were amazed at the range of what different hotels considered a continental breakfast. For about the same room price, we encountered everything from sweet rolls and coffee to a full hot breakfast buffet with fresh fruit. These all-you-can-eat meals can save a large family a considerable amount of money.

Saving on Food On Vacation

Strategies we use to keep food costs down when traveling:
Bring a crock-pot and canned meals   Pack soup, stew, and spaghetti. Turn on the crock-pot in the morning and return to a nice hot meal.

Snacks

To curb the impulse for fast food, bring plenty of goodies such as pretzels, cookies, raisins, apples, carrots, crackers, trail mix and beef jerky.

Drinks    We drink water in the car — no stains or sticky spills.

Breakfast foods   Bring bagels, fresh fruit, instant oatmeal, and hot cocoa. Most hotels provide instant coffee makers to heat up water.

Activities for the road   If you have a long car ride, plan in advance and pack:

Books for individual and group reading.

Audio Books (free from the public library). There are some great titles for family listening.

Games, magnetic travel versions such as checkers, chess and Othello are great.

Sticker books, art supplies, old Christmas cards for cutting out.

Journals for recording travel experiences.

“Edu-vacation”   Wherever we travel, we try to encourage some of the kids’ interests. Thirteen-year-old Roy wants to be an aerospace engineer, so when we were in Texas, we visited the Houston Space Center. He was in awe as we toured the facility and had the opportunity to discuss NASA internships with the staff. John, age twenty, is involved in sound-engineering, so we visited Uncle Greg’s office, the PBS station at Texas A&M. Creating a vision in our kids is another important part of our vacations.

If you have vacation time, use it. Develop a vacation that fits your budget. Don’t neglect this wonderful opportunity for building family relationships. You can create wonderful lasting memories without the regret of debt.

Years ago we created a helpful little tool so that we could pack for vacations more efficiently. We call it the Vacation Packing List. Get a copy here and modify it for your own family.

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