Comments on: An Inexpensive, Fun Family Vacation Idea From My Childhood

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 04:52:54 +0000

About a month ago found a fare on Amtrak from NY to Montreal for $50 each way. I googled ‘Amtrack discounts’ and ‘Amtrack coupons’ and kept trying different codes at check out until I hit on the right one. I was very surprised as Amtrak has a reputation for being expensive, you just have to research and make it fun.

For more travel ideas and advice visit http://www.theinnovativetraveler.com

By: m360

m360 — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 03:42:04 +0000

My family utilized the trains a lot when I was a kid, it was a lot of fun but I could see where unrully kids woudn’t have the same experience. One year we took the auto train to Florida and took the car with us. I’m not sure how much we saved but my mom is frugal so I assume we at least broke even. I’m not so sure about the savings compared to driving or flying anymore though. I considered taking the train instead of flying at christmas but I found a cheaper flight from ME to DC. To drive there cost me about $100 but the wear and tear on my car is something to consider as well. It is a lot more relaxing to take the train though (and you don’t have to strip down and go thru the bs security process)

By: !wanda

!wanda — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 03:19:44 +0000

“Sounds like great fun, as long as your kids have a high tolerance for endless delays delays, for incredibly long hours on trains that have run out of food, and for surprise transfers to the bus.”

Kids have a higher tolerance for these things, if they are well-managed. They’re not so invested in everything going perfectly. Besides, you can stand up on a train or bus or while waiting, while you’re strapped in in a car.

This is my cultural snobbery poking through, but why Disneyland or Universal Studios for a kid? It’s better to take them overseas (it’s cheaper once you get there- find out what the locals do, and argue argue argue to get lower prices) or somewhere educational. I really hated it at the time, but getting taken to de-Communizing China and being forced to write exhaustive diary entries every night was probably good for me at the time.

By: vh

vh — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 03:30:04 +0000

Sounds like great fun, as long as your kids have a high tolerance for endless delays delays, for incredibly long hours on trains that have run out of food, and for surprise transfers to the bus. I’ve heard that Amtrak service is better in the East…sure can’t recommend it in the West, though! Specially not with kids.

The extra cost of gasoline for a car trip is worth it.

By: kim

kim — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:15:00 +0000

If you like to travel on a budget, consider taking a part time job at a hotel. For a time, I worked at a Comfort Inn. While I was an employee, I could stay at any hotel in the Choice hotels family (comfort inn, sleep inn, clarion inn, comfort suites, roadway inn, and econolodge for just $25 per night. We took lots of little weekend getaways for very little money!

By: Adam Donkus

Adam Donkus — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:59:32 +0000

There is something to be said for low budget vacations. The amtrack camping trip sounds like a lot of fun. Love the idea of getting a loaner car from a car repair shop…have you ever practiced that one or was that just your father?

We often times will go to places off season, and get fabulous rates as well.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:23:04 +0000

Here is how we have started to do vacations. Instead of deciding we want to go here, and it will cost this much for all we want to do, we think of some places we would like to go, then we decide how much we feel comfortable spending. Last summer we felt comfortable spending $1,000, and our son wanted to go to Universal Studios. He had never been there and he was turning 13. My husband and I knew that we would not have that many more vacations with him. We spent the first night in Jacksonville, visiting with our daughter and her boyfriend. The next day we made a stop in St. Augustine for the morning, then went on to Orlando in the afternoon. We spent 4 nights in hotels, and two days in Universal Studios. Also, we ate all meals out. The one thing we did not have the extra money to do, but really wanted to do was Medieval Times, the dinner show. So we went to a timehsare presentation and got two free tickets for me and my husband, and only had to buy our son’s ticket. That saved us $100.00. A long get away weekend a couple of years ago to Svannah, Georgia was $300.00. That was what we felt comfortable spending, and when the money ran out, we came home.

By: MVP

MVP — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:54:35 +0000

Fun! Yep, it’s really all about time spent together and bonding over new experiences. My husband and I have even batted around the idea of having a vacation at home – no, not just using vacation days to get more house chores done. But actually putting all those chores off, making fruity blender drinks, pretending we’re on a deserted island (in our backyard, of course), creating rules against using cell phones, the computer or TV. Dust off those old board games, cook together, paint a picture. Whatever makes us happy. Sorry if this gets off the subject a bit…
Also, I tend to be an over-planner, so one of my all-time favorite and most relaxing vacations was road-tripping for a week around Oregon last summer – without any sort of schedule. Just some saved-up cash, a GPS, camping gear and a cooler full of food and frosty beverages. It didn’t take long to find adventure.

By: Trent

Trent — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:41:34 +0000

Kim: I mention this as an option for people. Growing up, this was the kind of vacation we could afford.

Ted: Yep, those were the packages he would get, stuff like that. He’d just get a package that was on special and that’s where we would go.

By: kim

kim — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:33:49 +0000

I both agree and disagree with this post. I love the idea of a trip together just for the sake of taking a trip together. My family does a few of these small trips a year. I would also advise not just writing off some of the bigger dream destinations just because of frugality or a tunnel vision like goal to save for retirement or a big house. All my life I dreamed of taking a vacation to disney world. We never had the money growing up. We took my children there this year and I cried as I showed my little ones the castle for the first time. It was a dream moment for me – money well spent.

By: Ted Valentine

Ted Valentine — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 21:36:55 +0000

I just checked the weekly hot fares on Amtrak.com. From Chicago to Bangor its $54 ea for 2 adults with 3 children and 1 infant and $67.50 ea from Chicago to Grand Rapids, MI. I can see why it was pretty simple for you.

By: Trent

Trent — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 21:05:19 +0000

It was pretty simple. My father would buy a packet of round trip tickets from a broker in a package deal and when we arrived, we would prepare all of our own food or bring vegetables from home from our garden. Amtrak was the biggest expense by far for the trip, easily making up half of that amount, and if you poke around you can get Amtrak tickets very cheaply.

By: Ted Valentine

Ted Valentine — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 20:25:57 +0000

You really need to post those calculations.