This year my wife and I have planned to have a cheap vacation over the summer. With an 8 month old and one income, we knew we didn’t want to go too far and didn’t want to spend much money. We always aim to save money on vacations, but this year we wanted to reduce our expenses as much as possible. Thankfully that works well since all our family members want us to visit them so that they can spend time with our baby boy!
For our first trip, we plan to visit “Nana and Papa” in northern British Columbia. To avoid paying for an expensive flight, we decided that we’ll drive. That’s a 12 hour drive from Edmonton, but it is nice and scenic with the mountains and forest along the way. Once there, we plan to have a pretty relaxing week with friends and family. We’ll also likely take a trip up the Alaska Highway to a park for a picnic. There are also hot springs nearby.
Our other short vacation will also be in B.C., but this one will be a little more busy as we have a few destinations. First we’ll be driving out to Kamloops to visit some family there. Then we’ll be heading to my wife’s grandfather’s cabin so he can spend time with his great-grandson. After that we’re off to visit friends at their lake lot where we’ll enjoy more relaxation, but this time we’ll be on the beach!
Over the next 4-5 years, we’ll likely do many of these frugal vacations. Going somewhere tropical or far away doesn’t seem worthwhile since we don’t want to spend that much money and kids that young are not likely to remember the trip anyways. Once any children we have are all over the age of 3 or 4, we would love to take them to either Disneyland or Disney World.
Other Money Mavens members also wrote about what they are doing this summer:
- Green Panda Tree House – How to Not Go Anywhere and Still Have Fun During My Summer Vacation
- Len Penzo – Having Fun Yet? 8 Ways To Ensure Your Road Trip Sucks
What are you planning to do for vacation this summer? What ways are you looking to save money while on your vacation?
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Thx for the link
our first vacation with kids (34 months and 10 months) were in a vacation property. We spent the the week by the lake walking in the forest and going on the lake.
We spent about $500 for the vacation property since it was in a remote area but we didn’t have to spend money on activities since they were all free. this was amazing!
Hey, Tom! It sounds like you have some fun trips planned.
Excuse my ignorance, but 12 hours NORTH of Edmonton? Nana and papa aren’t neighbors with the Clauses are they? LOL
Oh, I kid. I kid.
I’m not a total ignoramus when it comes to Canada; I’ve known about Kamloops, BC since I was a kid.
My hometown, Fontana, California, just so happens to be the sister city of Kamloops! (At least it was when I was growing up. I hope those two cities haven’t had a falling out.)
All the best,
Len
Len Penzo dot Com
Len Penzo´s last blog ..Having Fun Yet? 9 Ways to Ensure Your Road Trip Sucks
You know that you’ve actually inspired me into thinking about vacation? I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t event been able to stop and think about some rest.
I don’t know, I’ll probably spend some time with my family in BC and I’d also love to go to the mountains. I really miss the touch of nature. I need some adventure!
Great idea, I am planning on doing the same, have a 1 and 3 year old, so doesn’t take much to wow them, first few years will be vacations that I can drive to within our region (Maritimes) and like you mentioned once they are a little older, I trip to disneyland will be on the books.
Thomas Craig Consulting´s last blog ..10 Excellent Sites for Finding Free Fonts
We are having a staycation this year. We have planned to visit some local campgrounds for 2 days at a time, this way we go to a brand new place every time, so it doesn’t get boring, and the kids are thrilled with the new adventures.