Thrifty Travel?

[Kontessa]

Next month we are traveling by car cross country. About 40 hours one way. I will be very pregnant and we plan to stop often so we can stretch.

Does anyone have thrifty ideas for food, hotel, gas and such to help with the costs?

We have three children and I keep wondering if places are going to charge us for each of them or even want us to get more than one room.

[sagewinna]

When we have gone on a road trip in the past, I prepare most of the food for the days in the car ahead of time... Potato salad, empanadas, stuff for wraps or sandwiches, etc, then lots of fruit, carrots and all that. We always book a hotel with a microwave and refrigerator so we can make quick oats (I mix the quick oats with dried fruit, salt and cinnamon in a ziplock, then we can pour hot water over it in a mug and eat in a few minutes), hummus and veggies, whatever. I have been known to take my electric griddle and some homemade pancake mix, I've also used a rice cooker and crock pot in the hotel room if we are going to be there for a few days.

[alicia622]

you might have to pay a little extra for a cot so they have enough bed space for each person- but maybe not. I would try to find hotels that have a pool so you can let the kids play in the water after a long day of driving.

[jess_paez]

Originally Posted by alicia622

you might have to pay a little extra for a cot so they have enough bed space for each person- but maybe not. I would try to find hotels that have a pool so you can let the kids play in the water after a long day of driving.

yup. you could get a room with 2 double beds and then get an extra cot. Or I suppose if it's around the same price you might be able to get away with 2 king beds.

[sagewinna]

My kids have always been excited to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor when we've stayed somewhere...

[Kontessa]

I should have mentioned that my children are more than happy to share a bed together, even if it was a twin, and last night they all slept on the living room floor together after a late movie night! But what they like and what we are ok with might not be what a hotel is ok with!

We have this crazy idea of driving right to a friends house that is midway, 20 hours, and avoiding a hotel all together but I am trying to budget for an emergency hotel stay if that just does not work. After we get to friends house for a few days I think I will be able to see if I should reserve a place between that house and family on the easy coast or not.

My DH is suborn and thinks if we trade off driving and stop often we will make it....

[rainbowmoon]

Motel 8 is generally super cheap and pretty clean across the board. They don't charge extra for my 2 kids and I have stayed all over for around $40 a night (give or take depending on the tax) for the 3 of us.


You could also look into hostels for something cheap!
www.hostels.com or www.hostelz.com


-bring your own food

-buy gas OFF the interstate- it's cheaper..

-don't buy food on the interstate (it's usually SUPER duper crappy anyway and WAY expensive)

-bring your own drinks and travel cups for hot water/coffee


20 hours might be doable if you don't hit bad weather or go nuts first. I have driven 18 hours all by myself in one day with 2 kids (what a LONG long trip though!!!!!!).

If I was "very" pregnant there is no way in H*LL though I'd drive 20 hours in one day! You are a brave woman and likely have a more comfy car than I!

[crunchy_mommy]

Bring your own food (things like dry fruit, nuts, granola bars, cans of soup, etc. if you're worried about spoilage)...

Don't tell the hotel how many kids you have (my dad used to always check in & then mom & dad would bring us 4 kids in in sets of 2!) though I think 4-5 people in a room is generally accepted. Make a reservation on hotwire or priceline ahead of time (I've stayed at $120 hotels for $40, maybe you'll find an even better deal if you're not picky about where you stop for the night)... or find a campground to stay at!

You could also keep a small gas can in the trunk (so if you are almost empty you can still have extra gas so you can get to a cheap gas station)

[EarthyMamaofDaisy]

When I was a kid we traveled cross country and we stayed in KOA cabins. I'm pretty sure it was cheaper than a motel.

[JessicaTX]

I have 4 kids between 15 and 7 years old, and we've always been able to book a single room or a suite. We priceline hotels often, and at rest stops they have booklets with motel coupons, I have a friend who gets good deals with those. Packing your own food is an excellent idea if you have the space. Pack more than you think you'll need, in my experience my kids eat more when they are bored, and car rides bore them. we drove to visit dh's family 24 hours one way with a 3 hour nap at a rest stop, 17 hours home with only gas stops and everyone had to pee at those so we woudln't have to stop in between lol. we were very motivated to get home to our own beds =D

[rainbowmoon]

Originally Posted by EarthyMamaofDaisy

When I was a kid we traveled cross country and we stayed in KOA cabins. I'm pretty sure it was cheaper than a motel.

actually they aren't cheaper than motel 8 and most low end motels. They average $50-75 per night (they charge for my 2 kids too and made us get another whole bedroom w/ bunk bed in one of the KOA's! Completely ridiculous when we all sleep in one bed)

that said, KOA's are super great. I LOVE them so much. the cabins rock with kids! and each campground has a ton of things (even in winter!) the cabins are heated too..

[Kontessa]

Thank you all! I have a lot of great ideas now!

I love the pancake one and could so see my kids really going for that.

Maybe even my pregnant self would enjoy a hotel with a indoor pool at that point!

I think those first 24 hours will be really telling and then DH will be open to me booking a place online for the next part of the trip! For now I am going to budget $160 for hotel stays on the way there and see how that goes.

Food is going to be an adventure and I need to be creative I think to make sure the kids want what we have and are not asking for fast food.

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by Kontessa

Food is going to be an adventure and I need to be creative I think to make sure the kids want what we have and are not asking for fast food.

Maybe you could take them to the grocery store & let them pick out some "treats" that are still relatively healthy. Maybe things like those ready-to-eat meals that don't need refrigeration & of course lots of snacks... things you might not normally buy but don't mind them eating and that will also save you some money (even if you spend a lot on the groceries it won't compare to the cost of restaurants, getting off the highway, finding a place everyone agrees on, etc!)

[Red Pajama]

I don't know how much room you have in your vehicle, but I try to pack a cooler and a dry goods box. I bring our usual staples, as well as some treats to help make the trip special. Cheese sticks, granola bars, different cereals all make good snacks. As for staples, we usually pack sandwich ingredients, baked chips, cereals, yogurt.

For our most recent big trip (last summer) we bougt the kids binoculars. Best gift for helping pass the time.

Good luck on your trip.

[zech13_9_goforgold]

My mom always packed "mystery snacks" in a paper bag. When she saw we were getting restless, she would say, "it's time for a mystery snack." Then we played 20 questions to guess what the food was. When we guessed it, we could eat it. It made the snack time fun and time-consuming. Sometimes, the snack was salty, sometimes it was candy, a lot of times it was family favorites that we didn't get very often. You could have the healthier stuff available for all times but only do the mystery snacks a few times a day.

Also, I would suggest making one of your stops a grocery store. It can be hard to pack absolutely every food thing with you.

And, I also vote for a hotel with a pool. Sometimes, that's all our vacations would be- maybe a day at the zoo and a hotel with a pool. I have great memories of that time. I also came from a large family (5 kids) and we had mixed experiences with hotels. Sometimes they were fine with all of us in one room (especially when it was 5 kids under 11) but sometimes they got picky. My mom would use the 1-800 numbers for the hotel chains and tell them her situation and let the customer service people figure out how to sleep us.

Is there a reason why you have to travel so quickly? I am asking because you can often find "bordom busters" along the highway. Cheap, touristy places to walk or even a park with neat equitment. It could be worth it to go slower just to keep everyone happy.

Good luck. I'm jealous!