Cheap(er) vacation ideas with the kids..

koshergrl

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Aug 4, 2011
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I'm thinking of vacation today. The kids would LOVE to go to Disneyworld...and I really want them to go, at some point...but I'm torn. Given the fact that I can't afford big vacations every year, or even every 2-3 years, I wonder if perhaps we shouldn't do something a little more...cultural....

Like San Francisco! My kids have been raised in small towns, we haven't spent time in any of the cities, and I would love to up their worldliness a little...and San Francisco has so much that they would love. The ferry, the trolleys, and museums and Chinatown...

Then I think..wait...Shannon (Ireland) Lol...we could spend all vacation hiking, or rent horses and ride the miles of bridlepaths...

Then I think wait, that might be something for me to do alone when they're older, they might not be quite so gung ho...

NYC would be fun but honestly, the headache of navigating when I'm not at all familiar....on the other hand there are like dozens of museums, motels right on Times Square..I just fear we may wander off the grid adn nobody will ever hear from us again (I must get Jillian's cell if we go there just in case)...

Then I think wouldn't the kids love PARIS??? Or LONDON?

Then I think wait, I shouldn't spend money on a vacation at all..we should just stay home, lol.

Anyway does anyone have any really good stories/ideas for family vacations?
 
i would start with disneyLAND first.


its only two parks and a lot less expensive to see it all......


ferries, trolleys,museums and Chinatown... are adult things and the kids would not have fun.


And NYC...is crazy expensive.....and still not a kids vacation in my opinion.
 
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Eastern Europe!

Barcelona and Paris!

But I think you're probably right.
 
I'm thinking of vacation today. The kids would LOVE to go to Disneyworld...and I really want them to go, at some point...but I'm torn. Given the fact that I can't afford big vacations every year, or even every 2-3 years, I wonder if perhaps we shouldn't do something a little more...cultural....

Like San Francisco! My kids have been raised in small towns, we haven't spent time in any of the cities, and I would love to up their worldliness a little...and San Francisco has so much that they would love. The ferry, the trolleys, and museums and Chinatown...

Then I think..wait...Shannon (Ireland) Lol...we could spend all vacation hiking, or rent horses and ride the miles of bridlepaths...

Then I think wait, that might be something for me to do alone when they're older, they might not be quite so gung ho...

NYC would be fun but honestly, the headache of navigating when I'm not at all familiar....on the other hand there are like dozens of museums, motels right on Times Square..I just fear we may wander off the grid adn nobody will ever hear from us again (I must get Jillian's cell if we go there just in case)...

Then I think wouldn't the kids love PARIS??? Or LONDON?

Then I think wait, I shouldn't spend money on a vacation at all..we should just stay home, lol.

Anyway does anyone have any really good stories/ideas for family vacations?

My boys are grown up and gone now - but I brought them up camping. A lot of camping. It's cheaper than a hotel and they get so much out of it / great memories / fun. Skyline Drive would be a great place to go. We spent a heck of a lot of time up there when they were growing up.
 
We've done the camping thing and we do love it...next summer I plan on camping on all our long weekends (we have lots of places very close by, including campgrounds within walking distance of the beach). But I'm looking for something a little more for next year's big one.

Seriously...Vienna! OMG! Rome!

Sigh. I guess I can get those trips in after they're in college.
 
Why not ask them what they want to do..... get some ideas and go from there. If they like wild rides...then disney is not the place. You would do better at sixflags.


What adults think of as fun, isnt so much fun for kids.
 
Why not ask them what they want to do..... get some ideas and go from there. If they like wild rides...then disney is not the place. You would do better at sixflags.


What adults think of as fun, isnt so much fun for kids.

They have their hearts set on Disneyland.

It's a little less than 1000 miles...I'm thinking we could drive down, camp on the way, stay 3 nights, drive back.

That's some serious driving, but I don't mind driving if we stop a lot.
 
how long of a vacation do you get to do this? Truthfully.... i think you would do better with 4 days. Two days per park. Look for a package that has a magic morning on it... it lets you in an hour before the general public so you can hit the major rides first. Let me know if you do go...and ill give you all my best tips.

yes...it is a VERY long drive.... price it out, you may get a better deal with southwest...... or try Amtrak and take the train for a bit of a train adventure.
 
That's exactly where I'm at syrenn...

I have a couple of weeks, I was thinking four days actually there as well.
 
The drive, if gas is $4/gallon, works out to about $400, which is do-able...though you have to figure in all the meals and the campsites as well, but even then...over two days if we pack our own food, I see it as being economical. And we'd have fun I think.

I'm not so crazy about the wear and tear on the rig though, it's not a new exploder and I really don't want to break down somewhere. Not that I have any trouble with it, but it has the miles on it.
 
ok...so you do have time. Money is going to be the deciding factor then.

4 days for Disney is the way to go. Now.... look VERY carefully at how much that would cost you for 4 days worth of park hopper passes.... as opposed to a disney annual passport. Factor in you get discounts on food, parking and merchandise.... and that adds up fast. We get annual passes and think its a better deal.
 
The drive, if gas is $4/gallon, works out to about $400, which is do-able...though you have to figure in all the meals and the campsites as well, but even then...over two days if we pack our own food, I see it as being economical. And we'd have fun I think.

I'm not so crazy about the wear and tear on the rig though, it's not a new exploder and I really don't want to break down somewhere. Not that I have any trouble with it, but it has the miles on it.


remember...you will be in CA...and gas prices are going to be more. If you are not totally sure about your car... then don't even try it. Its not worth breaking down.
 
The most memorable camping holiday I ever went on was when we went to the Lake District. That was the first time I tried whisky, too. I was nine. The first time I left the United Kingdom was with my uncle. I sat in the passenger seat of his lorry all the way to Rome to pick-up a consignment of tyres. Seeing the Colosseum for the first time sparked my interest in ancient history, which is saying something; as my father had tanned my backside something rotton with his belt for acting up when we were dragged-off to see Exeter cathedral several years before I was taken to Rome.
 
I'm thinking of vacation today. The kids would LOVE to go to Disneyworld...and I really want them to go, at some point...but I'm torn. Given the fact that I can't afford big vacations every year, or even every 2-3 years, I wonder if perhaps we shouldn't do something a little more...cultural....

Like San Francisco! My kids have been raised in small towns, we haven't spent time in any of the cities, and I would love to up their worldliness a little...and San Francisco has so much that they would love. The ferry, the trolleys, and museums and Chinatown...

Then I think..wait...Shannon (Ireland) Lol...we could spend all vacation hiking, or rent horses and ride the miles of bridlepaths...

Then I think wait, that might be something for me to do alone when they're older, they might not be quite so gung ho...

NYC would be fun but honestly, the headache of navigating when I'm not at all familiar....on the other hand there are like dozens of museums, motels right on Times Square..I just fear we may wander off the grid adn nobody will ever hear from us again (I must get Jillian's cell if we go there just in case)...

Then I think wouldn't the kids love PARIS??? Or LONDON?

Then I think wait, I shouldn't spend money on a vacation at all..we should just stay home, lol.

Anyway does anyone have any really good stories/ideas for family vacations?

Vacations for us growing up was always road trips across the country when my dad got transferred from one place to another. We never had the money for anything else. Although, one year, my dad had to go to some kind of training in Texas. He took the whole family and for 2 weeks we stayed in a small hotel room with a color tv and a swimming pool and a restaurant across the way that served "Texas" sized hamburgers. We had so much fun and about all we did was watch tv, swim in the pool and eat at that restaurant. My parents often joked after that that if they ever wanted to take us on another vacation, all they had to do was drive around for miles, pull into a motel with a swimming pool and tell us we were in Texas.

For my kids, we'd take them to a condo on the Ocean in the summer. I'd cook the meals as it was cheaper but we always had a view of the water, access to an indoor swimming pool and a hot tub. I'd get up early with Andrew (our severely autistic son) walk down the beach with him picking up sand dollars for an hour or more. Then we'd come back and I'd take the kids down to the indoor swimming pool and we'd swim for about 1/2 to 45 minutes. Then my husband would show up, take the kids back up to the condo tv/videos while I got my private time in the hot tub. I miss that hot tub.
 
i have an idea...

you can stay with liesmatters!!!! She lives down there i think..... :lmao:
 
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I'm thinking of vacation today. The kids would LOVE to go to Disneyworld...and I really want them to go, at some point...but I'm torn. Given the fact that I can't afford big vacations every year, or even every 2-3 years, I wonder if perhaps we shouldn't do something a little more...cultural....

Like San Francisco! My kids have been raised in small towns, we haven't spent time in any of the cities, and I would love to up their worldliness a little...and San Francisco has so much that they would love. The ferry, the trolleys, and museums and Chinatown...

Then I think..wait...Shannon (Ireland) Lol...we could spend all vacation hiking, or rent horses and ride the miles of bridlepaths...

Then I think wait, that might be something for me to do alone when they're older, they might not be quite so gung ho...

NYC would be fun but honestly, the headache of navigating when I'm not at all familiar....on the other hand there are like dozens of museums, motels right on Times Square..I just fear we may wander off the grid adn nobody will ever hear from us again (I must get Jillian's cell if we go there just in case)...

Then I think wouldn't the kids love PARIS??? Or LONDON?

Then I think wait, I shouldn't spend money on a vacation at all..we should just stay home, lol.

Anyway does anyone have any really good stories/ideas for family vacations?

Vacations for us growing up was always road trips across the country when my dad got transferred from one place to another. We never had the money for anything else. Although, one year, my dad had to go to some kind of training in Texas. He took the whole family and for 2 weeks we stayed in a small hotel room with a color tv and a swimming pool and a restaurant across the way that served "Texas" sized hamburgers. We had so much fun and about all we did was watch tv, swim in the pool and eat at that restaurant. My parents often joked after that that if they ever wanted to take us on another vacation, all they had to do was drive around for miles, pull into a motel with a swimming pool and tell us we were in Texas.

For my kids, we'd take them to a condo on the Ocean in the summer. I'd cook the meals as it was cheaper but we always had a view of the water, access to an indoor swimming pool and a hot tub. I'd get up early with Andrew (our severely autistic son) walk down the beach with him picking up sand dollars for an hour or more. Then we'd come back and I'd take the kids down to the indoor swimming pool and we'd swim for about 1/2 to 45 minutes. Then my husband would show up, take the kids back up to the condo tv/videos while I got my private time in the hot tub. I miss that hot tub.

That sounds wonderful.

A few years ago, I was able to take my oldest son, his fiancee, my granddaughter, and both my younger kids to the beach (my #2 son and his wife were in KY)..this was before I lived here...we had had a rough few years, and I had moved due to a new job.

It was WONDERFUL. We got a nice little suite on the beach, I brought enough money that we were able to do pretty much anything we wanted within reason, there was a little arcade within walking distance, I can't remember if we had a pool, I think we did...we had such a lovely time none of us will ever forget it.

It's very, very tempting just to get a nice room at one of the resorts nearby..or even rent a house right on the beach HERE and invite the family to come stay. I mean, I have a house, but it's just not the same. Plus my house isn't on the beach. And I don't have maid service or a pool.

No driving, no tickets...

But the kids want to go to Disneyland. :lol:
 

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