Wait - you might say - that last post advertized in the title tips to travel frugally? And instead it turned into a boring diary listing what we did and saw on our spring vacation to New York City. Sorry about that. Soon!
We have done a lot of travel this year. In comparison to the amount of traveling I did as a child, my children are very frequent travelers. I wouldn't consider myself a travel professional, but I have put a lot of time and effort over the years into making travel arrangements.
Every once in a while, I feel sort of proud of this, and think maybe I could plan trips professionally... but then I realize that my travel style - budget friendly, heavy on educational sites and opportunities to walk a lot, low on food and shopping experiences - is not the typical. But niche travel is popular now, right? I listened to a random podcast the other day about a travel company that specialized in trips to countries "where your mother would not want you to go." Definitely niche. And it made me think of one of my son's trips to Nigeria and another daughter's almost trip to Nicaragua. I talked her out of that one because it was surf trip and not a service trip - and she doesn't surf!
I likely won't become a travel agent, but here's some advice- nothing you don't already know:
1.Spend several hours, days even, shopping flights on Google flights, Southwest.com, your favorite credit card website with travel perks, Expedia, etc. Look at options for different airports, different days, different times.
2. Do the same thing for a rental car and a place to stay. Don't get tricked by missing the extra fees tacked on to these two items when you go to check out. Taxes, airport fees, cleaning fees, service fees for AirBNB and VRBO... they often are reveal in the final check out, so check the total price before confirming. Weigh the benefits of paying ahead to save or paying a little extra for flexibility if you need to cancel.
3. Plot out the things you want to do most, and then price them out and figure out which ones you can't miss and wait on others. Two museums a day are about our max.
4. Consider buying a family membership for museums even if you'll never be back if your family is big enough. Make sure your kids bring their student IDs if they have them to save on admission.
5. Museum entry fees come from the education fund, not the travel fund...
6. Food is not my love language, so I'm happy to save on meals by stopping at a grocery or market and eating light for breakfast and lunch and even dinner. I have foodies in my family, though, so sometimes we splurge at lunchtime and save on dinner.
7. Set a limit on souvenirs or collect something inexpensive or free like postcards, ticket stubs, rocks. or stickers, etc. T-shirts might be tempting, but they accumulate like rabbits. Sometimes we'll give the kids a $10 or $20 bill and let them budget for their own mementoes and treats, if we are feeling generous. Or they have to spend their own money if they really want something.
8. Check out transportation options - what makes the most sense for your group? If you are buying enough subway tickets, an uber might make more sense. Although trains are more fun....
9. Bring your own water bottle and some emergency snacks. Pack an umbrella or rain coat even if you'll never need it. Wear good shoes.
10. Sometimes free entertainment is the best - lounging in Central Park, peeking into churches, playing at the beach or river, taking a hike, etc.
11. Bonus: take a picture of where you park your car if you have to park and fly. It's hard to remember where you left it after a weekend in another land.
At any rate, that's not a very surprising list of what I've learned of the years. Planning pays off - although it can also become an obsession, as it has recently when I came late to planning our daughter's graduation from Pepperdine weekend in Malibu. Malibu is not a budget friendly place. In the past, when I have visited, I rent the most economical vehicle (one time it was a truck because no one in LA wants a pick up to drive around) and stay at the Navy Lodge 30 minutes up the road in Ventura County because it is safe and affordable. The beds are not the most comfortable and the walls are thin, but it works for a short stay, and the drive is beautiful up the PCH,
This time my husband and my daughter's two friends are coming. If I had searched earlier in the spring for a short term vacation stay, I might have had an easier time finding a place, but selections were slim when I started hunting a couple weeks ago. For about two weeks I have made and cancelled almost half a dozen reservations ranging from the Navy Lodge (too far according to my husband), a chain hotel (too close to the highway and something of a drive), a smaller boutique hotel (too expensive), an air bnb (too small after adding in the 2 friends), and I attempted to book a few other places which rejected my requests because they were already booked or our group was too large or they added in extra fees that didn't show up until I tried to book. I finally committed to a Bed and Breakfast about 12 minutes from campus. I found it on google maps - not one of the big booking sites - but I talked to the owner, and he and his wife seemed hospitable and normal. It ended up being their family home with rooms for rent, but it was a place to lay our heads, enjoy a sit on a porch with a view of vineyards, and be relatively close to campus without spending a fortune. I also saved a little money by rebooking our plane tickets on Southwest when the fares went down from what I originally paid. That was a sweet deal. Now I have a travel voucher for more trips - not quite the same as cash back, but I know we'll use it.
Packed up and ready to go!
4 comments:
I am amazed at your skill, and more so at the patience and perseverance you have, to do #1 and #2. Both of those exhaust me completely, mostly because of the hours in front of a screen that are required. By the time I have figured out what I want, my brain is so fried, I'm all too likely to make a mistake and goof the whole thing up!
But thank God, nowadays my world traveling daughter is happy to help me search for and reserve flights. She would take care of necessary lodging, too, if I needed it. This summer I'm going to arrange just one flight and rental car, to go to my grandson's wedding in another state. I already booked an AirBnB -- I like those because the hosts are usually real people you can easily communicate with.
Your family is lucky to have a mother/travel agent like you!
I always enjoy your trip posts! We have a similar travel approach, except usually by car.
Do you have any budget tips to share for Notre Dame graduation? Our sons is 2024, and I get a queasy feeling when I think about the logistics. People in the parent group seem to recommend booking a year in advance. Thank you!
Meredith! HI!
Oh man, ND graduations - yes, you should probably book soon. If it is just you and your husband, a hotel might be the best bet- the most economical are on 31 if you can book one before rates go up.
For our first son's graduation, we decided at the last minute to go to his 4th year graduation (he was doing a 5 year program) because his friends and fiancee were graduating. Good thing we did because the next year was 2020 - no graduation! We ended up staying at an AirBNB near Laporte near a lake. It was a fun little house, but nearly 40 minutes away and since it was so near the IN-IL border, our smart watches reset to Chicago time and we were almost late - good thing we had thought we would be early! We had just one kid with us, but hotels were booked. For the next one, in 2021, I booked around January or February, and found a cute VRBO in Niles, about 25-30 minutes away. My parents stayed with us. The drive was easy, but my husband really wanted to stay closer, so the next year, 2022, for our 3rd son's graduation, I booked one in the fall. It was a condo on 31 behind a fast food place close to St. Mary's. It was small but clean, and close enough we could run back and change clothes, and we could cook a meal. We could actually walk to campus if we were up for a long walk - I did it once. My parents stayed at St Mary's Inn for a somewhat reasonable rate. Just make sure everything is cancellable. For games, my parents also like to stay in Shipshewana, which is 30 minutes away, but the place has a great breakfast according to them.
We ran into a similar situation for my daughter's graduation from Pepperdine a few weeks ago. I waited to book something and ran out of choices. The place we stayed one night was hilarious - I'll write about it eventually - so we stayed the second night at the Navy base, driving 35 minutes. But it was a pretty drive ...
All that to say, if you think you will go, try to find someplace you can cancel if you need to, but at least you'll have something! And I've found most VRBO owners have let us add a kid or two even if that house says it sleeps fewer peeps than what is in our family.
Congratulations - big year ahead! What's his major?
Thank you Emily! I really appreciate it. My son is computer engineering. He missed his high school graduation ('20) so we'd love to take the whole family, but that does limit options. I will expand the search a little farther to Niles this time!
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