Category Archives: Family Travel on the Cheap

Free or Cheap Philadelphia

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Some of the best things do in the Philadelphia region are free, or close to it. The city’s many low-cost or no-cost attractions include historic Independence Hall, student recitals at the esteemed Curtis Institute of Music, monthly Sunday mornings at the Barnes Foundation and a $5 dinner-and-a-show series at FringeArts. Here’s a list of great Philly experiences for visitors on a budget. https://www.visitphilly.com/media-center/press-releases/affordable-free-attractions-in-philly/

America’s oldest—and possibly most charming—continuously inhabited street, is perfect for tiptoeing along the cobblestones and exploring its quaint museum. Weekend tours of Elfreth’s Alley (above) are available Friday through Sunday. Credit: photo by J. Fusco for VISIT PHILADELPHIA®

FAMILIES LOVE TRAVEL – ON THE CHEAP

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Take a Vacation without Breaking the Bank

-notes from Michele Z, the Family Travel Mom

Here are some tips to help you put together a trip that they will all enjoy…on a tight budget:

  1. Simplify your lodgings. Either join a rewards club or, if you can, plan to visit areas of the country where you can stay with friends or relatives.  Another option- vacation homes and campgrounds – using a grill or fully equipped kitchen and washer/dryer facility yourself saves money. Of course, the best way to save on hotels is to not use them. Plan day trips to sights and attractions within driving distance instead.
  2. Attractions. Buying tickets in advance online can save not only money, but time as well. Go in a group for shows and fee-paid attractions at a group discount. Get more value from historical places by: re-enactments, history mysteries, state history workbooks.
  3. Babysitting. When planning a road trip with young children, ask grandparents or another close relative to come along to watch the kids. This allows you and your spouse some time alone without paying for resort babysitting services.
  4. Discount or Membership Card. Buy a discount attractions pass for large cities like Chicago, Orlando, New York – especially if you know you’re going to visit four or more sites around town. You can also save up to $500.00 with free discount cards provided by local CVBs.  Some supermarket chains offer great discount tickets to major attractions in the area by just signing up for their Customer Card. If you already have family memberships to your local Children’s Museum, Science Center, Zoo or Aquarium, find out which places offer Free or Discounted Reciprocal Admission.
  5. Economize on meals.  Plan to splurge on one meal, but make the other meals less expensive. Staying at a hotel with a complimentary continental breakfast is our favorite option.  Pay attention to three magic words, “Kids Eat Free,” especially at hotel and chain restaurants. Look for Extra Value Meals or Early Bird specials, too. Often, historic taverns offer better value deals for lunch vs. dinner menus so maybe consider making lunch your main meal of the day.
  6. Freebies. (Yes, they still exist!) Keep the little ones entertained without opening the wallet at upscale mall stores like a Lego Store or Discovery Stores. Many upscale hotels now have live, caged animals in their lobby such as exotic birds.  Once or twice a day the management offers public programs with a naturalist or you can chance upon a feeding time.  Another freebie – free admission special events or festivals. Best of all, though, are the attractions that are still FREE admission.  One-quarter to one-third of all Kids Love Travel series guidebooks offer reviews on attractions that never, or hardly ever, charge to get in!
  7. Getting Around. Dad did all that driving to get there, now he just wants to get out of the van and take a nap, but the family is ready to see the sites. Most every tourist town has a trolley service and most every trolley has on/off privileges. To save even more money, opt out of actually visiting the historic museums (probably boring for kids anyway) and just absorb the views and snipits from the trolley guide.  Walking is free, too. Some historic towns are very walkable (ex. Alexandria, St. Augustine, Fredericksburg, DC, Lexington, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, etc.)
  8. Giving In.  Moms say “yes” to kids more often and to more requests on vacation. So, give in moms, but cheaply. The number one request of kids on vacation: Staying up late and Sleeping in – so let them, no cost here. Next on kids’ list was treats. Most “treats” like ice cream cones are little cost compared to sit-down meals so splurge on that cone or candy but save on dinner because the kids won’t be that hungry!
  9. Go off season.  Not only will the crowds be reduced, but hotels offer deep discounts and gift shops run clearance sales during off-peak times of year.
  10. Pack to Save.  A last minute purchase or rental of certain items out of necessity can add up quickly. If you have the room, bring your own stroller or bicycles. If you like to theme park or bike/hike, we have suggestions at our workshops and in the KIDS LOVE FLORIDA BOOK about what to pack in your backpack.

Kids grow up fast.  Enjoy time with them (inexpensively) while they’re young. Remember, this year may offer the best travel deals ever!  2020 – Michele Zavatsky

Want more ideas about how to plan your next family trip – and, maybe learn some tricks on how to get the most value? Michele Z, the Family Travel Mom, has been to 5,000 places and shares her journals in her KIDS LOVE TRAVEL GUIDEBOOKS – Family Travel Guides.

Visit www.KidsLoveTravel.com and let YOUR next family adventure begin!

Do you Like us on Facebook? If not, you’re missing some good tidbits…

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Gosh I love Saturday mornings on FB! Discovered 3 travel tips I forgot about:
1. use dryer sheets as air fresheners and spill picker uppers
2. freeze juice boxes before road trip – they double as mini ice packs and a slushie drink!
3. use old fitted twin sheets as van seat protectors.

OUR FACEBOOK PAGE for weekly updates – https://facebook.com/kidslovetravel

Fun in South Bend, Indiana

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FUN FACTS

South Bend Chocolate
  • The University of Notre Dame’s Main Building has 1,250 thin strips of 8 oz. 23-karat gold, 3 microns thick. http://tour.nd.edu/locations/eck-visitors-center/ (pg 93 of Kids Love Indiana)
  • The University of Notre Dame has the oldest continuously existing college band in the nation. When Notre Dame played football for the first time against Michigan in 1887, the Notre Dame Marching Band was already celebrating its 41st birthday.
  • The South Bend Chocolate Company produces more than 3,000 pounds of chocolate daily at its South Bend, Ind. factory. They invite you to “take a dip” literally – paid tours get to make a chocolate golden spoon! (pg 99 of Kids Love Indiana). www.sbchocolate.com
  • South Bend’s East Race Waterway was the first artificial whitewater course built in North America and opened in 1984.
  • The St. Joseph River flows north from South Bend into Lake Michigan. Several great walking/biking paths loop around the bends of the river. (you will cross it upteen times as you wander the city and surrounding suburbs)
  • South Bend Cubs single A baseball team is an affliate for the Chicago Cubs. www.southbendcubs.com. They play at Four Winds Field. The night we were there they had fireworks after the game. New are the Splash Pad water play area right behind Lawn Seating (only $6.00 for lawn seats) and the Tiki Bar, where parents can linger while their kids play in the Fun Zone.

MIDWEST HOMESCHOOL CONVENTION in Cincinnati is hosting a workshop about Family Field Trips on a Budget

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COME TO booth #1621 – KIDS LOVE TRAVEL at the Midwest Homeschool Convention and check out our books and show specials. (http://midwesthomeschoolconvention.com ).

ONE of the authors will be there so think of a QUESTION or two to get a JUMPSTART on your next trip!

AND, take a fun break and listen in on one of our convention workshops:

Kids Love Travel – Let’s Plan an Affordable Family Day Trip!

Family Field Trips with kids can be a delight or a disaster. Two things that make a homeschool trip great: low-cost and educational fun.

INSIDE SCOOPS. What are some secrets to get the most value for your money. Where to sit to get best value? what to bring? why to get there early? Examples: on Tours-why standing in the first two rows is beneficial. What about having a picnic at a castle? Why go early to outdoor dramas?

EDUCATORS? There’s suggestions for finding FREE lesson plans embedded in many listings as helpful notes for educators.

Marriage of guidebook and the Internet.

Guidebook= organic – highlight it, dog ear pages, write notes, already organized and filtered for kids, unbiased (no fee), and accessible without a wireless connection.
Internet=  the newest discounts, web updates, extra insights can be found at the links provided on every page.

KIDS LOVE TRAVEL GUIDES can save you $$ in just 20 minutes reading just one chapter in one book! We can save you dozens of hours on the internet, too.

KIDS LOVE ILLINOIS UPDATES – Open Books in Chicago

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-from a friend in the Chicago area

I’m sure you are aware of all the well-known cultural destinations in the Windy City – the museums, Wrigley Field, Millennium Park, Sears Tower, but there is one little-known gem that I want to put on your radar. In the heart of Chicago’s River North area, Open Books is a cultural experience that has been described as a Wonka Wonderland of Books.

The award-winning bookstore provides a vibrant, fun, creative place for guests of all ages to read and play. Adult visitors can browse through a selection of 50,000 books and relax on the oversized couches, while kids can enjoy flipping through the 10,000 children’s books and playing in the children’s corner.

Travelers can even feel good about spending their money (books average between $3 to $5), which we know can get tight during vacations, because book sales support the Open Books literacy program. The store funds 50% of Open Book’s literacy programs which pairs volunteers with Chicago Public School students to help them with reading and writing – thousands of volunteers- 4,000 students. There is so much more to say about the store, but I don’t want to bombard you with information. Feel free to check out the website whenever you have a free moment: http://www.open-books.org/.

Free Isn’t Always Free

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In the recession this past year, I’ve given lots of workshops on how to travel cheap. Most everyone leaves with simple, clear ways to SAVE $$ on their next trip – hopefully, hundreds of $$! 

But you know I never tell you anything from stage that I haven’t done myself. Nor do I ever receive $$ for a review of places we visit for our books.

WARNING:  advice sources need to be analyzed before you make plans. One thing folks have consistently told me after each talk is how frustrated they’ve become with online FREE travel advice.

Example: many free websites are outdated – YOU end up having to check everything because the author just took free time (not professional travel writer) to post some fun things THEY like to do – not an offering of most everything available for family travel. Most folks who post lists start with the right intentions but what parent has the time to upkeep any list unless it’s their career?

Example: Websites are sponsored or biased. You’re swayed to spend more $ going to places that can afford to advertise or sponsor travel websites or bloggers.

Example: Friends advice. If you’re not on a budget and don’t mind just going to the most popular spots – try free web services. But, if you lean towards hidden gems and some freebies mixed in – you need an expert resource.

Conclusion: it’s your road trip, mom and dad – YOU make the plans that best suit your family tastes and budget. Just be sure the information you consult is varied and dependable (you may have to invest a little $ but not so much time). In the long run, it will save you loads of time (internet searching), $$ (not just going to high end places) but still prevent the possibility of vacation duds.

Other FREEBIES: Kids Love Travel offers FREE major updates to ALL of our books online and on email updates to free subscribers. Now you have a printed book (ORGANIZED SOURCE) PLUS the customer only benefit of online updates to keep the book FRESH for years.

HAD A VACATION DUD? I want to hear about it so we can warn others!

Want Simpler Times. Go Back in Time to the Real Walton’s Mountain

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VISIT VIRGINIA…and the BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY – before the weather turns too cold and foggy. NW Virginia – NELSON COUNTY.  Walton’s Mountain Visit. You’ll first want to visit www.nelsoncounty.com, where you’re invited to click on the “Visitors” section and view some pictures and descriptions of a land similar to those words of “John Boy” Walton describing Drusilla’s Pond or Grandpa picking wildflowers way up on the mountain top.

Nelson County contains over 400 square miles of adventure and just one stoplight!  Just 6 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Crabtree Falls is the largest vertical drop waterfall east of the Mississippi River. Each year approximately 170,000 newly-hatched brook, brown and rainbow trout are nurtured to maturity at the Montebello State Fish Hatchery (pg. 119) then released to stock all trout waters east of the Blue Ridge Parkway. (located on Route 690, one-half mile off SR 56). 

Families with young kids will want to visit the Montebello General Store (SR 56, 540-377-2650).  Not only will you find snacks and old-fashioned goodies (like sassafras candies), but you can trout fish in their pond across the street at the Camping Resort.  You only pay for what you catch. Bring your own equipment or purchase some there. Every child is pretty much guaranteed to get a catch in season (early spring or late fall is best 😉

The Walton Mountain Museum (pg. 113, Kids Love Virginia) is a special blend of history, nostalgia and even a dash of entertainment. Be sure to start by watching the intro video as it really gets you in the mood and helps you understand this time and place as it really was compared to Hollywood.  On our last visit we had just finished watching the entire Walton’s series so we were proud to find out that the various quiz questions and the kids scavenger hunt (ask for it) were not as difficult as the last visit years ago. The folks who run this place are outstanding hosts!

Lodging and Dining in the Area

Base from the middle of it all…Lovingston Village Inn – painted Bavarian motif outside, local hand-painted murals inside each clean, simple room.  Rates under $60.00. (US 29 434-263-5068).  Lovingston Cafe – (Bus 29. 434-263-8000). Their kids menu is presented in the front cover of a children’s book you can read while you wait on your food. Most kids Menu items are under $4.00 and adult entrees average $11.00.  Their outdoor shaded patio is adorable.

Planning family travel during Thanksgiving or Winter holidays?

Become a fan of Kids Love Travel on Facebook http://bit.ly/kidslovetravelfan

 & we’ll offer warm & cozy travel options.

D.C. FOR FREE – Smithsonian

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DAY TWO – the next day, put on your walking shoes.

Although Washington, D.C. is a very concentrated town with lots of buildings, most museums and memorials are near grassy, wide-open park spaces. Devote an entire day to the FREE Smithsonian Museums & National Mall buildings (Smithsonian.org).

DC by Foot, a walking tour company, gives FREE, kid-friendly tours (gratuity recommended) infused with games, fun facts and trivia. Or, just wander from one building to the next. Be sure to go online first and print off any “Hunts” (scavenger hunts) that interest you.

Play pilot in a mock cockpit at America by Air, an exhibition on permanent display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Teach kids about history at the newly renovated National Museum of American History for a rare look at the original “Star-Spangled Banner,” the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. The museum’s Spark!Lab uses fun activities to help kids and families learn about the history and process of invention through games and conducting experiments plus there’s an Under 5 Zone just for pre-schoolers.

Walk among the butterflies or witness a view of the blinding Hope Diamond at the National Museum of Natural History.

See the original Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights at the National Archives, then stick around to research your own family’s immigration records.

Whatever memorials you didn’t get to view, fill in after 5pm, when most museums in the national Mall close.

FOR MORE TO THE STORY….Visit KIDS LOVE VIRGINIA / D.C. travel guides and updates.

DC FOR FREE – PARENTS LOVE WASHINGTON, D.C. ON THE CHEAP, Attractions

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How To Do Attractions in Washington, D.C. – every family is different but honestly you can “do” as many as your family desires if you work the 10am-7pm full day.

DAY ONE – We came into the area on a Tuesday afternoon and started mid-day, after lunch. Our teen-age daughter had just studied WWII so she had interest in the Holocaust Memorial Museum (ushmm.org).

Daniel’s Story @ Holocaust Museum (for the tender-hearted)

The museum is FREE but they stress that kids under 12 may not enjoy this attraction. There are two “exhibit tracks” to follow: the General Exhibit and Daniel’s Story (a softer version for tender hearts and kids). We’d recommend walking through Daniel’s Story to everyone BEFOREHAND to prepare you for the intensity to follow in the main exhibit.

After this, grab a bite to eat and then, instead of getting caught in rush hour, opt to visit the Memorials of your choice all the way to dusk. The Washington Monument requires FREE timed tickets so do that first (or save it to sneak in another day). Ranger talks at the Lincoln Memorial are best to catch before 4:30pm.

FDR Memorial with Fala (the dog)

As the sun started setting, we especially enjoyed walking the perimeter of the Tidal Basin in Potomac Park with a view of the FDR Memorial & the Jefferson Memorial, as they are backlit towards nightfall. (nps.gov/nama)

FDR Memorial with Fala (the dog)
FDR Memorial with Fala (the dog)