Rethinking the Family Vacation

When I used to think of vacations, my first stop would be a travel site to figure out where to go, how to get there, and where to stay. I would find a reasonable flight to someplace warm, with a hotel right on the beach, great restaurants and fabulous amenities like spas and indoor pools. The second stop would be to my bank account to see what I could actually afford. And that's where my vacation would end. I really would like to be the perfect mother, planning the perfect family vacations. My husband and I would like to take our son on a cruise to the Virgin Islands, skiing in Whistler, or on a bike ride through the streets of Barcelona. But, when you start putting together the cost for travel, accommodations, and your food, the reality of today's economy gets in the way. I have found, that in order to still go on vacations, I need to redefine my idea of a vacation. When that happens, my options start to open up. Here's what I do:

Reinvent the family vacation
My mother told me about how when she was younger, her family never went to exotic locations. Instead, their vacations would consist of visiting family. So, think about visiting family. I'm not saying to go through your address book to see who lives in a cool place to visit. Go through your address book and see who you would like to reconnect with. One of my favorite vacations I remember was a trip to Huntington, NY where my mother grew up. I stayed with my great aunt and uncle and visited with other family in the area. Honestly, these were people that I only remembered from weddings. But, they knew me through my mother, and they welcomed me like a long lost niece. I drove up in a blizzard and found the joy of sledding in the streets with my cousins (I'm not sure if they were second or third cousins - it didn't matter), my Aunt Gina's amazing homemade calzones, and just getting to know people and listen to family stories I had never heard before. It was like connecting with a past I never knew. I went up a few years later, when my son was about nine months old. It was a summer heat wave, but it was just as fun. Just this past weekend, our family visited my aunt in New York City. We all piled into a tiny one bedroom apartment with my aunt and she taught us how to navigate the city with a metro card. We played in the park, had dinner with family, and it couldn't have been better. I hadn't seen my aunt in six years, but family never forgets.

Let your children plan your vacation
See, adults think Broadway shows, 5 star restaurants, golf outings with expensive greens fees. And kids think hotdogs from a sidewalk stand, the tallest slide in the park, and playing games. During our weekend trip in New York City, we managed to only spend $100 in entertainment costs. That was for three people, for three days. And we splurged. We went to the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, which was a great hands on place, and it was absolutely free. We played video games at the Nintendo store. We raced in the park. We took a carriage ride in Central Park, which was only $34 for the ride (not per person - per ride). We paid $10 a piece at the Children's Museum of Manhattan. It's great for kids of all ages. And the littlest children are free. (And yes, even babies will have fun - there are exhibits for all ages) What's great is that you can come and go all day long. So, you could go in the morning, go out for lunch, and then go back in the afternoon. We traveled by bus most of the time (the bus drivers often let our 6 year old ride for free which helped out), and that was a treat in itself - who got to push the button to notify the bus driver to stop? Free bonus entertainment is always wonderful. Our biggest splurge for the weekend was when my husband and I snuck away to ice skate at Rockefeller Center (we went alone because my son hates to ice skate). You could go to Wollman Rink in Central Park during the week for about $5.25 for children and $10 for adults. It's less expensive than Rockefeller Center, and much larger. You could also take the kids to the Central Park Zoo for $3 a child and to the carousel.

There's strength in numbers
Consider renting a house with a group of friends or family. If you go to sites like beachhouse.com, you can rent a 7 bedroom house in Florida that sleeps 20 for $3,500 a week in late August. If you share among 5 couples or six couples, serve bagels and cereal for breakfast, make your own sandwiches for lunch, and alternate cooking dinner for the house, you could be saving quite a bit of money for a week vacation. Just make sure you like the people you're going with, and plan the sleeping arrangements ahead of time. If kids bring their sleeping bags, you can even fit more! People often list their vacation rentals at sites like craigslist.com. You can sometimes contact the landlord of the property you like and negotiate for a short notice vacation. Sometimes renting to you for less is worth it to the owner, because whether it's rented or not, they still have a mortgage to pay.

Reconsider your transportation
If you love a road trip, you can rent a large RV that sleeps 7 for a week for about $800. You pay for the mileage, so a 7 day trip where you travel about 700 miles will cost you around $1,000. Remember, though, that cost covers your travel expenses, accommodations, and if you bring groceries to cook or camp out, your food as well. You can also get great cruise deals when the cruise ships are going from one coast to another. The trips are longer (about two weeks), and they tend to have more days at sea rather than ports, but you still have a ton of onboard entertainment. And considering most cruise ships have day programs for children, parents can get a break without paying to bring along a babysitter. Be aware that these cruises, obviously, won't start and end at the same port. But hey - that means one more city to visit on your trip!

If all else fails, consider a "Staycation"
I did this for a week with my son last August, and we had a great time. Take the time off work, but don't go anywhere. Look at your area and plan excursions you can do in a day. By taking off during the week, you'll be beating the crowds. You'll also be sleeping in your own bed, and eating the way you normally do. We are fortunate enough to live in the DC area. So we were able to take day excursions to Mount Vernon, the monuments, various museums, and the Baltimore Aquarium. To beat the normal rush hour traffic, we would stop in the evening at a friend's house to visit or for dinner - friends I don't normally just stop by at because they're just outside of the normal daily commute for us. Even if you don't live in a popular tourist attraction, research your area and you might be surprised. Local libraries often have programs during the day, there are farmer's markets, hiking trails, historical parks, and even our local grocery store has family movie nights on occasion. With just a little research you're bound to find something interesting. Just taking the day off from work and spending it with your children is a vacation for them.

When the economy picks back up, we may start taking traditional vacations again. But honestly, rethinking vacation options has been wonderful for my family. We've come together to think outside of the box. And we've started focusing on what's important - that vacation isn't about amenities and spending money - but it's about spending time together. And what could be better?