Summer Getaway
In a decade or so, the Hennesseys hope to go on family vacations just like the Robinsons. This year, though, we have to do summer vacation on the cheap. (Actually, “cheap” doesn’t really describe what we’re looking for from our vacation experience. “Free” is more like it, or at least cost-neutral. I suppose a vacation that actually made us money would be ideal. Is there such a thing?)
Unfortunately, the past week hasn’t really been a family vacation at all: I’m with the kids at my mom's house in New Hampshire, and my husband, Matthew, is home so that he can continue to work in Manhattan. He’ll join us for a couple of days this weekend before we all cram into our Nissan Versa and head south to Connecticut.
Matthew wrote recently about how it feels to be home without us. I just had to reply.
So, dear husband, it's lonely there, is it? Not quite the bachelor beer-and-baseball frenzy you'd hoped for? Well, you're fully a family guy now. I guess I'm happy about that. If you were out every night whooping it up in our absence, I'd wonder if you were really committed to this life we are living. The house is a little spooky without us? The night too quiet? Breakfast a bit boring? Let me give you a taste of what you're missing up here in rural New Hampshire and maybe you'll settle in and drink up the silence and freedom for both of us.
You can read the rest here.
I'm curious: Has the recession impacted your vacation plans? Have you been forced to get creative with the vacation budget? I’m especially interested to know how people with young families are making it work during this loooooong hot summer.
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Jul '10
Re: Summer Getaway
One of the joys of living in the USA is the abundance of natural beauty that is available on the cheap. Our national parks and state parks are treasures and, with a few hundred dollars invested in camping equipment, one can enjoy a great family vacation for the price of a tank of gas.
My guess is that any child will remember a vacation of camping out under the stars much more vividly than a week ensconced in a $500-a-night seaside hotel. Tending a campfire, watching the sparks rise into the inky night sky, roasting a hot-dog on a stick - these are memorable experiences. Nights spent in a luxurious resort, staring at a 42-inch flat-screen television - not so much.
Aug '10
Re: Summer Getaway
We haven't got kids yet, but camping at state, national or BLM parks gets us vacations on the cheap, especially by driving (not flying) to lesser-known parks and staying in their semi-primitive sites (no showers, flush toilets, electricity hookups, but at least a pit toilet (like a latrine, only much better) and sometimes a tap).
My husband's family (5 kids + dog) always vacationed this way once the kids were old enough. Their father was unusually frugal -- died a millionaire despite what we'd think of as a modest salary -- so when my husband says these adventures were cheap as far as vacations go, I believe it.
Camping takes an initial outlay on equipment (making kids hike in ill-fitting shoes is practically a form of torture), but used equipment and improvisation keeps costs down. But be careful about ticks in Connecticut -- tickborne illness is expensive!
"Stay-cations" (making day trips from home to local points of interest) can be fun and cheap. (Hike, bike, and stroll right where you live!)
If you combine a family vacation with a business trip, you might actually make money. This was my dad's strategy. Didn't always work, though...
Jun '10
Re: Summer Getaway
Yes, the recession has placed limitations on me. However, I'm not much of a vacationer: my idea of an excellent vacation is to stay home, play a little golf, see some movies, and read some books. I have a very comfortable chair to do the latter, the movies where I live are the same as everywhere else, and there are a lot of good golf courses in my area that I haven't played yet (and they're a lot cheaper to play than those in vacation venues). I will note, however, that my kids are raised, which makes this a lot easier to pull off.
Re: Summer Getaway
Jul '10
Re: Summer Getaway
Adam Freedman · Aug 13 at 1:22pm
During the Depression, my father supplemented his meager income as a lumberjack by trapping beavers and ocelots in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Might be a bit traumatic for the kiddies, but I imagine those pelts could turn a family camping vacation into a profit-making opportunity.
May '10
Re: Summer Getaway
Absolutely correct, Adam. Learn to count cards (it's not as hard as you'd think). Of course, Vegas offers better odds, due to the competition between casinos. Saratoga's open for business this time of year, but becoming a profitable handicapper takes a lot more time than the rote mathematics of blackjack.
Or you could call Rob and ask if he knows anyone willing to turn you into movie extras.
May '10
Re: Summer Getaway
Ursula, I've done both cheap and fancy with little kids and grown kids.
Focus less on price, duration, or location than on achieving physiological change. Just change the scenery, the temperature, the food and the bed. Every bit of planning has its reward, and ironically, often leads you to spontaneous delights. Unplanned days sound heavenly, but I always found that they left us hurried or indecisive and a little bit grumpy by day's end.
Parents who can remain unruffled and cheerful are the ones who'll give their little ones good memories. With kids under 5, I recommend traveling with a grandparent, cousin, or teen helper to assist. Then you get mini-moments of vacation within the vacation.
Re: Summer Getaway
No vacation for us this summer. I did drop off my children with my family in Denver while I worked in Houston. My husband was without us for two weeks -- the first time our family has ever been separated for more than a day or so. He thought he'd have a blast for a week and then miss us. I think he began missing us within 48 hours. He said the house felt weird.
We don't have time or other resources for a vacation right now so we're trying to do little hiking trips each Saturday. It's actually been great.
Growing up out West, my parents took us camping at least once a year. We loved it -- but that's out West where camping is always pretty awesome.
Jun '10
Re: Summer Getaway
We were able to stay in a condo-like cabin in a state park here in Pennsylvania with my wife and two kids and my parents for about $350 for a week. That and the free babysitting made a great little vacation. We cooked all of our meals and spent most of the time hiking around, seeing some of the sights and going to State College for the day. The house was big enough to be very private. It was before the season, so there were no campers. Last year we did a staycation and that was okay, too.
Aug '10
Re: Summer Getaway
txmasjoy: Just change the scenery, the temperature, the food and the bed.
This got me thinking about some thing we did as kids that made great memories, even though they're not typically what you'd call vacations:
I was raised about a quarter of the time by my grandma, who was a staid, regimental sort, and quite insistent on correct table manners. But sometimes, she'd spread the tablecloth on the floor and give us an indoor picnic -- and let us eat with our hands, for a change. She made it seem like an adventure.
May '10
Re: Summer Getaway
Lots and lots of time at the community pool, meeting up with friends, with some days at the beach and hikes in the regional parks breaks things up pretty well.
We usually save up for a year or two to take a grand vacation. This year, we're planning on taking the entire family to Central America to visit my old stomping grounds. Now that is a trip I'm looking forward to with great anticipation!
Re: Summer Getaway
I was actually hoping Rob would see this and, you know, offer me something. HELLLLOOOOOO, you out there, Rob? Seriously, though, one of the worst summer days I spent was "working" as an extra on Timothy Hutton's (bad) movie Turk-182. Don't even ask me what it was about. My mom and I, along with a friend and her mom, drove to Giants Stadium one day in 1984 to be extras for $75. I was 13. We sat in the blazing sun and 95-degree heat for 14 hours and had to "act" like fans at an October football game. You know, wool sweaters, hats, mittens, etc. I thought it would be my big break and I'd end up on the cover of TigerBeat alongside my beloved Simon LeBon, but naturally, the crowd scene took up 1-2 seconds of screen time in the actual movie, and all I got out of it was a heat headache and sunburn.