Thrifty Mommy » travel

Cheap kid fun for car travel

Jennifer Chait — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:48:31 +0000

If you’re heading out on vacation by car, you’ll want to keep the kiddos busy without spending too much cash. Here are some ideas…

$0.10-1.00 thrift store books: For under $10 you can pick up a huge assortment of books and magazines your kids have never read at the thrift store.

$2.00 marshmallows and toothpicks: Give these to bored kids and let them build small people and buildings. This is sticky if the kids start munching, so have some hand wipes at the ready.

$5.00 – DIY travel art easel – you can buy one for $30 or buy each child an inexpensive white board + some white board markers (always on sale at office stores) you can also use the white board as a sturdy lap drawing surface and pack up take-along coloring books, crayons, and so fourth.

A few books on CD: These cost a little more but if you just buy a few they can help to fill in many hours and are worth the cost.

$10 Nature books on CD
FREE Check some out from your local library
$20 for 14 nice audio books for kids
FREE download stories to iTunes

FREE: See this list of free car games and activities for kids.

Don’t forget to take along a Frisbee or ball for at rest stops. The best way to get a cranky kid to settle down is to take an hour off and tire them out with some outdoor activity.

[image via stock.xchng]

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Save money with home-swapping for vacation

Jennifer Chait — Sat, 09 May 2009 04:19:25 +0000

Most of us have heard of home exchanges now, due to that cute movie The Holiday. But, finding a new main squeeze isn’t really the biggest benefit of a home swap. Home swapping is also one great way to save money on your summer vacation. However, according to a piece posted at Boston.com you always need to be very careful when going into a home swap.

Obviously a home swap rocks because it saves you on lodging, normally one of the largest costs of summer travel (minus actual transport). It can also be a more homey experience and offers more space if you’ve got a large family – i.e. an actual house vs. a small and crowded hotel space. One downside is most reputable home swap organizations require a membership fee. It’s usually not bad though and paying a reputable site can be a little like safety insurance.

Risks involved include:

According to the Boston.com piece, “Home-exchange sites don’t screen members, so you need to do your homework.” The piece also recommends asking others who have home swapped with someone you’re considering how their experience was; good, bad, clean, icky, and so on.

Where to learn more about home swapping:

[image via stock.xchng]

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My favorite family portrait!

kellys — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:11:44 +0000

Hope this helps you brave the cold this week.

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I hate unpacking

kellys — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:55:10 +0000

I am still unpacking from our trip and I hate it. Why does it seem to take an hour or so throw everything in a suitcase but an entire day to unpack it. And I came home with all CLEAN clothes. Now I just have to find a place to put all these new toys.

Also, I now have another broken suitcase. So much for my great deal on a new set of luggage!

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My holiday schedule

kellys — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:08:02 +0000

Let me let you in on a little secret … STAY HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. We didn’t and I am still exhausted. So I thought I would share my holiday with you so you can see how staying home is an option worth considering.

I would like to say, however, that we really enjoyed seeing family. We only get to go home once a year but this year seemed especially hectic for some reason.

Dec 23rd – I worked a 10 hour shift and packed some

Dec 24th – I worked an 8 hour shift and packed some

Dec 25th – We flew to Houston and then took a 1 hour drive to my dad’s. Total travel time: 11 hours

Dec 26th – We visited with my dad, mom, all my sisters, and had Christmas at home

Dec 27th – We took some time to go and see Kemah Boardwalk. I was amazed at how hurricane Ike tore up Galveston.

Dec 28th – We said goodbye to my family and drove 3 hours to my aunt’s house in south Texas. There we had a good time with my mom’s side of the family. This was the first year my grandma wasn’t there to great us and it was very hard for me.

Dec 29th – My kids got to feed the cattle and ride around on the ranch. They had a great time with their cousins.

Dec 30th – We ate lunch at my favorite restaurant from childhood and drove 2.5 hours to my sister’s house. My mom and sister met us and my older sister and her two kids for dinner.

Dec 31st – We flew to Missouri to see my mom and dad. Total travel time: 11 hours

Jan 1st – We celebrated my dad’s birthday and had Christmas in Missouri. Turkey Butt finally got Chou Chou. She didn’t put that silly doll down for days! My allergies kicked in so I started taking Benadryl every 4 hours until Monday.

Jan 2nd – We played with the kids and mom and my dad even got to hang out with Turkey Butt for 2.5 hours while we put away the tree. I had to call my doctor’s office to get DH an antibiotic as he was ocne again very sick.

Jan 3rd – We took the kids to the park for a while.

Jan 4th – We finished packing and flew home. We fell into bed around 1 am. Total travel time – 10.5 hours

Jan 5th – I had to be at work at 7:30 am. By the time I got home, my eyes were bloodshot and my face still had lovely hives from my allergy attack at mom’s. My co-workers said I looked like I was wasted!

Jan 6th – I took the kids to school and baby sitter and then took a nap.

Total travel time: ridiculous and I lost count

Total allergy/sick time: way too much

Total family time: priceless

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Hotels, B&Bs, or Time Shares?

Karen Weideman — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:12:01 +0000

My hubby and I have worked a very long 10 days straight. We’re ready for some rest and relaxation. He found us a B&B on the coast, not too far from where my parents live. We’re taking the kids to my parents’ house today and then we’ll head to our relaxing destination.

For our family, timeshares just don’t work. The fees each year cost more than we typically spend on a hotel. Along with their fees, you have to pay around $10,000 for the property, rights, whatever they’re called.

So I’m curious . . . do you have a timeshare? Do you prefer to book your own room at a hotel or do you use a travel camper? What are your travel arrangements?

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Cheap airline prices right now

kellys — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:45:56 +0000

OK, so I have a Travelocity fair alert notification so that if the prices drop $50, they email me. It’s much more convenient this way than to worry about going online to check prices every day. Right now, I could get tickets to see my dad and sisters for less than $300. Now that is cheaper than I have seen it in a while. the kicker is that you have to travel before the holidays. So that knocks me out. But you can get good deals right now if you are going to travel any time soon. Just make sure you don’t have to check any bags in or they charge you, depending on the airline. I think SouthWest is the only airline now that doesn’t charge you for at least your second bag. United charges for your first now. UUGGHH!!

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Thank you, United Airlines

kellys — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:03:09 +0000

There are still good guys out there in the airline industry. United Airlines gaveus our tickets to go to my grandma’s funeral at a deeply discounted price. I was a little disappointed when I paid since they charged me a $20 fee for booking at the airport per ticket. Well, here we were getting off the plane at our little airport in town and the guy that sold me the tickets was waiting for me. He verified my name, although he picked me out as soon as I got off the plane, and told me that they had overcharged me. Would I please go to the ticket counter to get my refund. I was astonished.

When I got to the gate and entered the terminal, another lady was waiting for me and was EXTREMELY apologetic. She had kept my check that I paid for my tickets with and simply told me that they should not have charged me the $20 fee. So she wanted me to write another check for the corrected amount. I was very happy to do that except my check book was in my luggage. She politely waited for me to get my luggage and my checkbook. In the meantime, she gave us 3 $75 ticket vouchers for our troubles towards another flight. That meant more to us than the refund since it would help pay for our Christmas tickets.

So thank you, United airlines, and we will be flying with you again. Not just becuase you guaranteed another trip with the vouchers but because you were nice on numerous occasions:

You had bereavement fares,
Your stewardess on the flight back was FANTASTIC with my kids!
You were honest with a mistake,
You helped us pay for our next trip.

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Frugal travelers pack lightly

kellys — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:00:14 +0000

Since my family never lives near me and I always have to fly, the new that US Air and United (I am not even going to put links because I am so mad) will now start charging for any baggage over your first checked bag drives me crazy! Now, if you have more than one bag, it is $25 for the second checked bag and who knows what for the third! OH MAN!!! Now I am going to have t pack for a family of 4 in just 3 bags. Anybody try to pack shoes and toiletries for 4 lately? I am proud of getting my stuff for my family in 4 bags. Now I have to get them in 3. Don’t forget that there is a 50 lb limit per bag. That sounds like a lot, 150 lbs of luggage, but it’s not. Try it for a change. Just the bag with my husband’s shoes and our toiletries weighs 50 lbs with hardly no clothes. And let’s face it, you can only buy so much once you get there because you either have to pack the remaining diapers and baby food or you waste it by leaving it there. What a hassle. Guess I am going to have to learn how to pack all over again. I certainly don’t mind washing when I am there but once again, Little Man has extremely sensitive skin so I have to wash his clothes in baby detergent. See my dilemma?

What do you think? I say, for the price of the ticket, I should either be able to pack 2 bags per ticket or not have a weight limit for the one bag I can check in for free.

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Cheap travel

kellys — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:37:52 +0000

Travelocity has their cruises and certain destinations on sale. Want a quick getaway? They have several spur of the moment deals if you are feeling adventurous and don’t want to spend a lot of money. Also, I have a friend that goes home to see his family really cheap. He will periodically go to the airport and ask if they need to fill a plane to his home town. Every once in a while, they are in need of selling tickets and he gets them for like half price. Just a few ideas as to how to save some money traveling.

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