Three years ago was the last time my family of six went on a traditional family vacation.
It was a trip to Miramar Beach, Florida, and we made some really lovely memories together. I still remember eating seafood and ice cream, playing putt-putt, and spending our days playing in the ocean. Our accommodation was perfect for our family: close to the beach and easy to swing in for bathroom and snack breaks. We took loads of photos, and we returned home tan from the Florida sun.
Then, it was back to the grind, but with what felt like next-to-nothing in my bank account. This is when we realized we could either go into significant debt to take a yearly or even every-other-year family vacation, or we could choose to stop vacationing far from home. Now, we prioritize day trips.
Vacationing has become too expensive
The cost of that trip to Florida, even with free flights after years of saving up airline points, was astronomical to us.
For starters, my family wants comfortable accommodations, especially while we’re vacationing. For us, that means enough bedrooms and bathrooms. Nobody wants to spend their vacation almost on top of each other. For us, a rental home works best.
We also need a rental vehicle that not only seats all of us, but also holds all our luggage, too. That’s a tall order.
Then there’s the food. Even though we chose to eat most of our meals and snacks in our rental home, the food costs quickly added up. Two of my kids were teens who can eat adult portions. When we ate out, even without ordering appetizers, drinks (besides water), or desserts, every meal was over $100, and usually closer to $150.
Staying local gives us a new appreciation for where we live
We live near St. Louis, where there are plenty of museums, restaurants, sports events, and entertainment venues. Instead of blowing thousands of dollars on a week at Miramar, we schedule multiple/a few mini day-trips for our crew throughout the year/summer
Whether we are trying a new restaurant (especially for brunch, which is the kids’ favorite) or strolling through an art museum or the zoo (both of which are free in St. Louis), our family can experience memorable, cultural, and culinary expenses close-to-home.
It’s also easy to take local attractions for granted. When you live close to a major city, you simply forget that there are incredible opportunities for family fun right in your backyard.
St. Louis is known for The Hill, an area laden with Italian restaurants. The Botanical Garden is in the heart of an eclectic area of the city with loads of coffee shops and niche, small restaurants. Of course, there’s the Arch, Cardinals and Blues games, the National Museum of Transportation, The Magic House children’s museum, and so much more.
A day trip is a lot easier to coordinate
Planning any trip is stressful and time-consuming, but those concerns are much less when we’re just going within a few hours of where we live.
There’s no packing, airplane rides, rental cars, special gear, or dog sitters to coordinate. And anything that can limit the stress in our lives is something I’m game for.
Sometimes we stay overnight, but not for long
When we do crave a few days away, we’ve opted to keep it low-key. Once, we rented a charming St. Louis storefront that had been renovated into a giant living space, complete with a ballroom (yes, a ballroom), for just a few hundred dollars for three days. While there, we visited local bookstores, enjoyed tacos, browsed the infamous graffiti walls, and went to The City Museum—a mecca of chaos and curiosity for kids of all ages.
We’re sticking to the plan for now
Yes, our kids sometimes complain when they know friends are going on “big” vacations. However, we balance the craving for travel with multiple, short day trips. Some of our kids also get to travel with their extracurricular sports, letting them have their own trips without carting the entire family along.
I’m not saying we’ll never take a big vacation to a beach or another state again, but for now, this plan works for us and our budget.
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