- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- home style today articles
- home style today q&a
- traveling today articles
- traveling today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Travel on the Cheap
How to Cut Costs on This Year's Vacation
By Cara J. Stevens
Be sure to also consider what supplies you'll need to bring and what can be left at home. Last-minute, unnecessary purchases duplicating what you already have at home can quickly up the price-tag of your trip.
"The big cities make fun, cheap escapes for families with kids," says Brian Ek, vice president of communications at Priceline.com. "Usually, there's lots of free stuff to do: museums and the like. In particular, you can wander Washington, D.C., for days without spending a dime to get into the attractions." Even a usually expensive city such as New York can be done on the cheap with a little creative planning.
Families might also consider staying closer to home. "Most of our travel in the early days of our family was local travel, which gave us the opportunity to use public transportation," says Lewis Lepene, a native New Yorker and the father of two grown daughters. "It sometimes was a train adventure to New York City or Montauk Point and back the same day. The Staten Island Ferry was one of the best bargains we did often, as well."
Lepene found that even though they did not travel far, his family had lots of fun. "Traveling by train, we could all share the joy of people-watching and playing little games like 'guess what she does for her occupation' or 'guess his name' while we were traveling," he says.
