Shoestring Adventures

Here are some easy tips for creating fun and inexpensive family getaways! Find out how you can plan one- and two-day trips that are tailor-made to fit your family's interests and your budget. This is a great way to teach your children how to read road maps!

"Anatomy of a Shoestring Adventure"

Lots of Fun for Not Much Money
Just like most people, my husband I live on a "just barely" income. We"ve got "just barely" enough to pay the rent, just barely enough to pay our bills, just barely enough to keep groceries in the "frig, just barely enough to put a little bit into a savings account, and just barely enough to have a few "disposable dollars" left over at the end of the month. However, with today"s prices our disposable dollars get "disposed of" really quickly. There just isn"t much out there that you can do for entertainment that"s "cheap." That is, there isn"t much out there unless you know where to look for it, and if you know how, you can do it on a "shoestring."

We"ve been going on Shoestring Adventures since the day we got married. We never had much money to spend on splashy vacations, and even when we went "on vacation" stretching our dollars was the rule. Over the years, I"ve learned how to stretch our money to cover all sorts of incredible "road trips"---sometimes just for one day, sometimes for a whole week. Whenever and wherever we"ve gone, we"ve had experiences that "money couldn"t buy." The two dozen or more photo albums that are stacked up in my hall closet prove it!

There"s little point in me telling you exactly where to go, how to get there, or what to do when you get there. Since our Shoestring Adventures are tailored to appeal to us, they may not appeal to you. What I can share with you, however, is how to create your own Shoestring Adventure---one that is tailor-made to fit you, your family, your budget, and your interests. With a few simple skills, a handy collection of "stuff," and just a little bit of planning and preparation, you"ll be on your way!

Keep These Things Handy!

First, if you don"t have a really good roadmap for your state (or the state into which you intend to travel)---BUY ONE. I"m not talking about a simple map that"s got the major roads, like a travel atlas, I"m talking about one of those big paper roadmaps that you can never refold correctly. You can usually buy an excellent state roadmap in stores like Kmart, Wal*Mart, Walgreen"s, or any bookstore. Before you buy the roadmap, make sure that it has "Places of Interest" marked on it. To verify this, open the map to the "Legend" or "Key" (where they explain all the symbols used on the map). Places of interest are usually marked with something like a red dot, a blue square, or the like. In fact, so many roadmaps that we"ve purchased use red dots that we know simply refer to interesting places as "red dots on the map."

Second, assemble a "Road Adventure Kit" and keep it ready to go! You can use anything from a cardboard box, a plastic milk crate, a "tub" (like a Rubbermaid storage tub you can buy at Wal*Mart), or even a nice whicker picnic basket. Personally, we use a crate; it"s easy to carry and it fits nicely into the bed of our truck (along with all our other Road Adventure items). You should start assembling your kit by including in your crate any or all of the following:

Binoculars
A roll of paper towels and a bottle of hand sanitizer
Picnic items (paper plate, plastic utensils, etc.)
A plastic tablecloth (like the "disposable" kind you can buy for cheap)
A couple of big "beach" towels
A small first-aid kit
Insect repellent
A sharp knife, a can opener, scissors