Entertaining the Kids on the Road & Staying On Budget

Today's guest blog post comes from Melanie Toast of Travel Toast who has a lot of great ideas about free and inexpensive ways to entertain kids on the road. Some things to come are a post about the Eddie Bauer Airstream from the point of view of Airstreamers and a post about where to park your rig for the Oaklawn races.

Let’s face it: RVing isn’t always the cheapest way to get around. Once you pay for gas, RV parks and propane, you might not have a lot left in your budget for entertaining the kids. The good news is that you’re RVing to show them something other than a video game or the latest Toy Story movie. You have  the whole world on your doorstep and you want to create memories experiencing it with them! And with some creativity and planning, you can take advantage of it without going broke.

Here are some ideas we implement regularly to keep our crew of four kids adequately amused during our long treks across the U.S.

When You’re Stuck in the Car

When the kids are stuck in their seats traveling for several hours, it might be tempting to buy up the latest DVDs to keep them amused during the drive. You don’t have to buy out the store for fear the kids will get bored. We try to give homage to the traditional activities families used to engage in, like singing songs, pointing out interesting views and topography, reading books (individually) and sketching pictures. After driving around 30,000 miles so far this past year, we have yet to watch a movie in the truck. I do understand that there are times when you may want everyone to zone out. If that’s the case, we reach for an audio book. We have turned to audio books many times, listening to classics like  Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Heidi and Alice in Wonderland. It’s entertaining and educational. Best of all, the best books are completely free to download to your iTunes or as an MP3 file. Here’s my favorite free audio book download site: www.booksshouldbefree.com

Park Memberships

You will most likely be close to a National Park no matter where you are in the U.S. If you buy the year pass (around $80 for the whole family) you can save a bundle and go as often as you like. When we visited Yellowstone, we drove in and out several times during a week. Just that trip alone saved us money. You can buy the membership here or at the entrance to any National Park.

Our other favorite membership is an annual membership to the North Carolina Zoo and Aquarium. For less than $80 bucks, you can access almost every zoo and aquarium (and some science centers) in the U.S. for free or at a big discount. If you’re not on the road fulltime, check out the benefits of joining your local zoo and see if a membership will give you the same benefits. Otherwise, you can easily joining the NC Zoo at this link. You can check out the local wildlife which is an excellent way to get to know a state.

Free Museums

Bigger cities may offer “free days” for their major museums downtown. For example, Chicago has several museums with free days, usually on a Thursday. If you’re near a city, call the local tourism bureau and ask about freebies.

Libraries are Everywhere!

You may not be able to get a membership if you’re just passing through, but you can still have plenty of fun at the local library of the town you’re visiting. Many libraries offer free puppet shows and craft events that do not require a membership. Plus you can get in some reading time to boot! Go online and do a search for “library” plus the name of your city. Many post calendars with upcoming events.

Sports and Fun at the Local Park

We always travel with our tennis rackets and tennis balls looking for an opportunity to check out the local courts. It’s great to have a family sport that you all enjoy. You could keep a basketball with you or a soccer ball as well.

Aside from sports, local parks are fun to check out, and many have free treasures you won’t want to miss. We just spent some time in Nashville where we saw the replica of the Greek Parthenon at the city park. We didn’t pay for the ticket to go inside, but walking and climbing around the grand building was great fun in itself!

Bikes & Scooters are a Must

Kids love their bikes and scooters. Bring them with you and let them ride around the RV park and bring back stories of all the wild things they see. (Once my son came back shouting, “Dad, I saw a trailer dump its sewage all over the road!”) For some reason, if your kids are on a bike, it’s more thrilling to them than just walking around. Plus, if you bring your own, you can find a local bike path and have a family outing.

Games That Don’t Involve Staring at a Television or Computer

I’m talking Monopoly, Risk, Sorry and even Texas Hold ‘em. Our six-year-old is so good at Poker now, I’m thinking of taking her to Las Vegas when she turns 21 so she can pay for a new fifth wheel (after she and her siblings destroy our current one!). Games are fun, especially when you’re looking back at each other from across a table. You can find a bunch at garage sales or eBay for next to nothing. Plan a game night once a week and try to stick to one game at a time until everyone masters it. It’s an investment, but so
worth the memories. (Plus it’s free!)

Okay, Watching a Movie Once in a While Is Not a Sin

Especially if it’s cheap! Since you’re on the road, renting movies from Red Box is a great convenience and very reasonable at only $1 per night. You can find them at most Wal-Marts, Wal-Greens, and many McDonald’s, and you don’t need a membership. If you really want to save a buck, sign up with them online for freebies and you can get a code emailed to you each week, good for a free rental. You can also use their website to locate a Red Box near you and even reserve a movie at a specific location. Check them out here: www.redbox.com

For more tricks and tips, or to see what we’re up to, check out our website at www.TravelToast.com