Ok we have $100 and we need to do something fun.
Lets plan out a really fun trip for your family in 5 easy steps. I promise you have never done it like this.
This is only for the adventures.
If you are just wanting to go. Just GO, then follow these steps!
Step 1 Make some grab bags
This is how we are going to plan quickly. I firmly believe that limitations breed creativity. We are going to make some rules for the trip that will keep it very exciting.
For each category write each choice on a slip of paper and pick them out to make your choices easy! No re-dos, stick with your first pick.
Direction
Choose a direction, North, South, East or West! This is going to determine where you go! Your budget will determine how far.
Food
Choose a category here. Our family uses the options; Fast Food, Curbside, Packed, Grilled Out. You could use cuisine categories, or color categories or flavor categories. Just do not use specific restaurants because you do not know where you are going when you write these.
Lodging
If you are going overnight, add an envelope for lodging. Keep it general, so that you can go anywhere and figure out the exact location later. Try things like: Tent, Cabin, AirBnB, Hotel, or Van (hint hint, this one is my favorite).
Letters
Write each letter of the alphabet on a slip of paper and choose one! This is going to give you the theme. This is the fun part.
The first time we did this as a family we choose U.
That’s right, u.
It was hard at first, but once I got my mind around it, it was perfect. We ended up doing a packed picnic and ate it under an umbrella.
Step 2 Plan the Specifics
Budget
Gas
Time to do some math! Make sure you have a good idea about your car’s gas mileage. Once you have your direction, decide how far you want to go, divide it by the miles per gallon on your car, then multiply that by the price of gas per gallon. Voila! Your gas budget.
My big ol mom van gets about 18 miles per gallon. If I want to go 30 miles that will cost me almost 2 gallons of gas, or about $6 each way. I would set aside $20 for gas.
Lodging
Once you get there, you will want to have somewhere to sleep.
You already chose the category above, just call ahead and see if there are vacancies. If you really want to wing it and feel like you are on a big adventure you can just show up. Hotels usually have vacancies, you might pay more for an AirBnB, but it could be cool. I would say it can be hard to book cabins and campsites on the fly or during peak times so if that is what you picked, I encourage you to call ahead.
The budget here will depend on what you picked, but lets go ahead and take that money out before the food money.
Food
No trip is complete without a food plan. It has been said that vacation is just eating in new places. Plan an amount per day, or if you have older kids maybe give everyone a daily budget for their own food. A great, educational, activity for those growing people.
I would encourage you to let the whole family in on what the budget is and make it a group challenge to eat for the amount that is available. See who can get the most creative. Keep some backup graham crackers and pretzels on deck if the budget is kinda thin.
Fun
The rest of the money is for FUN! This can be standard things like go karts, arcade games, or shopping OR you could mix it up with things like cooking contents, GeoCaching or scavenger hunts. What about some YouTube challenges like last to take their hand off the fridge gets $50 or the first person to solve the puzzle gets to choose the restaurant. Spend the money, but make it super cool and memorable.
Step 3 Go and Document!
Now go, even if it seems doomed before you even hit pavement. Our first trip using this method was HARD, but I am still glad we went.
Make sure you document it. Take pictures if you want, post to social media if you want, but try these things to build strong family memories.
Family Journal
Grab a spiral binder or journal and invite everyone to write in it before, after and during the trip. Set the example by writing that first page. Write down what you picked, the dates, and what you are looking forward to. Write down the funny things that happened, write down why you hate it, write down things about the people you see, pre-writers can draw too. This is a super great way to encourage family communication in a safe way too! Make sure you read it every night so you know what the kids are thinking.
Souvenirs
You do not need to spend money here. My favorite thing for a long time was a signed Vanilla Coke can. I love the idea of creating a cumulative memory object. A ring of room service menus? A family flag that gets signed in each location? Maybe even T-shirts?
Yearbooks
I keep an album in my Google Photos for each kid for each year. I print the pictures in a book for Christmas. It’s a great tradition and helps us all remember great stuff that happened in the past year! This is pretty expensive, so make sure you budget ahead of time.
Step 4 Plan the Next One!
Get it on the calendar! The anticipation will make your next adventure even more fun!
Tips
Know your kids
Make sure that everyone gets their needs met, sweet lovies, favorite snacks, plan with them in mind to make sure that there are no major unexpected breakdowns.
Sleeping
Don’t skimp on packing comfortable sleep stuff, it may save space, but it’s not worth it. There is nothing more miserable than a cold, uncomfortable night. If you are outside consider electric blankets, or fans in the heat.
If you tried this method, let me know in the comments!
