cheap summer vacation travel

[midnight]

does anyone have any good ideas for cheap summer vacation travel? it is just for me and my friend. we are active and willing to try anything as long as it doesn't cost much.

[terry1156]

What type of summer vacation are you considering? Day trips? A week excursion? What part of the country do you live in? I may be able to help out with some ideas if you live on the West Coast.

[Tree0164]

Have your parents buy a summer home on a lake!

Just teasing but I got the best of both worlds. My parents own a house on a lake in New Hampshire. We go there for the July 4th weekend and then 1-2 weeks during the summer and a depending upon everything else head there on some other weekends. Lots of fun!

[Tree0164]

Look into seasonal or yearly memberships for places such as zoos, museums and amusement parks. They usually pay for themselves after visiting the place only a couple of times.

This was on the random tip of the day!. It is a great one. One of my aunts gives the kids a season pass to the zoo each year for Christmas. It gives us a free day when we pack our luncheons.

Also check with your library or workplace for discounts on local entertainment. My mom's work is always having passes for the children's museum or aquarium.

[globetrotter]

I love camping. There are wonderful campgrounds across the US and Canada and most only cost a few dollars a night. If you like nature, there isn't a better way to travel. The most popular ones fill up quite fast over the summer months, so you need to make reservation well in advance. You can make your reservations through the Natioanl Park Service

[DivaJen]

You might want to check out Ghost Ranch, in NM. Sometimes they have good rates, both at their Santa Fe campus and the actual ranch in Abiquiu. If you go when they aren't running workshops you'll likely get better rates (and they may not even have any availability during conference weeks).

http://www.ghostranch.org/

[midnight]

Thank you for all the suggestions. We are going to try some camping at Joshua Tree (southwest). I will be able to borrow some things from family friends. Any suggestions on where to get other supplies without spending a fortune? We have a tent and sleeping bags. We may have a cooking stove (I'm working on that now). We still need basic supplies for eating. Since we aren't that experienced, it there also someplace on the Internet that has a good checklist of the things we will need?