When we first launched full time traveling in 2019, we treated our lifestyle like a vacation. We enjoyed a lot those first few months but then realized that traveling 365 days a year is NOT vacation and we need to save money accordingly.
We started asking around and researching how to have adventures for free or cheap!
Here’s a list of how we make the most out of each location on a budget.
ASTC - This is a yearly museum membership that is reciprocal to other memberships throughout the country. Essentially, you buy the membership (around $125-175) and you can get into hundreds of museums and science centers at no additional cost.
State parks/junior ranger - Often times you can get a state park pass for cheap and they have a junior ranger program. The park rangers give the kiddos a packet to fill out while they visit the park. It asks questions pertaining to the park itself so all packets are different. Once the kids finish the packet they give it back to the ranger, do a pledge and earn badges for keepsake. This program is super fun for younger kids.
Kids bowl free / kids skate free programs - It’s a great opportunity for the kiddos to get out and have fun for the day during summer…. for free!
Hiking - pack snacks, grab your camel baks and find the waterfalls, wild animals and amazing sceneries.
Look for homeschool opportunities - Some organizations have free homeschool days/field trips. Sometimes these are free or you get a huge group discount. Our latest experience was with The Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden. It typically costs to get in but with the homeschool trip we got admission for free along with a hands on guided tour and scavenger hunt! Woohoo!
Join local homeschool fb groups - This is if you’re going to be in one area for 3+ weeks at a time. See what field trips are offered and join the groups, most don’t mind and are very welcoming.
Create your own scavenger hunt! You can do this by trying to find things you know you’ll see while out. Examples: Red leaf, water bottle, palm tree, hydrant and more. You can even make it into a BINGO scavenger hunt.
Find out if the community or campground is doing anything for free. Sometimes it’s bringing out the K9 unit to show demonstrations or a local animal hospital is releasing rehabilitated animals back into the wild.
Look for fossils, special plants, and animal tracks in the wild. Grab an app on your phone or snag a book from the library and go on a hunt at the local parks or right outside of your backdoor.
Look for free events on Facebook. Once you show interested in a certain event that’s local, the facebook algorithm will show you more events that are similar.
Grab a flower presser, go hunt flowers for research (or fun) and let the kids press them at home. You can laminate the flowers into bookmarks, keepsakes or gifts for family. Here’s the one that works great and recommended to us by The Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden.
Parks! - Parks are great because it can be something simple or something that’s a little different. Some examples are skate parks, historical sightings, and some parks have free events for the public (concerts even!).
Nerf gun battles - Grab your guns, head off to the park, and have some fun! Invite other families to join you.
Volunteer - this is a great opportunity to teach your kids, experience something “backstage” and so much more! So many places are looking for volunteers.
A couple fun things to do at home would be build obstacle courses, treasure hunts, baking night, and making pizzas.
I hope this helps! If you have anything to add, please drop a comment! Spending time with your family doesn’t have to be expensive or boring. It’s about making memories together.
See ya on the road!
-Amanda