Taking the Kids: Without busting the budget as gas prices reach record highs

Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on Mar 17, 2022

That’s especially true if you are considering a vacation home. “Vacation home demand for this summer is already outpacing last year,” said Alison Kwong, a spokesman for Vrbo. “Start planning now to ensure you have the best selection of vacation homes and price points to choose from.” She added that 60 percent of families surveyed by Vrbo said they plan to book vacations earlier than they did pre-pandemic.

Camping still remains an affordable option, though families may opt to camp or RV closer to home. “We found that during previous periods where gas prices increased, camping has been fairly resilient. Overall, when prices rise at the pump we have experienced a slowing of growth, but not a decline in growth,” said Kampgrounds of America spokesman Saskia Boogman.

During the pandemic, interest in camping in tents, cabins and RVs skyrocketed as families sought outdoor destinations where they could social distance. Households that identified as campers grew by a record 3.9 million, according to the 2021 KOA camping report. KOA has more than 500 campgrounds across North America.

That hasn’t abated as KOA reports some 54 percent of campers have already booked some of their camping trips — another reason to book early! (A new multi-reservation tool enables you to book multiple trips or multiple stays on one trip in the same reservation and share reservations with family.)

Maybe this won’t be the year to drive across the country in an RV. But if getting outdoors, perhaps in a state park or near a national park, is your goal you can arrange with peer-to-peer RV rental companies, including Outdoorsy and RV Share. They will have the RV delivered and set up at the campground of your choice and will pick it up when you are done. Some campgrounds also have motor homes all set up.

You can find RV rentals all over the USA by starting at GoRVing. Or find unique airstream rentals on Glamping Hub. How about a honey farm in Florida or riverfront in the Texas Hill Country?

Of course, as with vacation rentals, you will save money by cooking in. No one wants to take kids out for three meals a day anyway. Plan picnic lunches. Take advantage of local farmers’ markets where you are visiting and eat what is grown locally — a good lesson for kids about where their food comes from.

Let the kids help strategize how you will economize on vacation. Not only will that be a good lesson for them but for you too.

Happy travels!

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia, the 13th in the kid’s guide series, was published in 2020, with The Kid’s Guide to Camping coming in 2021.)