Travel budgets vary widely, but if you are planning an affordable US family road trip, here is our sample budget and some tips to help manage costs. We had an epic adventure, and here I will share where we spent our money, where I wish I had spent less, and what I was happy to have splurged on. Currently, AI estimates that a family of four’s road trip will cost nearly 3x what we spent! While it would have been incredibly easy to pay more, my family had an amazing time. We did a wide variety of tours and activities, balanced by budget-friendly and free activities. It would have been possible to scale up or down depending on the budget you are aiming for.
We started in Wisconsin and drove to Omaha to visit one of the world’s largest zoos. Then we spent a week adventuring in Moab. This included dinosaur fossils (free), rappelling in slot canyons, whitewater rafting, visiting national parks, swimming, and mountain biking. We spent several days in the Colorado mountains, followed by a couple of days in Denver. The highlights in Colorado included hikes with mountain views, the world’s largest hot springs, a gold mine tour, and one of the coolest playgrounds we’ve ever seen (Paco Sanchez Playground in Denver, Colorado)! We stopped at a state park in Kansas to swim and bike, and we enjoyed authentic Kansas BBQ. Finally, we spent a day at our family’s favorite museum, the City Museum, and looked out from the top of the St Louis Arch.
In total, we spent $6,220 on 19 days and 18 nights of travel. We drove nearly 3,500 miles across nine states. This budget includes everything we spent, including lodging, gas, food, tours, souvenirs, guide tips, and entry fees. The highest costs were entertainment, since we value experiences, but a few could easily be cut to reduce this budget drastically. My budget includes the groceries we picked up before packing, and an EXTRA night of lodging because we had to leave one of our hotels when they lost power. I used some credit card points to help keep costs down, more on that below.
Budget Breakdown
| Total Costs Paid | Average per Day for a Family of Four | |
| Lodging (18 nights) | $1365 | $76 |
| Gas/Parking | $780 | $39 |
| Entertainment | $2,100 | $111 |
| Restaurants | $1,200 | $63 |
| Groceries | $560 | $29 |
| Gifts/ Sovenuirs | $215 | $11 |
| Total | $6,220 | $327 |
Lodging Costs and Considerations
Not surprisingly, one of our biggest spending categories was lodging. Eight of our 18 nights were paid with points, which really helped reduce the cost. One of those nights was from Hotels.com rewards program, and the rest were from Capital One Rewards Points. If you are looking for more information on the credit card game, I recommend Points for Normal People as a great summary. The Points Guy is another detailed resource.
Looking back on our lodging, price didn’t always equate to value. Our least favorite hotel was the most expensive. This was the Wingate by Wyndham in New Castle, Colorado. It was $166 worth of points per night. There were maintenance issues, the hotel was loud, and when the power went out. We ended up leaving after two nights and didn’t receive a refund for the third night. Capital One rewards did give us a $50 inconveniece fee, which was helpful in offsetting the cost of a different hotel for the night
Our favorite hotel was the Drury in Denver, Westminster. This was our first time at a Drury, and we can’t wait to go back. The most standout feature was the 5:30 kickback. Basically, this is a complimentary dinner and drinks from 5:30-7 pm. What a great way to save money for a family! They also had a better-than-average continental breakfast, a fantastic indoor/outdoor pool, clean rooms, and friendly staff. This hotel costs us $140/night and was a great location for our time in Denver.
Our most affordable hotel was the Western Inn in Council Bluffs, Omaha, Nebraska. We knew we would only be sleeping there and moving out in the morning. The beds were springy, the lobby seemed a bit dim, and there was no elevator, but we felt safe, and there were other families at the entrance, along with friendly staff.
We found an absolute jewel for the price in Julesburg, Colorado. Cobblestone Inn was only $120, but I would have guessed it to be much higher. Looking at reviews is key to finding these types of great budget hotels.
We moved around a lot during the trip, but spent a whole week in Moab. We rented an AirStream from Sun Outdoors Arches Gateway that was perfect for our family. Including the discount we got for staying a full week, it averaged only $140 a night. The AirStream had a small porch and an area for the kids to play, a pool, a playground, and a huge chessboard.
Food for Thought – Restaurants vs Groceries
We averaged going out to eat once a day. We had continental breakfasts on 10 of our 18 nights. On seven of the nights we were in the AirStream, which had a small kitchen, so cooking was easy. We actually ended up going out to eat only every other day that week, which saved a lot of money.
How should we have cut food costs? If we hadn’t done as much hotel hopping, it would have been easier to make meals. If we had found an Airbnb or VRBO and spent a few nights there, creating a variety of meals would have been easier.
I was successful in a few ways in saving money on food. We tried to go out to lunch rather than dinner, since it can be less expensive. Coffee is a necessity, but we fought the temptation to get coffee out most days, choosing to get it from the lodging or make it at home. We brought an Aeropress and a water kettle for the week in the airstream that I loved. We also made sure the cooler was stocked with everyone’s preferred drinks and snacks, so we could avoid gas-station drinks. It’s cheaper at the grocery store than at fast stations or entertainment venues. We also always had basic sandwich stuff for quick, cheap meals.
Entertainment and Tours
This is my favorite category to spend in, and I hate focusing too much on the budget. That said, we still tried to be careful about where we spent money. We ended up going on a full-day white-water rafting trip, a private half-day rock-climbing and rappelling tour, and a gold-mining tour. We paid for admissions to the world’s largest hot springs pool, the St. Louis Arch, a huge zoo, the City Museum, and a dinosaur museum. Finally, we paid for a couple of shuttles to make mountain biking easier. Details of the experiences are below, or skip to the next section for ideas on finding budget-friendly activities.
Our biggest spend was the private Rockaneering family trip, which was a highlight for me. Could we have skipped it? Absolutely, but I loved it so much I’d rather cut in other places. It was at Moab Cliffs and Canyons and cost us $660, which included a tip for our awesome guide.
The second highest was our whitewater rafting trip. This wasn’t a private tour, but it was a full-day trip, so overall I thought it was reasonably affordable. It included a generous lunch, and the tour guide was absolutely wonderful with our family! I researched a lot of white-water trips before I chose Fish Towers with World Wide River Expeditions, mostly because of how welcoming they were to families. Including our guide tip, this cost us $443.
One day, our friend took the kids to Moab Giants, a dinosaur museum they loved, which cost $18 per person.
The same day, since we didn’t have the kids, my husband and I paid for a shuttle to the top of a 12-mile mountain bike trailhead called Raptor Run. It was a long drive on bumpy dirt roads, and I think it was worth the $35 per rider. Later in the trip, we had the chance to take another bike shuttle. It was $40 per person, a 20-minute drive on the highway, and had only one available time. Plus, they didn’t give a discount for using your own bikes. We passed on that shuttle and ended up riding an out-and-back.
I always try to find experiences unique to the area that expose the kids to some history. For this trip, we went on a Gold mine tour, which the kids were SO excited about. There were lots of options in Colorado, but we chose Phoenix Gold Mine for a total of just over $200. This included tours of both caves, a train ride, panning for gold, and feeding the chipmunks. If my budget were tighter, we could have picked a shorter tour, and the kids would still have been happy.
We stayed near Glenwood Springs, and I was hesitant to pay the $186 day-use fee! Ultimately, we decided to spring for it, and it was a lot of fun. Our kids love swimming, and with passes that let you come and go, we made the most of our time here that day. With a massive hot spring pool, multiple cool/cold plunge pools, a white-water tube slide, a diving board, and a splash pad/kids area, we had no problem spending the whole day here.
We already had annual passes to the City Museum in St. Louis, but I would have paid the day fee regardless. This is a favorite museum for our whole family! It is part art museum, part playground, and all fun! If you like exploring or pushing your comfort zone, stop at the City Museum! You will not regret it.
I always love a good zoo, and the Omaha Zoo is one of the largest in the world! We paid $150 for the four of us, which included admission and the SkyFari chairlift. This zoo is so huge that it sells multi-day passes, and I understand why. We spent five hours there and didn’t get close to seeing it all.
Finally, we paid an entrance fee for the St Louis Arch. I love visiting national parks and monuments, and I love squishing some learning into my kids’ brains. The Arch cost us $52 and included educational displays on western expansion and a tram ride to the top of the arch. If you have more time and some extra room in your budget, you can add a steamboat ride before the Arch.
Parks and Playgrounds
There are so many ways you can experience a new location for free or cheap, you just have to follow the locals!
Hiking is a favorite activity for me, and I’m slowly getting the kids on board. We found good recommendations at the visitor center for hiking and other activities in Moab, and we also love using AllTrails. Our favorite trails are reasonably short, exciting, and/or have a fun destination. I did a lot of research, and there were endless trail recommendations. Ultimately, we hit up the visitor center on our first day and used their recommendations, which were spot on.
We almost always go to a state or national park. These are such treasures and usually pretty affordable. All the national parks, and even some of the more popular state parks, have Junior Ranger Programs to encourage kids to learn about the parks. Once they complete the workbook, they are sworn in as junior rangers and get their own badge. On our trip, we visited Arches National Park (check whether you need reservations in advance), Canyonlands National Park, and Deadhorse State Park.
With kids, playgrounds can be an excellent way to spend quality time together without breaking the bank. We have found some phenomenal parks in the US. Our favorite so far has been the Paco Sanchez Park in Colorado. I found this by following Purple Mountain Mama on Instagram, but even a normal playground can be a fun way to burn some energy.
Another amazing park we found in St Louis was Kinetic Park. It had a huge playground, two pump tracks for biking, and a skate park. Plus, it had a climbing area for only $10 per person, valid all day, with harness rentals included!
I find great playgrounds by using Google Maps to search for top-rated playgrounds and by following local content creators on social media while planning my trip.
More Free or Cheap Entertainment
Recently, we started hitting up community pools. Most towns, regardless of size, have these, and they are generally reasonably priced because they target locals, not tourists. In a small town in Iowa, the cost was only $20 for two kids and two adults. In Moab, there was a non-local price that ended up costing us $38 for a day, but to be fair, it was a much nicer facility that included both indoor and outdoor pools, a mini whirlpool, kiddie slides, a larger slide, a high dive, and more.
We also like to take advantage of any hotel/lodging amenities. I don’t know about your kids, but mine will swim any day, anytime. We always prefer to book lodging with a pool for the included entertainment.
Consider things your family normally does at home and find a way to do that while on the road. For us, that means biking, playing board games at coffee shops, hitting up a local farmer’s market, relaxing at the library, splashing by a lake, or visiting thrift stores. We also keep an eye out for local festivals and events. Do not underestimate how refreshing it can be to have the kids play by the rocks and water!
Shopping
I did not include shopping in our budget because that varies so widely, family to family, and could easily have been nearly eliminated. But in case you are curious, we spent an extra $1,320 on shopping. This included, perhaps, $150 in souvenirs. The rest was climbing harnesses, hiking shoes, headlights, outdoor clothing, bike repair equipment, and mountain biking knee pads, plus a few thrift stores for new-to-us toys and clothes. This type of gear is difficult to find in person in our hometown so it was nice to be able to try things on and talk to experts in the store.
Tips for Entertaining Kids in the Car
Every kid and family is different when it comes to tolerance for long drives. My best piece of advice is “practice makes perfect.” They will get better at being patient, and you will get better at helping them prepare. There was a time when 2 hours in the car was nearly unmanageable. Now my kids can do 7-8 hours without hesitation or complaints.
In this article, I list some of our family’s favorite activities for traveling.
In Conclusion
“The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories.” – Og Mandino
Roadtrips are not as cheap as staying home, but they can fit a variety of budgets. My kids love our vacations and bring up the memories from various trips at the craziest times. It reminds me that, while they may not remember every detail of the trip, many things about it stay with them. Plus, I love traveling and don’t want to stop just because we are a bigger group now. Get out there and find some adventure!