No-Budget Vacations

Written by Nancy Mann Jackson

This article is courtesy HomeLife.

If your family is like most, there are times you sorely need the benefits of a family vacation — time to build lasting memories and relationships. But accompanying hassles, like hours of travel or a too-tight budget, can make a family trip next to impossible.

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Why not create the benefits of a family vacation right where you are? With some planning and creativity, your family can enjoy the advantages without missing time from work or money from savings.

Theme Nights 
Most children love a good party, and a fun family night can break the monotony of a daily routine. Even a weeknight or weekend supper can suddenly become a mini-vacation. 

• Host an Oscars Party. “On a rainy weekend you can do an Oscars party with a red carpet and the kids dressed up as their favorite movie characters,” says Nanette Baecher, a mother of two in Birmingham, Alabama. “Take turns being the adoring fans taking photos and getting autographs.” Present your own Oscars, voted on by the “Academy” (your family), and round out the night by eating popcorn and watching one of the kids’ favorite movies.
   
• Stage a Concert. If your family is musically inclined (or even if they’re not), your children can be the headliners at a concert in your own home. Set aside an area as the stage. Make your own microphones, use high-beam flashlights as stage lights, and announce the performers’ names to wild applause as they enter the room. Children will enjoy playing their own instruments (even if they’re only toy drums) and being the center of attention.   CDs of favorite Christian artists or children’s songs, as long as your kids know the words (or don’t mind improvising), can serve as accompaniment. And don’t forget the clothes. It doesn’t take much (a little hair spray, makeup, and maybe a bandana) to dress like a performer, and children will relish the opportunity.
   
• Go Camping. If it’s too cold or wet to go outside, pretend. “Create a living room camp out,” suggests Jana Lyons, a mother of two in Montgomery, Alabama. “Use sleeping bags and lanterns, eat beans, and roast hot dogs and marshmallows in the fireplace,” Lyons says. “Before going to sleep, tell Bible stories by firelight.”   For an authentic camp out, make s’mores: fire-roasted marshmallows and a thin chocolate bar between two graham crackers. Don’t be surprised if your kids ask for “s’more.”
   
• Forget Passports, Just Use Your Imagination. Rather than actually traveling around the world, go on an imaginary trip. Choose a city or country you’d like to visit, and plan an evening with that location as its theme. Research your destination with your family at the library or on the Internet, dress like the people who live there, and hang pictures of the location.   For example, if your destination is Italy, prepare an Italian meal together (simple pasta and tomato sauce would work), decorate with pictures of Italy’s landscapes, and play Italian music in the background. You might even watch a movie set in Italy. By planning and involving all family members, this activity can be both fun and educational.

Day Trips
A short afternoon getaway or daylong excursion can be a perfect way to relax and spend quality time with your family. Look around your own city or nearby areas for sites or attractions that would give you a chance to enjoy one another’s company in unique surroundings. Even somewhere you’ve visited in the past is OK; it’s no different than returning to the same beach resort year after year — just less expensive.

• Make Learning Fun. A getaway to a nearby museum can be both fun and educational. Start with a museum that fits your children’s interests — art, science, history — and you’ll be surprised at their enthusiasm. But don’t let known interests dictate every museum visit; take opportunities to broaden their horizons, too. If a child never visits an art museum, his or her appreciation for sculpture or painting may never be revealed. And a positive museum experience with science, history, or culture may lead to new and diverse interests for your children (not to mention yourself).
   
• Experience History. While you’re in an educational frame of mind, don’t neglect nearby historic sites as ideal family excursions. Each community has a unique history, and it can be fun to discover your area’s background. Even if Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell or San Antonio’s Alamo isn’t within easy distance, you’re sure to find less well-known but interesting places to visit. Think battlegrounds, cemeteries, churches, and homes of famous people.
   
• Connect With Nature. If yours is an active family, visit a nearby state park. Most offer a chance to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation while hiking, fishing, bicycling, swimming, or picnicking. If your family enjoys sports, take balls and other equipment, pack a lunch, and relish your time together without worrying about a long trip home when the vacation is over.

Backyard Vacations
While getting away has its merits, you can enjoy the same advantages without leaving home. Escape the rigors of everyday life and enjoy a true family vacation in your own backyard.

• Play “Professional” Sports. This is cheaper than buying expensive tickets and traveling to a game. Besides, your children will probably enjoy participating instead of just watching. “Instead of going to a NASCAR event, a friend of mine held a race at her own home,” Baecher says. Each child was the driver of his or her own homemade racecar — cardboard boxes painted with spray paint and a number on each side. Steering wheels were black paper plates, yellow construction paper became headlights, and each child personalized a cardboard license plate. Each car was held together with an old necktie from Dad’s closet that was attached to either side and draped around the child’s shoulders to carry the car.   “The front yard had a car wash, which was just the sprinkler that the kids ran through while the parents pretended to wash the car with a clean mop or cloth,” Baecher says. “And at the finish line, there was a themed dinner.”
   
• It’s Tool Time! With close supervision children can actually build creations of their own using leftover lumber or plywood, hammers, and nails. When the whole family gets involved, children feel like they’re participating in a grown-up activity, and both boys and girls will enjoy the privilege. Project suggestions include chairs or tables for dolls and child-size benches or stools, but children will likely have their own creative ideas. You can finish the project off with a coat of paint for the new creation and a tall glass of water for each worker. Who knows, after this practice you may even let the little ones pitch in on your next home improvement project!
   
• Create a Backyard Water Park. This is great when your family’s ready to cool off from the summer heat, but a beach trip isn’t in the plans. “Whether you have a pool or not, you can use the water hose, water toys, wading pools, or Slip’N-Slide® to create a variety of activities or an obstacle course,” Lyons says. When everyone’s ready for a break, use the grill to make a picnic lunch.   

Families who don’t have children at home need vacations also, and there are plenty of low-budget, close-to-home options for you too. These are some favorite hassle-free vacations for couples:   

• Tour Your Own Town. Imagine you’re tourists to your own city; seek out visitor spots where you don’t normally go. Call your local visitor’s bureau for information about walking tours or bus tours, and sign up for one. You’ll likely learn something you didn’t know before, and you’re sure to have fun in the process.
   
• Visit a Nearby Theme Park. Bring out the kid in your spouse (and yourself) by spending a thrilling day at a nearby amusement park. Even if you’re not into roller coasters, you’ll enjoy people watching, taking in a show, or munching on carnival foods like caramel apples and funnel cakes. For discount prices, go during the off-peak season.
   
• Hit the Trails. Especially in mild weather months, hiking can be one of the best ways to spend time with your spouse. You will enjoy nature and get exercise at the same time. Find a state park or natural preserve near your home with hiking trails that fit your abilities, pack a lunch and plenty of water, and start walking. You may be surprised how calming and inspiring a walk in nature can be.
   
• Take a Class Together. Whether it’s cooking, photography, or a foreign language, learning (or perfecting) a skill with your spouse can be a welcome escape from the day-to-day grind. Community colleges, churches, and other organizations offer low-cost courses in various subjects. Choose something that interests both of you, and be sure to make time to use your new skills together after the class is over for continued quality time together.

The possibilities for at-home vacations are endless. Focus on encouraging positive interaction and involving every family member, and have fun sharing family time while saving cash. 

Nancy Mann Jackson is a freelance writer in Birmingham, Alabama.