What We Spent on Spring Break

Cost of family travel is a common topic among parents. And this recent article in the New York Times definitely got the family travel blog group I'm a part of buzzing. In it, $4,500 is given as the cost of a "budget" trip for spring break.

Say what?! I don't know about you, but $4,500 and "budget" don't belong in the same sentence as far as I'm concerned. So I thought I'd take a look back at what our trip to Florida for spring break last year cost our family of four.

I outline our expenses below. You'll see that we spent well under $2,000. And by no means did we keep a tight watch on our wallets while there. We ate out often (at least once each day, usually at sit-down restaurants). We still went to major attractions, like the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. And we stayed in a 2-bedroom condo across from the beach. I didn't even really think of this as a budget trip. 

In fact, this was the most expensive trip we took all year. The rest of our travels in 2012 involved driving, staying with family, or both. So we were comfortable taking on the expense of this vacation, knowing that our other travels were significantly less.

COSTS for 2012 Trip to Madeira Beach, Florida

DAY 1

Dinner out at sit-down restaurant:                                                                                        $50
Groceries:                                                                                                                                  $103
(included diapers, wine, beer and beach toys in addition to food supplies)

DAY 2

Toll at Fort De Soto Park:                                                                                                          $0.50
Lunch at sit-down restaurant:                                                                                                  $45
Dinner (pizza take-out) :                                                                                                            $14

Day 3

Expenses at Farmer’s Market:                                                                                                   $10
($5 for 2 empanadas, $5 donation for balloon animal)
Lunch at sit-down restaurant:                                                                                                    $32
Dinner at sit-down restaurant:                                                                                                  $60

Day 4

Zoo admission:                                                                                                                              $48
Lunch at zoo cafe:                                                                                                                         $27
Seafood dinner take-out:                                                                                                            $48
Ice cream:                                                                                                                                      $10

Day 5

Lunch at sit-down restaurant:                                                                                                     $35

General

Equipment rental:                                                                                                                         $48
(Included jogging stroller, baby swing and pack n play. $48 is after I used a $20 gift card.)

Rental Car:                                                                                                                                      $306
(included 2 car seats for 5 days)

Vacation rental:                                                                                                                             $406
(2 BR, 1 bath condo across the street from beach for 4 nights)

Flight to/from Indianapolis/Tampa for 3 people + 1 lap child:                                               $538      
1 checked bag:                                                                                                                      $40 ($20 each way)

TOTAL:                                                                                                                                             $1820.50

You spent HOW MUCH to take me to Florida?

Ways we saved:

·        Free fun at places like Fort De Soto Park and hours spent on the beach across from our condo.

·        A trip to the grocery store meant we always ate breakfast at the condo and the adults had an adult beverage each night when kids were in bed, instead of drinking at restaurants or bars.

·        We stayed across the street from the beach instead of beach front. We also only stayed 4 nights instead of a full week. With kids so young, we find this is a good length of time. Plus, my husband doesn't have to use as many vacation days and we can take additional trips throughout the year.

·        Our condo did not have a pool, which was a huge price break when comparing similar properties in the area.
 

·       My parents dropped us off and picked us up at the airport, so we had no parking expenses.

Ways we splurged:

·       We rented car seats, a stroller, pack n play and baby swing. We also checked a bag. I despise lugging stuff through the airport and it was much easier to have those items waiting for us upon arrival.

·       Our 2-bedroom condo. We avoid staying in hotels for more than just a night or two because our kids are so young. Everyone sleeps much better this way.

·       When pricing flights, there were several options that had one stop which were $50-$100 less than the direct flight we booked. But it was so nice to have my toes in the sand within hours of leaving Indy.

·       We love to eat out when on vacation, so while we could have had more lunches and dinners at our condo, we enjoy trying out great restaurants in the area.
 

You can't put a price tag on memories like this.

 

This post is a part of Travel Tips Tuesday at Walking on Travels and Suitcases and Sippy Cups.

 

Como Park Zoo

Earlier this week, I posted a video of the Arrows playing zoo. We had just returned home from our trip to Minneapolis, so I know their game of pretend was inspired by the morning we spent at the Como Park Zoo in St. Paul.

The grounds at this zoo are really gorgeous. I already shared this picture, which is one of my favorites (especially considering it's in the parking lot!) I also loved this shot of the zebras.

We didn't have time to explore the adjoining conservatory. But the building itself is impressive.

One of the reasons I love to visit zoos when we travel is that there is almost always a chance to see an animal you don't get to close to home. For instance, they had a great polar bear exhibit at the Como Park Zoo, and while the Indianapolis Zoo has a polar bear, he's rarely been active when we've been. Not so at Como Park!

The polar bear lair was one of Big Arrow's favorite parts of the Como Park Zoo. Kids get to crawl around a tunnel and explore as if they were polar bears themselves.

The giraffes are a favorite in our family. Probably because they're always eating (in other words, they'd fit right in with us).

Little Arrow was content to just enjoy the view.

A few tips if you head to Como Park Zoo and Conservatory:

• Bring cash in small bills. This is a free zoo, but a donation is strongly encouraged as you enter. So you'll want to have a $5 or $10 bill handy.
• Use a baby carrier or have an extra set of hands. Given the colder Minnesota climate, many of the animals are housed indoors, so you'll be in and out of buildings. Unfortunately, the doors were a little tricky to navigate with a stroller. So bring a friend to help you or use a baby carrier.
• Don't worry about weather. It was a beautiful, sunny day when we were there, but if it had been gloomy, it would have been fine. Like I said, many of the animals are indoors. There's also a great area for kid activities just off the entrance if you need to escape the elements for a longer period of time. And you could always spend even more time exploring the indoor conservatory.

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby, Friday Daydreamin' at R We There Yet Mom, and Travel Tips Tuesday at Walking on Travels and Suitcases & Sippy Cups.