Creating Family Connections One RV Adventure at a Time
Two weeks ago I came across an article that was making its rounds on Facebook. In it the author addressed the question people often ask her, How do you afford to travel? It’s a question we’ve also been asked from time to time, especially given the modest salaries that accompany our careers as an educator and journalist. For us, and the others who were so kind to offer
Our adventure out West last year took us to a number of national parks—Yellowstone, Devil’s Tower, the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Although our visits varied—hiking here, a ranger program there, and kiddos working to complete Junior Ranger badges—there was one thing we did at every national park: We stamped our NPS passports. If you don’t already have your own passport to the national parks,
Last year I saw a fun idea on Pinterest that I decided our family was going to embrace this camping season: rock collecting. Wait, wait. Before you roll your eyes and move on, this isn’t just rock collecting. It’s memories collecting, too. At each of the campgrounds we visited this season, we picked up a rock representative of the area we camped. We have a
Earlier this year I wrote a guest post for MoneySavingMom.com (A Glamper’s Guide to Budget Camping) and one of the readers left a comment about free camping that is available (in certain states) for families who foster and/or adopt. I was curious how many states offered this benefit to fostering or adopting families so I did a little research. So far I have found that only two states give some
Kristin briefly mentioned in her recent Penny pinching (for souvenirs!) post that I have started collecting hiking stick medallions from the parks we visit. Last year while visiting Fort Necessity National Battlefield and looking for a Christmas ornament I had noticed that the park office sold hiking stick medallions. When I returned home I did some investigating and discovered that national and state parks often sell hiking stick medallions in their gift
This is one of the first posts we had up when we went live with TheTouringCamper.com last August. We updated the content and added some more tips. It’s somewhat stating the obvious to say that Jarrett and I love to travel. And in our B.C. (before children) days, embarking on a long trip never phased us. But then we had a baby. Eager to prove to
On our camping and touring adventures, our kiddos are often lured by the siren call of souvenirs. But we don’t want our kiddos wasting their money accumulating a bunch of junk “stuff” that will more than likely be in a garage sale pile within a year. A few years ago we discovered a fantastic–and cheap!–souvenir alternative: pressed pennies. Note: This post contains affiliate links. Our disclosure policy
If you asked our kids what their favorite part about traveling is, they would not even hesitate before replying, “Camping and earning Junior Ranger badges!” We first discovered the National Park Service’s Junior Ranger program on our 2015 West trip when we visited Devil’s Tower, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, and the Badlands. At each site the kiddos worked to earn their first badges, and from then on they
While staying at the Lake Thompson Recreation Area near DeSmet, S.D., we discovered a fantastic (and free!) program for families: Kids in Parks TRACK Trails. According to the website, “TRACK Trails include hiking trails, biking trails, geocaching trails, paddling trails, nature trail disc golf courses, and even adventures you can do in your own back yard! In addition to getting prizes in the mail, you can
For many families making their rounds of the Utah 5 National Parks, a visit to Bryce Canyon is a highly anticipated stop. With its sweeping vistas and spectacular hikes, Bryce offers something for everyone. But with most of the camping options concentrated immediately around Bryce, families that want to escape the crowds and explore Bryce…
For many families planning a trip to the Utah region, their itineraries often center on hitting the high points of iconic stops like Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, and Arches. Several lesser-known parks are also worth the stop, though, and for families looking for ways to escape the crowds, Cedar Breaks National Monument should be on…
