# Frugal, Fun and Fit Trip Ideas...



## dubmac (Jan 9, 2011)

I searched the forum to see if any CMF'ers had holiday sugestions - fun, well-priced and places to visit for those with kids - or without kids for that matter! I checked the history in Frugal and General Discussion - but didn't find any threads dedicated to the idea.

We just returned from a 4 day trip cycling the Kettle Valley Railway near the Okanagan. The Kettle Valley Railway is a long abandoned railway line, now used by cyclists, that stretches through some pristine hinterlands, mtns, and quaint villages, ghost towns and abandoned mines and ..yes..vineyards. The rails have been removed and it is great for cycling - no steep grades! We cycled 120 km in 3 days. There were spectacular views from the Myra Canyon - some 18 trestles, 2 tunnels - amazing views. We saved a few dollars by camping, and spent those dollars on wine from the vineyards around Naramata. All in the price was very reasonable, everyone got some good exercise, great wildlife viewing. Strongly recoemmended for wine-loving, cycling-wildlife-viewing types. The kids loved it too.

Does anyone have good places to visit for families on a budget?


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## CanadianCapitalist (Mar 31, 2009)

This thread is a great idea dubmac. What kind of wildlife did you get to see during the trip?


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## dubmac (Jan 9, 2011)

2 moose (one cow & calf) in a swampy area
grouse & pheasant on the cycling path
two deer (doe and fawn) on the road to Chute LAke
we heard a pack of coyotes yapping from our tents
weasel & sqirrels etc
some very neat birdlfe - hawks, loons, songbirds, 
snake(s) - harmless

last year we kayaked around some gulf islands, and prior to that some canoeing on Myrtle Lake in Wells-Gray Provincial Park & some surfing in Tofino (but the water was too cold) 

has anyone got ideas on how to keep teenagers entertained? places to mtn bike? cycle? we're trying to find places in Canada & North & South America even that are family firiendly, and worth investing in as an experience

You may well enjoy the KVR Capitalist - If you do go, visit the winery that produces the Burrowing Owl wine. very enjoyable.


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## sensfan15 (Jul 13, 2011)

Not exactly frugal but im going to China, Nepal, and India. Leaving Monday and coming back sometime next year. 

At least I can just forget about all this economic uncertainty in the markets and let my dividends roll in 

@dubmac

Sounds like an awesome 3 day trip. I'm in Kelowna and it is beautiful here. I have done lots of hiking and Kayaking here.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

Kettle Valley is listed in Cool Tools' "Six Great Long-Distance Bike Trails Without Cars" (http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001903.php). I'd love to bike there myself someday.

In general biking or hiking and camping are likely to meet the criteria of "frugal, fun, and fit." Our goal each summer is to take an entirely car-free vacation (although we stay in B&Bs rather than camping...less frugal but generally more relaxing). Two summers ago we biked from our home in Montréal down to Port Kent, New York, took the ferry across to Burlington, Vermont, and biked back north through the Lake Champlain Islands and back home from there. Last summer we biked from home to the train station in Montréal, put our bikes on the train and went to Toronto, then rode back home to Montréal from there via the Waterfront Trail in Ontario and La Route Verte in Québec. 

There is a trans-Canada trail in the works (http://www.tctrail.ca/home.php), and you can look for where it crosses your province; it might offer some good bike-vacation opportunities.

A few years ago, friends of mine who work for small nonprofits and have a fairly meagre income planned a vacation in Europe, but instead of staying in hostels, B&Bs, or hotels, they got in touch beforehand with everyone they knew and asked them if they had any friends in Europe who might be able to put them up for a day or two. They spent a month traveling through Europe and only paid for accommodations once or twice.


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## dubmac (Jan 9, 2011)

brad said:


> A few years ago, friends of mine who work for small nonprofits and have a fairly meagre income planned a vacation in Europe, but instead of staying in hostels, B&Bs, or hotels, they got in touch beforehand with everyone they knew and asked them if they had any friends in Europe who might be able to put them up for a day or two. They spent a month traveling through Europe and only paid for accommodations once or twice.


Brad...
BC (before kids), my wife and I biked the north shore of the St. Lawrence River between Montreal & Quebec City - thru Malbai (sp) in the Charlevoix area - stunning views, wonderful experience, great food. A bit hillly. WE also cycled thru Vermont as well -across Jay Peak and Smugglers Notch. Ate tons of ice cream at Ben & Jerries after a particularly long day of biking..magic.

Further to your Europe travellers - we are considering a house swap next summer. Our home in Vancouver may be a good bargaining chip for a family looking to travel/expereince BC. We would be looking for a place for a month in France (coastal area). 

Has anyone done home swaps before?
any good web sites to help connect with another (FRench, European) family looking to do a house swap? - Next yr may be tougher given that the Olympic games are going on in London...maybe Australia would be better.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

We haven't done home swaps, but we have a friend in Bordeaux, France, who does a swap every year. She has seen quite a bit of the world that way, swapping homes with people in other countries, she's never had a bad experience. I know she uses a website but I'm not sure which one.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

We care heading to France for a month next week. We are renting condos in Paris and Nice but spending 2 weeks driving through rural France.

Home swaps can work but Canada is not well-known in Europe. We have swapped between Canada and the US. Friends have swapped with Australia. And other friends have swapped Riviera Najarit with Provence.

The Galloping Goose trail on Vancouver Island is a similar biking experience. Hiking around Buntzen Lake is good. There is also a lake at the top of Cypress that is a good afternoon outing. Biking around False Creek, Coal Harbour and the Stanley Park seawall are all good, each taking a couple of hours.

And there is the Park Royal Village Trail which starts at Ambleside Beach and ends at the top of Sentinal Hill.
The trail


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

black mac i am left feeling like the orphan boy in oliver twist who holds out his emptied bowl & says More !

you could write an album here. How, for example, did you manage to carry tents, sleeping bags, air mattresses, rain jackets, rain hats, lanterns & flashlights on your bikes.

and what about meals. I don't suppose you could order in while camping the remote kettle valley. So did you haul along food, pots, pans & a lightweight camp stove as well. Or did you detour off the trail to find restaurants in towns & villages a couple times a day.

i remember driving through the south okanagan some years ago. We passed through naramata. We camped out all the way. It was spartan. We had the gear, but at least it was in the car, not god forbid being hauled on bikes. The other couple was 100% granola, organic food, foraged wild berries & leaves, etc. On the 4th day we passed a mcdonald's. In the back seat, my partner & i exchanged lustful glances. Stared longingly out of the rear window as the mcjoint disappeared behind us. We would have happily traded forty kilos of wild raspberries for just two double cheeseburger coke & fries.

and pictures ! you must have some knockouts. Could you post one or two.


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## financialnoob (Feb 26, 2011)

Surprisingly, I'd suggest Las Vegas.

Flights are pretty cheap. You can find direct flights for $400 to $450 usually, and sometimes cheaper if there are sales going on. You can stay at 4 star hotels for only $100-$150/night (the cost of a Best Western in most cities), or you can go to old Vegas (the original part where all the wedding chapels are) and pay $20 to $30/night for decent accommodations. There are packages for $450 to $500 for round-trip flight and 4 nights.

There is a ton of free stuff to do in Vegas, lots of free shows along the strip, and a surprising amount of family-friendly stuff. Most of the hotels even have something there to attract people. We stayed at the Golden Nugget, which had a great pool with a waterslide through a shark tank. The newer places on the strip have massive pools or walk-through shark tanks or bars that overlook the city.

I love how you can get a steak for $100 or $5 depending on where you go. You can get fat in a hurry because there are so many good food places, as well as so many cheap food places, and some good and cheap food places. And the buffets really aren't too bad. You have to go to at least one when you're there to get the full Vegas experience.

There's also great shopping I guess. I don't care for it much, but there are a ton of high-end stores in most of the big casinos, as well as the airport (which has slot machines in case your flight is delayed). And there's a huge outlet mall just south of the airport with some great designer labels for cheap. 

Vegas can be a very expensive city, and the newer casinos on the Strip seem to push that image. It's a city built on other people's money. But it is also a place that knows the value of a buck, and constantly tries to do more to get people to come and spend money there.


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## dubmac (Jan 9, 2011)

HP...you have a knack for "cutting to the core" of most topics under discussion. To answer your question on how we managed to move all of the gear and still have an enjoyable trip - well you see...uh..umm...my wife organizes & plans it all. I am but a "grunt" who works alongside her ..she does the planning. I drove the car (4 bikes on a Subaru Forester), fully loaded to Rock Creek (mile 0 for us) - unloaded my darling two boys and uber-planner wife who then biked to our first destination. Then, I drove, found a campsite, and quickly unloaded my bike and biked in the opposite direction to meet them (half-way). Fortunately the highway parallels the KVR - most of the time. If not, one must improvise. As for pics, I have cursed my computer for not shrinking my pics enough to post - but will keep trying. I shunk them down to 72KB (.jpg), but they still don't post!!! (grumble)

@Noob...

Vegas is on my list - but primarily as a point of departure to get to the Grand Canyon. I have heard that one can get cheap flights to Vegas, and a cheaper car. I have some reservations on visiting casinos - I'm quite a conservative investor! As for steaks -bring them on - mostly the $5 ones  I like the idea of a nice, well priced hotel with all the pools etc. This would probably work as a boys only trip.

Also..did some research on home-exchanges - found these sites

http://www.homeexchange.com/
http://www.exchangezones.com/Europe-Home-Exchange.htm
http://www.houseswap.com/


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

dubmac said:


> I drove the car (4 bikes on a Subaru Forester), fully loaded to Rock Creek (mile 0 for us) - unloaded my darling two boys and uber-planner wife who then biked to our first destination. Then, I drove, found a campsite, and quickly unloaded my bike and biked in the opposite direction to meet them (half-way).


What a great idea Dubmac. Of course it means that one person misses out on part of the trail, but having the car along makes the camping/eating part a heck of a lot easier.

How old are your kids?


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

it is indeed a great idea. In europe on expensive bike tours they have a version of this, which is an official van that follows the bikers (they're all on roadways) loaded with everybody's gear. Van is called the sag wagon because fed-up bikers can ride on board if they want.

it was all so clever of your wife. The black mac protocol meant she & the boys arrived at the end of each day to a ready-made-up campsite, woo-hoo.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

What most do not know about Vegas is you register for a player card connect it to your room then go and put 50 bux in a video poker game ,if you wager $2000 (wager not deposit) the casino will give you free meals and comp your room.If you go sit at slots in Palazzo a girl comes by with FREE blue man group tickets  
I would not take my kids to Vegas though ,at 4pm women are standing on the street with mesh dresses and no underwear ,try explaining that to a 6 year old who is standing at crotch level.


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## dubmac (Jan 9, 2011)

Four Pillars said:


> How old are your kids?


4Pillars..they're 16 yrs (next month) and 13.

@Marina...I'm sure that there are ways to enjoy much at Vegas. but I am far too frugal. I think I'd have a heart attack seeing the wasted electricity in the neon signs! . - I am learning however to relax and spend more as I get older - gradually.


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