RV Sightseeing And Entertainment Money Saving Tips
RV Sightseeing and Entertainment Money Saving Tips
Depending on the type of RV destinations and activities you and your family enjoy, sightseeing and entertainment costs can vary greatly. We plan most of our RV travels to national parks as we enjoy nature and the great outdoors. We seldom venture to large cities or large amusement parks. We do eat at restaurants often as we like to sample the local cuisine and we usually frequent the locally owned restaurants. Below are some tips on ways to save money on various activities you might enjoy while traveling in your RV.
- If your travel plans include exploring our many national parks, consider buying one of the passes offered by the National Park Service. If you qualify for the senior pass, there is a one time fee for a lifetime pass. Visit their website at www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm to learn more about the pass programs.
- If your schedule allows it, travel on off or shoulder seasons. Some destinations attractions may have higher prices during their peak season and may reduce prices during their off or shoulder season.
- Some RV parks will have movies on VHS or CD’s that you can rent at a reasonable price. Check with the RV park office when you check in. Generally the movies are older classics but still a low cost way to enjoy a evening or rainy day movie.
- If you like to read, take one or two books and then check the RV parks you stay at to see if they have a book exchange where you leave the book you have finished reading and take one of their books with you. Also check thrift stores as paperback books usually cost $.25 – $.50 and hardback books usually run $.50-$2.00 each. Not a big investment and you can donate the books you have read back to a charitable thrift store. This tip not only saves money over buying new books but saves on space and weight in the RV if you read alot of books!
- Another way to save money on reading your favorite books is to purchase an Amazon Kindle
. Though there is an upfront investment in the Amazon Kindle
- If you are of age, like us, check restaurants for senior specials.
- Some restaurants will offer “early bird specials” as an enticement for patrons to dine before the peak dinner time. There is a joke about Florida, home of many retirees and snowbirds, that Florida’s state bird is the “early bird special”.
- If you will be enjoying the many amusement parks or other attractions for more than one day, check for discounted multi-day passes.
- Check the internet, newpaper, RV park office, restaurants, grocery stores and other business for coupons for attractions and restaurants.
- We love to visit museums in the areas we visit. Many of these, especially the ones in smaller towns, are free or low cost and provide an excellent opportunity to learn the history of the area.
- Look for state and county parks that may be of interest. These can be free or low cost.
- Some towns, especially in the “in season” months, may hold free concerts. If you like listening to music by local talent, check these out.
- Some areas are just beautiful to look at – all it takes is a drive. Plan a drive into the mountains, view the different architectural styles of the buildings in town, take a drive out into the countryside, drive to a river and have a picnic lunch. There are many possibilities and your cost is the gas it takes to get you there.
- Some towns, especially during the “in season” weekends, will have arts and crafts fairs, flea markets and/or farmer’s markets. Visit them and talk to the vendors for a taste of the area’s culture and get some great local arts and crafts and produce!
We are fortunate in the U.S. to have a wide choice of RV destinations and a vast variety of sightseeing and entertainment opportunites. With a little research, planning and travel flexibility, there are ways to enjoy your RV travel destinations without breaking the bank!
