Best prices in the summer for RV rentals

If you are trying to stay within a budget for an RV trip this summer using a rented RV, consider that the best prices are either in June or the second half of August. You could save 20-40% on the cost of one of the larger components of your trip. With airfares cheaper than they have been in years in combination with a great rate on your RV, you can really save a bunch if you travel in the right time of the summer. And the crowds may be a little bit more manageable!

It's not too late to consider a National Park vacation out West. While we are seeing that some popular campgrounds are booked for certain dates this summer, we have had no problem getting rental RV's for our clients. Availability in Canada may be a little dicey during the peak of the summer, but there are still plenty of great dates available for visiting our neighbors to the north. And the exchange rates continue to be fantastic compared to last year.

So give our trip consultants a call toll-free at 800-247-0970 to find a great destination and a great time to save a lot of green with Tracks & Trails!

Looking for ways to save on Tax Day? Take a road trip!

This just in: From WBAL-TV11 Baltimore - According to the Energy Information Administration, regular gasoline is expected to average about $2.23 per gallon this summer, which is more than $1.50 cheaper than last summer. A recent AAA poll via the Internet reported that people are more likely to take a road trip this summer since fuel prices are lower than last year.

So what does this all mean? If you're from the eastern half of the United States and are looking to create a magical trip to the great outdoors of the western half of the continent, you couldn't pick a better time to travel. Airfares are at the lowest prices they have been in quite a while. Hotel rates in major cities are at bargain rates. Half the adventure of getting to a place like Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon or Yosemite is the first leg of your trip. And with gas prices at a more reasonable level, that's just one more component of your trip that will be cheaper than next year.

And how can Tracks & Trails add to that savings? We research the best deals we can find for RV rentals while maintaining a high level of quality in the vehicles our clients will drive. We look out for our clients to ensure that their expectations are not only met but exceeded. And that means staying within your budget and creating magnificent trips to the most beautiful locales for all types of vacations. Give us a ring toll-free at 800-247-0970 or check out the website to start your adventure!

Great place to watch Old Faithful & a call for photos!

Looking for a unique place to watch the regular eruption of Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park? This picture is from a trip I took in September, 2007. On the second floor of the Old Faithful Inn, there's a large deck viewing area with benches. If you get there early enough like the folks in the picture, you can get a great picture of the geyser while sitting on a bench with a seat back (unlike the metal benches that form a half circle around the geyser). If you time it right, you can grab a bite for lunch either at one of the restaurants at the hotel or back in your RV.

Just thought I'd share a picture from a wonderful trip to our country's first National Park. We are in the process of redesigning our website and we're looking for great photos! If you have recently traveled to the national or state/provincial parks of the western US & Canada or Florida, please send them to us. To share your great shots, comment on this posting or send us an email through Contact Us on our website.

Affordable family vacations, part 2

by Sheri Ballard

Even when you rent an RV, we’ve found it to be more economical and affordable than renting a car and paying for hotel rooms and all those meals out. On a recent trip to Florida, 2 nights hotel, transportation, and one day at a theme park including all those meals out, cost us over $700. After we picked up our rental RV, our costs dropped to less than $250 per day, including transportation, a place to sleep, food and gas. It left money over to do really cool things like take a surfing lesson, visit a hospital for rescued sea turtles and go snorkeling. The kids remember these activities and talk about them more than their day at the theme park.

If you’re willing to rough it more, and rent some tenting equipment, it gets even more affordable, but you’ll want to go in the best weather months. Many outdoor sporting goods stores like REI and MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop) offer gear rentals, as do many Outdoor Programs in universities. If you own some of the gear, you can ship your equipment via UPS to meet you in your gateway city. (You’ll need to have a very clean camp stove and don’t even think about shipping the gas for it.)

More tips to save money?

1. Try traveling in the early season to a summer destination park, before summer peak travel and prices hit. You’ll have fewer crowds, but you might have to put up with some inclement weather. Or go over the winter break to places like Death Valley or Joshua Tree National Parks. It’s prime season there, but demand for RVs is lower, and so are the prices.
2. Don’t plan on driving, and driving, and driving. Pick a couple of key parks and stick to those, spending multiple days in each. You’ll really get a feel for the park and it will allow you to take in the ranger programs, films, campfire talks, etc, and just hang out fishing or playing in the creek or ocean for a day.
3. Pick a couple of exceptional activities to do, ones that will really be highlights. Our boys still talk about the whitewater trip from 2 years ago, where we dropped into the Big Kahuna wave, with Gabe (then 4) hanging “face” in the front of the raft. What fun!
4. Even visiting out of the way places can be memorable. The date farm outside of Death Valley is a good example – almost 3 years later, the $4 date milkshakes are still a topic of discussion, and the boys wonder when we can go back there, along with the hot springs soaking in Yellowstone (which was free).
5. Let’s face it, when you live in a city, there are plenty of great places to eat out, so why spend your money and your time in line, waiting for food that isn’t that great while you’re on your vacation. Try a campfire cookout instead. It’s inexpensive, a great way to spend time with your kids in a positive way (rather than trying to corral them into table manners in a hotel dining room), and fun. From starting the fire together, to sticking a hot dog or marshmallow on a stick, to burning the paper plates in the fire, there’s something everyone in the family can do.

So the bottom line, getting your family outdoors for that summer vacation can be fun, educational and reasonably priced. And all of these things matter considering all the pressures we're all under today. We say, "Get Outdoors!" and you'll see what we're talking about!

Affordable family vacations, part 1

by Sheri Ballard

Looking for ways to have a great affordable family vacation? Over the year, we've taken a lot of trips and some of our best vacations are the ones where we camp, either taking our own equipment or renting an RV when we arrive. Those trips have also been some of the boys' best memories, from seeing elk walk through our campsite to splashing in the creek next to the camper to having hot chocolate inside the RV after a very wet and chilly hike in the rainforest (where the youngest one fell in the creek).

What makes it so affordable? It's a combination of things:

1. Hotels in many areas have a legal maximum of 4 people per room or do not have rollaway cot options, which means for a family of 5 or more, you're looking at paying for 2 rooms. The average price of a hotel room is now $100, and that's not in the peak seasons or in the national parks. In the popular areas like Jackson, Wyoming, even the least expensive hotel in the summer can be over $150 per room.
2. Then there's a rental vehicle cost, which can run you up to $75-$80 per day for a minivan that can hold your family plus all your bags.
3. Meal costs can be very expensive as well. The lodges within the national parks have several dining options, but they are all costly. Even if you plan on taking a cooler and eating lunch out in a picnic area or on the trail, you'll still need to have dinner and some sort of breakfast at the hotel. Dinner entrees in the park lodges' dining rooms can start at $20, with very limited choices for kids. Kids are almost always hungry and when you start having to buy those in-between meal snacks, drinks, etc., these costs definitely start to add up per day. Prices outside the park in the adjacent communities are high too. The quality of food can vary wildly as well. We like to eat out on our trips a few times, and we don't mind paying for good food, but it's hard to pay high prices to mediocre food day in and day out.
   
4. Entertainment costs can sneak up on you. If you go to a theme park like Disney, you can spend up to $90 per person per day just for admission fees. Even with the multi-day tickets, it's still a heck of a lot of money. For as little as $20, you can get a multi-day pass to a national park, where there are multitudes of things to do. Take a hike, have a swim, climb around on some rocks, take part in a ranger program, soak in a hot spring, build sandcastles, watch for wildlife, build a campfire and roast marshmallows. They're all free once you get inside the park and you can do them all over the course of a few days. You can also sign up for guided activities like rafting, horseback riding or bicycling, but you're not committed to doing something every day, over the course of a week you still haven't spent that much on entertainment.

Tomorrow I'll tell you more about some recent outdoors experiences and give you more tips on saving money while have a great time with your family.

Yosemite valley report

According to the National Park Service, Tioga Pass will remain closed until late May. There is no specific date when the road will be passable. The current snow line is at about 6,000 feet and the pass is just over 9,900 feet. At the right is a current picture at Tioga Pass. They are planning to begin clearing the road on April 15th. To see a webcam of Tioga Pass and other keys locations in the park, go to the Yosemite Association's website. Tioga Pass is the main east entrance to the park and many of our clients that are taking a one-way RV trip from Las Vegas to San Francisco use this road.

There also is a report from the NPS that a sizable rock fall has occurred. According to the NPS, "The southern portion of the Mirror Lake Loop is closed due to a rockslide. (Access to Mirror Lake and Snow Creek Trail is still available, as usual.)".

As always, if you are concerned about conditions at any of our popular destinations during the time of your planned vacation, just give us a call. Trip consultants are standing by!!! 800-247-0970!