Cheap family vacations? Is that even possible anymore with the price of gasoline and everything else going up? Yes, relatively speaking. There are a number of ways to cut the costs. Here are six examples to get you thinking.

If you have any family or friends in nice places, this may be the time to visit, especially if they are within driving distance. Apart from the costs to drive there, most of the other expenses will be for things that you would be spending money on in any case. If you and a friend both live in an interesting place, you might even swap houses for a week. If a friend has a cabin on a lake that you can borrow, that works as well.

When a road trip planner first sets his sights on Alaska, he invariably wonders if Alaska can truly be explored in one road trip. Alaska offers vast mountains, colossal blue-white glaciers and an abundance of wildlife with activities unique to the state; this combination earns an Alaskan Road Trip top honors in travelers’ memory books.

For most road trip planners, their itinerary will start with flight plans. Most people flying in will land in Anchorage. At this point, they’ll either rent a car and stay in hotels along the way (reserved in advance of course!) or they’ll rent an RV to explore Alaska at their own pace (with their itinerary allowing impromptu exploration options).

After exploring Anchorage’s offerings, many place the city of Tok as a destination in their road trip planner because it helps create a good triangle for your road trip. Tok is known as the “Sled Dog Capital of Alaska”. Plan on 5 ½ hours driving time from Anchorage but I know you’ll stop – even spend a day or two – around the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Get ready for the largest and most magnificent of the National Parks of Alaska, with 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the United States. This mountain region contains numerous glaciers, lakes and mountain streams and is home to a rich variety of wild life. It is superb country for climbers, walkers and water sports enthusiasts.

Almost everyone will want a family tent that is a good size, not too expensive, easy to put up and above-all waterproof, in order to ensure a great vacation. These are the only main requirements and after these there are many options available and the importance of these will vary from family to family. In this article we are first of all going to look at each of the main points to look for when buying a camping tent for the family. Then we will look at some of the major makes to see what they are offering this season.

It doesn’t matter how big or cheap a family camping tent is, if it is not weatherproof then it is not worth having. Many family trips are ruined by having a tent that is either not up to the job or is not looked after. To be weatherproof a tent has to be able to withstand heavy rain and strong winds at the same time. Always look at the tent reviews written by campers who have used the tent to see if there are any negative comments regarding wind and rain. It is important to note that many people don’t realize that it is necessary to apply a sealant to the seams of tents to make them fully waterproof. It is simple to do and will ensure that no moisture at all will enter the camping tent.