2 week road trip, 2 kids, 2 adults, in a Versa

[Neustache]

We took our family on a two week road trip.  Saw something like 7 national parks and a bunch of museums. 

Overall the trip was a bit spendy, but we had fun and made great memories.

But what is most noteworthy is that we did this in a very small sedan.  I kind of chuckle when I hear of people buying an SUV when they add a second child, knowing that we've done this road trip twice with two kids/two adults in our Versa. 

Yes, we were packed to gills, but we had fun and we didn't need a monster car to do it.   We drove somewhere around 4000 miles and spent around $400 on gas. 

[Spartana]

That's awesome! I have done lots of long road trips (couple of months at a time)with my 2 big dogs in a Hyundai Accent. It was...doable but not comfortable because on a trip that long I generally camp and there just wasn't room for gear and bike and big trailer so had to leave so much at home.  Made it more expensive because I couldn't save as much money on camping (tent camping) and often had to stay at more expensive budget motels (not cheap with 2 big dogs!). So several years ago I started using a Ford Ranger with a shell and it was much better. I was able to sleep in the back of the truck with the dogs if I wanted (rain or snow or too cold and wet to tent camp) and stay at free or very inexpensive campgrounds. I was able to bring my bike, the dog's big trailer, some pretty nice things for camping, my kayak on the roof racks,  and just lots of extras I couldn't in a small car. Gas mileage did suck though (V-6 at maybe 15 - 20 mpg with the shell and racks on it) but I was able to off set that a lot by mainly riding my bike once at my destination. I finally retired the 14 year old truck yesterday and got a new 4 cylinder SUV. It gets better gas mileage then the truck and has enough room for everything too. If it was just me (no dogs) I'd just get a compact car again.

[Neustache]

We plan to camp at some national parks next time, but we are going to look at installing a roof rack as there's no room for camping gear.  But more importantly, we were just wimps this go around. 

If we can camp at some of the beautiful spots, we'd save money and then we'd also really enjoy the luxury of our hotel nights.

Frankly, I hate trying to keep kids quiet in a hotel room, so the more time outside we can spend the better!

[okashira]

You hauled four people in a car designed to seat five.
I have learned to not use other people as a reference for your Badassity-level. Your standards will end up way too low.

[hermoninny]

Awesome!  We just did a road trip in our Mini.  We got rails and a box to go on top of the car to put in the suitcases and the double stroller (kids are 3 and 18 months), put the food and a bag of books/toys for the kids in the trunk, and drove to Park City, UT (from Los Angeles) for a week.  My husband wanted to take his 4Runner but I said we could totally do it in the Mini.  We probably wouldn't have even needed the box on top if it weren't for the stroller!  It got a lot of use though - lots of hiking and walking to be done in Park City in the summer!

We spent a little over $300 on gas, and mostly stayed near our resort once we got there, cooking the majority of our meals in the kitchenette and even did laundry three times to cut down on what we packed.  It was our first "family vacation" ever, and couldn't have been better. 

[Neustache]

@hermoninny That's even more impressive!  We drove a bit further (MO to CA and back), and had a bunch of stops - which is why our mileage is so dang high.  We ate lunch on the road that I made with a loaf of bread and nutella/peanut butter.  My kids now think 'chocolate sandwiches' are a road trip fare.  :D

We didn't have a kitchen in our hotel rooms, but we did use microwaves and take soups and chilis that come in the microwavable containers.  We saved a bunch on food doing it that way.  We did eat out some, usually once a day or so, but managed to keep our food budget pretty low overall.   We had to do laundry a  number of times, but it's the only way to get away with a trip that large in a small car.   If I hadn't accidently left our clean clothes in a dryer at my DH's aunt and uncles house (DOH!) we wouldn't have had to do it on the way back from California. 

My kids are older, 2 and 5, so thankfully we didn't need a stroller.  My little guy is a walker - walked the whole day at Disneyland and never complained once.  My older child would not have done that at that age, she would have seriously whined and wanted to be held.

Sorry to gush about our trip, but we really had fun!  Did you like Park City?  We stayed at Zion on our way out to LA, we've been there a number of times before but we are always shocked at how beautiful it is there.  Any more road trips planned?  I love road trips!

[hermoninny]

 You were in my neighborhood!  So funny!  We loved loved loved Park City!  We chose it mostly because of the resort, honestly.  We have a timeshare from my mom and we needed to use a week or we'd lose it.  So we looked around for what was available within driving distance, and Park City is where we landed!  We used hotel points and stayed overnight in Vegas each way to break up the trip a little bit. And also mapped out some parks along the way and gave the kids breaks of up to an hour during the longer stretch of driving.

Park City is about 40 minutes outside Salt Lake City, so aside from  the hiking and walking trails all over the place, we went down the mountain to the zoo, aquarium, a pioneer-type park, and some amazing gardens.  We also drove the 2.5 hours to the salt flats because my husband is a huge classic car fan. 

Our resort had a great pool, and also a rec room with tons of toys and games for the kids.  They even had a Harry Potter party where the kids made wands and watched movies. 

We definitely plan on doing lots more road trips!  We're thinking of a long weekend somewhere in CA later this year...maybe Yosemite, Santa Barbara, or San Francisco.  We definitely plan on returning to Park City in the future too.  We really loved it and there is lots more to explore as the kids get older...the Olympic Training Center, more hiking, rafting/tubing, fishing, etc.


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[Spartana]

We plan to camp at some national parks next time, but we are going to look at installing a roof rack as there's no room for camping gear.  But more importantly, we were just wimps this go around. 

If we can camp at some of the beautiful spots, we'd save money and then we'd also really enjoy the luxury of our hotel nights.

Frankly, I hate trying to keep kids quiet in a hotel room, so the more time outside we can spend the better!

You probably don't need to worry too much about saving money by camping. With the fuel savings you are getting by not succumbing to the idea that you MUST have a van or SUV just because you have kids - and probably the much lower cost to buy the Versa compared to an SUV or van - you are probably paying for your motels rooms just in that. So enjoy the motel rooms! You can get a roof rack for 2 bikes and a truck rack for 2 more bikes and fit a few bags in the trunk and be able to travel much cheaper and easier (motel stays) in the Versa then something larger just to camp in.

[SDREMNGR]

A combination of camping with occasional motels work for us.  A nice shower is needed at least once every few days.

[Neustache]

Spartana - we have no plans on getting a bigger car - the roof rack on the Versa would be to haul more stuff if we decide to camp.  Jury is still out on whether we like camping yet, though, so we have some plans to camp locally first and see if we enjoy it.  The nat'l parks are just gorgeous and my daughter is a bit of a park ranger type and we think would really enjoy sleeping outside in a tent.  But we'll try it before investing in a roof rack for the Versa (around 300, I think I saw). 

[Neustache]

A combination of camping with occasional motels work for us.  A nice shower is needed at least once every few days.

I think that's what we'd do - maybe camp a total of three nights with motels the other nights.  That is, if we enjoy camping.  :D

[malacca]

I carry my Weber portable grill when we travel (with a small propane cylinder). I pull it out in motel parking lots and cook simple but very cheap dinners & breakfasts. Lunch is at a restaurant (Chinese usually as per wife's desire).

Occasionally we will sleep in the SUV. Queen mattress fits in back (kind of).