After a Florida trip strained a budget that never fully recovered, a family of six near St. Louis decided to trade yearly—sometimes every-other-year—vacations for multiple day trips, often including museum and zoo visits and occasional short overnights.
Three years ago, the last traditional family vacation for a family of six was a trip to Miramar Beach, Florida. The memories still feel close: eating seafood and ice cream, playing putt-putt, and spending days in the ocean. They came home tanned from the Florida sun. with loads of photos and a rental stay that fit their needs—close to the beach and easy to swing back to for bathroom and snack breaks.
Then the bill caught up.
Even with free flights earned through years of saving up airline points. the family says the trip cost them “astronomical” amounts. When they returned home, it was back to work—but with what felt like next-to-nothing in their bank account. That’s when a hard choice became unavoidable: either take a yearly or every-other-year vacation and go into significant debt. or stop vacationing far from home. The decision was immediate. For now, they prioritize day trips.
Vacationing became too expensive, they say, for reasons that hit every part of a family’s typical routine.
Comfort isn’t negotiable for them. Their ideal vacation rental has enough bedrooms and bathrooms so nobody has to spend time “almost on top of each other.” A rental home works best. They also need a rental vehicle that can seat all six people and still hold all their luggage. a combination they describe as “a tall order.”.
Food, meanwhile, quickly becomes the biggest stress. Even when they choose to eat most meals and snacks back at the rental home, restaurant costs add up fast. Two of their kids are teens who can eat adult portions. When they eat out—even without ordering appetizers. drinks beyond water. or desserts—every meal runs over $100 and often lands closer to $150.
Staying local, they say, has changed the way they experience their own region.
Living near St. Louis has turned “close-to-home” into something they can build plans around instead of something they take for granted. Rather than spending thousands of dollars on a week at Miramar. they schedule multiple—often a few—mini day trips for their crew throughout the year and during summer.
The day-to-day options are there: new restaurants, brunch (which their kids call a favorite), art museums, and the zoo. Two of their go-to picks come with a special kind of relief—both the zoo and the art museums are described as free in St. Louis. And once the family started treating those places as destinations instead of background scenery. they found cultural and culinary outings within reach.
St. Louis. in their telling. is also packed with recognizable anchors: The Hill. described as an area laden with Italian restaurants; the Botanical Garden in the heart of an eclectic district with plenty of coffee shops and niche. small restaurants; and attractions including the Arch. Cardinals and Blues games. the National Museum of Transportation. and The Magic House children’s museum.
Coordination is easier too.
Planning a trip can be stressful and time-consuming. but when the itinerary stays within a few hours of where they live. the burden drops. They describe the difference in practical terms: no packing. no airplane rides. no rental cars. no special gear. and no dog sitters to coordinate. Anything that reduces stress, they say, is worth choosing.
They haven’t abandoned the idea of leaving town entirely, either. Sometimes they do take a few days away—but they keep it small.
On one occasion, the family rented a St. Louis storefront that had been renovated into a giant living space, including a ballroom. They say the stay cost “just a few hundred dollars for three days.” While there. they visited local bookstores. enjoyed tacos. browsed the “infamous graffiti walls. ” and went to The City Museum—described as a mecca of chaos and curiosity for kids of all ages.
The emotional tradeoff is real. Their children sometimes complain when friends are going on “big” vacations. Still, the family balances the desire for travel with multiple short day trips.
They also note that some kids get to travel through their extracurricular sports. That means not every trip has to carry the entire family, and it can feel more manageable—both logistically and financially.
They’re not promising the big beach trip is gone forever. “I’m not saying we’ll never take a big vacation to a beach or another state again,” they say. But for now, the plan is working: day trips keep the memories coming without draining the bank account.
family vacation costs budget travel St. Louis day trips Miramar Beach Florida rental home restaurant spending airline points family of six
Day trips over Florida is smart I guess.
I feel like they’re missing the point… if you save airline points then it should be cheap? But then the article says the bill was astronomical so idk. Restaurant food is always the killer though, like why is a sandwich so expensive now.
So they went to Florida, got tanned, then somehow their bank account got robbed by… “astronomical” amounts? Sounds like they just didn’t budget the rental car and meals. Also museums and zoos are expensive too, like don’t act surprised.
This is actually depressing. People talk about “family vacations” like everyone can just do it, but between flights, hotels, and then feeding six people it’s insane. I can’t believe they had to give it up because of comfort and bathrooms and all that, like I get it though. Zoos and overnights nearby sound fun, but I still think they should’ve picked a cheaper beach town or stayed at a motel instead of a rental with everything. Then again maybe the prices just keep rising every year.