Traveling on a Budget with Carl & Shelly
By Carl Fish
Daily Ridge Media
Seeing Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton has been on our list for a long time. The only thing that usually gets in the way is the price tag. Like many folks, we’ve looked at the cost of getting there and back and it can be pretty intimidating.
But after some careful planning and a few last minute changes, we decided we are going to do it and we are going to try to do it for under $2500.
We originally had flights and a rental car booked for a Utah trip. That was the plan. But as road trips often go, things changed. We decided instead to head north and visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton.
After buying the tickets I also realized just how hot it gets around the Utah national parks this time of year. We are talking well into the 90s and even triple digits in some areas. Not exactly ideal for sightseeing.
With that in mind we decided to head for cooler weather. Up in Yellowstone and Grand Teton the daytime highs are in the upper 70s to low 80s with cool nights dropping into the 40s. That sounded a lot more enjoyable to us.
We just flew into Las Vegas landing around one o’clock this morning. These were round trip flights from Orlando to Las Vegas and we managed to get them for a total of $314 for both of us. That is not per person. That is both tickets round trip.
We also picked up our rental car but here is something folks should watch out for. I usually go with Budget when I rent cars and normally they are my preferred group. But Budget in Las Vegas is a franchise and they only allow you to drive the vehicle in Nevada Utah Arizona and California. That is not going to get you to Yellowstone.
Thankfully I talked to a helpful person with Budget and they worked with me to set up the same reservation through Budget Avis which allows travel all the way to Yellowstone and back. If you are planning a similar trip pay attention to those restrictions.
The Numbers So Far
Here is what we have spent so far
Flights from Orlando to Las Vegas round trip for both of us came to $314 Rental car for the trip $300 National Park Annual Pass $80 Estimated gas $285
Total so far $979
What’s Left
We still have lodging and food to figure out. We expect to be on the road for about seven nights and where we stay will be the biggest factor in whether or not we can keep this trip under $2500.
We plan to track every dollar and update folks along the way so you can see exactly what it takes.
The Route
We are headed from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City then up to Grand Teton National Park through Jackson Hole. After that several days in Yellowstone before making our way back to Las Vegas.
We are not planning a lot of hiking this time around. This trip is mostly about scenic drives iconic viewpoints and hopefully spotting some wildlife along the way.
Can We Do It
That is what we are about to find out. With some careful planning and watching what we spend we believe we can make this trip happen for under $2500.
If you have ever thought about visiting Yellowstone or Grand Teton but figured it was too expensive stick around. We will be sharing the real costs and experiences along the way so folks can see exactly what it takes.
