Travel Books & Resources

Learning to manipulate and easily earn frequent flyer miles is the key to frequent & cheap travel, especially when you have kids. I have not paid full price for a flight in years using the tips in this instantly downloadable PDF guide. The author, Chris Guillebeau, is a bestseller writer who happens to be achieving a goal of visiting every single country in the world (he’s been to 151 last time I checked). These are his personal insider nuggets of gold, and you can’t find better tips on how to “work” the frequent flyer system anywhere.

Volunteer Vacations Across America: Immersion Travel USA (Immersion Travel USA) is a travel guide like no other and you’ll want it on your shelf as a reference, though you might find a copy in the library. Sheryl Kayne does a thorough job listing every possible opportunity across the country, from bicycling for cancer to stomping grapes or working on an organic farm. You might think “ack, volunteer for a vacation?” but when you read this book, you’ll see how fun, exciting and – most of all – cheap it can be.

Did you know that one of the cheapest and most exciting places to travel is just south of us?  Bring Your Own Children: South America! A Family Sabbatical Handbook really opened up the possibility of exploring Latin America with our kids.

“South America can be an exciting, family-friendly vacation destination and an increasingly attractive, affordable alternative to the sharply rising costs of a trip to Europe or even the United States! Perhaps most importantly, eight-year-old Christopher offers his unique perspective on the pros and cons of each region for children.”

I was utterly inspired by this well-written, witty and wild story about a typical American family who does something that is extraordinary. WorldTrek: A Family Odyssey details one family’s journey around the world (with two kids in tow!) and will inspire you to think about what your own “Odyssey” might look like.

If you’re someone who wants to do something unconventional with your life, it’s so important to look to others who have been there and done that. This is just such a place.

If you’re taking a road trip, The Next Exit 2011: USA Interstate Exit Directory: the Most Complete Interstate Exit Directory is a gem; if you’re RVing, this is essential! The Next Exit gives you an updated list of what you will find at every interstate exit in the United States. That means you can know precisely when the next truck stop is coming up (with diesel!), the next Super Wal-Mart, rest stops and every thing else you can think of. I can tell you if there is a Chili’s, RV park, Waffle House or Home Depot coming up in the next 10 miles or not. Everyone will be less stressed knowing exactly when they can get gas, eat and sleep.

That knowledge is power, I tell you!

There are many ways to find an RV park. You can always go online, but if you only rely on the internet you’re going to get a hit-or-miss experience. Trailer Life RV Parks, Campgrounds, and Services Directory 2011 is very comprehensive, impressively updated and the ratings are accurate. (I pay attention to the bathroom ratings more than anything.) Though I do look online, this directory is the backbone of my RV park research.

(Note: We bought ours at Camping World & paid way more than the price I’m seeing at Amazon right now. If you’ve been RVing for any length of time, you’ll realize that Camping World tends to be pricey.)

Rand McNally 2011 Road Atlas: United States, Canada, and Mexico (Rand Mcnally Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico) is an accurate but basic road atlas by the best in the biz, Rand McNally. It’s on the smaller side and doesn’t have every single little road you might want to see unless it’s a major city. (There are great city maps included.)

This is all we need because we also use a GPS device. Even though I have a GPS, I wouldn’t travel without a physical map, and this does the job.

We started driving the U.S. using just a map. I shunned GPS devices because we tend to be minimalistic and critical of new technology (until it’s been out so long the bugs have been worked out and the price has fallen). Well, after we got lost in Amish cornfields looking for an RV park, we decided it was time. Time to get a GPS. I know, people are shocked that we waited so long. Now that I have one, I am too. So, if you’re like us and living in the Stone Ages, or if you haven’t upgraded in a while, I recommend a large-screen Garmin (not a Tom-Tom). We ended up with a Garmin nüvi 1370/1370T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth GPS Navigator with Maps of North America & Europe and Lifetime Traffic and love it. The prices are good at Amazon.com but I would check out Wal-Mart.com, too, since they sell refurbished models (only online). You will wonder, how did I live without one?