Going to Banff on the cheap?

moneymom

Has anyone been to Banff?

Can you give me some tips on going there on the cheap?  Dh and I are traveling there in late summer with our 5 kids.  

We would love to try and keep it lower cost since the other vacations this year we splurged on.

Must sees?

Great places to stay?

hoffse

I don't think "cheap" when I hear Banff.  I've never been there but have heard it's very expensive.

That said, there may be some deals.  I'll be interested to see if anybody has managed a budget-friendly trip there.

jtmh2012

Banff???

hoffse

jtmh2012 said:

Banff???

Canada.  Has some really schmancy hotels nearby that I super want to try someday... but they cost a small fortune.

jtmh2012

hoffse said:

jtmh2012 said:

Banff???

Canada.  Has some really schmancy hotels nearby that I super want to try someday... but they cost a small fortune.

Ok....what's there that makes it so expensive?

hoffse

jtmh2012 said:

hoffse said:

jtmh2012 said:

Banff???

Canada.  Has some really schmancy hotels nearby that I super want to try someday... but they cost a small fortune.

Ok....what's there that makes it so expensive?

The whole place is a high-end resort town.  It looks a lot like some of the fancy ski resorts in Colorado. 

jtmh2012

hoffse said:

jtmh2012 said:

hoffse said:

jtmh2012 said:

Banff???

Canada.  Has some really schmancy hotels nearby that I super want to try someday... but they cost a small fortune.

Ok....what's there that makes it so expensive?

The whole place is a high-end resort town.  It looks a lot like some of the fancy ski resorts in Colorado. 

Got it!

moneymom

So far here is how we are trying to do it on the cheap.

We are flying there all on points.  So we just payed the taxes on our 7 tickets. 

We have 3 nights of free nights from Hotels.com.  Hopefully we will rack up another 1 before we leave.

We will be there 11 nights.  

Things I am thinking about.  Camping.  However I don't like to camp and the kids never have been. 

Renting an RV.  It would be cheaper than car and hotels.  But honestly it doesn't look fun to me. 



hoffse

My H's family used to the RV-in-the-west thing with three young boys every few years.  H says his dad loved it, but he was really the only one.  He says it was pretty cramped for a family of 5, and the boys just wanted to be outside the whole time.

moneymom

Yeah I have looked at the ones you can rent, they are not the huge RVs that you see, so it looks very cramped for a family of 7.

The couch and the table being folded down for sleeping.  Just seems uncomfortable.  And I feel like the way you have a good vacation is to have well rested happy kids.  

moneymom

Oh my other ideas

We are going there this year since the dollar is so strong.  The rates are about 30% off.   

We are also going off peak season.

I am looking at hotels that offer free breakfast, which is a huge savings because my kids eat more than I do.

julieanne912

Renting an RV isn't that cheap, and you have to consider the gas to get you around, RV's are super gas hogs. Plus, all the other things involved with an RV like where do you dump, where do you get water, will you always have electrical hookups or will you have to run a generator (more gas).  Plus not to mention having to drive it, which can be difficult in mountain areas, especially if you aren't used to driving one.

We have a camper, and it's not exactly free to use it.  I don't know about Banff, but generally any campsite, including state parks, with hookups, will run about $25-30/day to use.  Some nicer RV parks, like good KOAs with facilities, are more in the $35-40 range.  Non-hookup sites are in the $15-20 range, but then we have to pay for gas to keep the generator running, propane to keep the fridge running, and we have to find places to do the sewer dump, and figure out where we can get water to put in the tank.  Some dump/water stations are free, some you pay for.  Oh, and H's truck gets 11mpg when towing, which is considered pretty good.  RV's are usually in the 8-10mpg range.

Xstatic3333

Have you priced out a rental on VRBO or AirBnB?  I'd think the ability to cook meals would be huge savings with so many mouths to feed, even if you can get a few nights free at a hotel.  Personally, I'm more comfortable in rentals or condo-style hotels anyway.  I hate needing to eat every meal out, more from a health perspective than a MM perspective.  

moneymom

julieanne912 said:

Renting an RV isn't that cheap, and you have to consider the gas to get you around, RV's are super gas hogs. Plus, all the other things involved with an RV like where do you dump, where do you get water, will you always have electrical hookups or will you have to run a generator (more gas).  Plus not to mention having to drive it, which can be difficult in mountain areas, especially if you aren't used to driving one.

We have a camper, and it's not exactly free to use it.  I don't know about Banff, but generally any campsite, including state parks, with hookups, will run about $25-30/day to use.  Some nicer RV parks, like good KOAs with facilities, are more in the $35-40 range.  Non-hookup sites are in the $15-20 range, but then we have to pay for gas to keep the generator running, propane to keep the fridge running, and we have to find places to do the sewer dump, and figure out where we can get water to put in the tank.  Some dump/water stations are free, some you pay for.  Oh, and H's truck gets 11mpg when towing, which is considered pretty good.  RV's are usually in the 8-10mpg range.

Thank you for that.   It makes me want to do it even less.  And I already didn't want to. 

moneymom

Xstatic3333 said:

Have you priced out a rental on VRBO or AirBnB?  I'd think the ability to cook meals would be huge savings with so many mouths to feed, even if you can get a few nights free at a hotel.  Personally, I'm more comfortable in rentals or condo-style hotels anyway.  I hate needing to eat every meal out, more from a health perspective than a MM perspective.  

Yeah we have done the VRBO before.  It was ok.  The last few vacations we have stayed at hotels with free breakfast and a free evening reception.  My kids ate a ton for breakfast and then we at the meal at night and we didn't eat out at all.  It saved us TONS!  

Plus it really gave dh and I a break from shopping, cleaning, and preparing meals.  It was like a real vacation!

So I much prefer that now.  Plus the places we look at have a kitchen if we need it.