Our America the Beautiful Park Pass is the gift that keeps on giving! We purchased our pass in April 2019 before taking our epic road trip to National Parks from starting point of Las Vegas, Nevada.  On that trip, we reported savings of $144 (after deducting the $80 cost of the pass itself). Our most recent trip to the Southwest to visit even more National Parks from a starting point of El Paso, Texas yielded even more savings! How Much Did We Save with Our America The Beautiful Park Pass? Our El Paso road trip would have cost us the following (for 2 adults traveling together in the same vehicle): White Sands National Park: $25 vehicle fee Guadalupe Mountains National Park: $10 per person x 2 people = $20 Carlsbad Caverns National Park: $15 per person x 2 people = $30 (note, at Carlsbad, we did opt to purchase a…

**Update: We have returned from our Las Vegas Road Trip and share our entire journey and experiences if you follow this link.  Continue to read this post if you want all of the planning considerations for the final day of our trip.** Death Valley is the last National Park that we will visit on our Vegas Road Trip before spending a few nights in “Sin City”.  Join our email list to follow along on our journey and to pick up tips and experiences that will help you to plan your own Vegas National Park Road Trip. We are planning to make several stops in quick succession on the way to Death Valley, so it will be critical for us to be focused on our timeline in order to get to spend the better part of the day at the park.  This is a logistics heavy post, and on days with…

Our Grand Canyon Day is sure to be a day of pure amazement, and a bunch of driving! The Grand Canyon is a park that was on my list of places to visit well before I was conscious of what National Parks were (and definitely before I had knowledge of my desire to experience them all)! The Average Grand Canyon Visit I read that on average, people spend about 17 minutes looking at the Grand Canyon on their visit.  This is somewhat surprising to me because I have probably spent more than 17 hours over the course of many years viewing photos, documentaries, and reading about this spectacular site!  (Maybe there’s a little exaggeration in my number, but please believe that it’s closer to 17 hours than 17 minutes.) In a sense though, I am also not completely surprised by the 17 minutes figure.  Everyone explores new places differently.  Some…

My favorite time of year to travel is in the late spring / early summer months. As a Midwesterner, I welcome spring because it brings new energy to my life. The air is crisper, the days grow longer, and the promise of new beginnings surrounds me! Springtime is also the perfect time to reacquaint yourself with the outdoors. Winter sports are fun, but not always accessible, so I often find excuses in the depths of winter to curl up by the fireplace and sip hot cocoa. But in the spring, the natural glow of the sun shaves off the nip in the air as I stretch the day and take advantage of the outdoors to walk, and smell the fresh buds on the flowers and trees. Road trips are also easier in the spring because the likelihood of inclement weather altering your plans is negligible. Instead, you can make concrete…

Spring is in the air, and we are already looking forward to adventures to be had on the road! Here is our list of road trip essentials that you won’t want to leave home without! Some of these items may seem like no-brainers, but I’ve made the mistake of taking off without some of them before… trust me, they make a difference! Happy Exploring! (Some of the links below are affiliate links which means that if you click through and make a purchase, we will receive a small commission.) #1 Water: Yes, we know that we all need it, but it is imperative to have on the road!  Not only to drink, but also as a backup for your car (i.e. if you run into an overheating issue or the like), taking a couple of gallons will undoubtedly come in handy.  We also suggest carrying refillable Nalgene water bottles with…