6 Ways to Save on Your Family Vacation

To offset the steep entry to Disney, my family ditched the plane ride to the Most Magical Place on Earth, in favor of cruise-controlling it from Worcester, Massachusetts, to Orlando, Florida. Total miles driven: approximately 1,200. Total homemade Persian Kotlet sandwiches consumed: far too many.

This was the summer of 1983 when gas prices were a little more than $1 per gallon. By piling into our white Toyota Camry we saved thousands with cash left over for Mickey and Minnie tchotchkes.

Fast-forward to 2017 and family road trips are still going strong. This year, in fact, AAA finds eight out of 10 traveling families will be packing their cars and coolers for long-distance adventures—a 10 percent increase from last year.

Driving, even with the summer’s steeper gas prices, many times beats the cost of flying (not to mention the agony of getting through airport security.) If you’re planning to venture out on the road any time soon, head over to O, The Oprah Magazine‘s website where I’m sharing some tricks to help you save (and maybe score freebies) on everything from gas to meals to museum passes.