When people hear we’re taking our family of five across the country in an RV for over a year, one of the first questions we get is:

“That sounds amazing… but how can you afford it?”

The honest answer?

We’re planning carefully, using memberships strategically, and finding every smart way to stretch our budget without sacrificing the experiences that matter most.

Because when you’re visiting 49 states, national parks, museums, zoos, aquariums, and attractions, the little savings can quickly turn into thousands.

And for our trip?

We estimate these passes and memberships alone will save us more than $3,000.

Here’s how:

🏞 1. National Parks: The America the Beautiful Pass + Every Kid Outdoors

If you’re planning a cross-country trip, this is one of the first things to look into.

America the Beautiful Pass

For $80, this annual pass covers entrance fees and day-use fees at many:

National parks
National monuments
Federal recreation lands
Wildlife refuges
Forest recreation areas

Instead of paying separate park entrance fees over and over again, one pass covers many of them.

How Much We Expect to Save

Based on our route, we estimate the America the Beautiful Pass will save us:

Over $2,000 (actually $2,020)

That’s one of the highest-return purchases of our entire trip.

Example: Utah’s Mighty Five

For Utah’s five iconic national parks alone, the pass will save us:

$275

And that’s just one state!

Important Note:

This pass typically covers federal lands, but it does not cover most state park entrance fees, so those still need to be budgeted separately.

Every Kid Outdoors Pass

If you have a child in 4th grade, don’t overlook this amazing option.

Through the Every Kid Outdoors Program, fourth graders can receive a free annual pass for access to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites.

That includes:

National parks
Forests
Wildlife refuges
Marine sanctuaries
Federal recreation areas

For families with a qualifying child, this can be an incredible value.

Since we will be traveling for over a year, we will take advantage of both of these passes (our middle child will be in 4th grade for this trip!).

🖼 2. Museums & Science Centers: Reciprocity Can Save a Lot

Many science centers and museums participate in reciprocal membership programs (find the list here).

That means if you’re a member at one participating location, you may receive:

Free admission elsewhere
Discounted admission nationwide
Member perks and extras

Since we plan to visit museums and science centers all over the country, this is a major savings category for us. We are members of the Schiele Museum, which we already pay $135/year for this membership.

🦁 3. Zoos & Aquariums: Memberships Travel Too

Many zoos and aquariums participate in AZA reciprocal benefits, which may offer:

50%-100% off admission (depending on your “home” zoo or aquarium membership; you can find the AZA Reciprocity Chart here)
Free admission at select locations
Discounts on gift shop purchases
Additional member perks

As a family of five that absolutely love animals (mom’s a veterinarian, duh!), zoo admissions can add up quickly—so this one matters. We are members of the Greenville Zoo, so we already pay $95/year for our membership.

💰 Our Estimated Savings from Zoos + Museums

Between our zoo membership and museum/science center reciprocity benefits, we estimate we’ll save:

Over $1,000 (actually $1,092.50)

That’s money we can redirect into more experiences, campground stays, or extra adventure days.

🚐 4. Campground Strategy Helps Too

We’re also saving money by mixing where we stay:

State parks – average around $35/night
Campgrounds that accept Good Sam Memberships (discounted stays)
KOAs – Membership is $39/year, but saves 10% off stays
Harvest Hosts – free overnight camping (but should purchase something!); membership costs $127/year (the cost of one night at some campgrounds!)
National park campgrounds – average around $35/night
Free stays – boondocking where legal or truck stops (like Iowa’s largest truck stop)

Balancing premium stays with budget nights keeps the monthly total manageable.

🍔 5. Food: The Sneaky Budget Killer

Food adds up faster than people realize.

Our plan:

Cook breakfasts and most dinners
Pack lunches for day trips
Grocery shop regularly
Save restaurants for special places
Carry snacks constantly (especially with kids)

Using grocery store memberships and coupons will also help save money on food. Good grocery stores to have free memberships to that will assist across most of the country would be:

Kroger Loyalty Program – includes other chains like Ralphs, Fry’s, King Soopers, Smith’s, Harris Teeter, and Fred Meyer; fuel points; digital coupons
Safeway – for the West Coast and Mountain states
Food Lion –
Publix – good for the southeast (slightly more expensive groceries than others)
Walmart Plus – largest grocery retailer in the US, nationwide, get fuel discounts, sometimes easy parking for rigs (and some allow you to camp overnight for free but you have to ask!)

Other $ Memberships to have:

Costco Membership – great prices, can buy basics in bulk, easy parking on the road, 640 locations across the nation, and helps with fuel cost savings
Sams Club – can buy basics in bulk, easier parking when on the road, helps with fuel cost savings

That balance gives us fun food experiences without turning every meal into a budget hit.

⛽ 6. Fuel Savings Matter

We’re helping reduce diesel costs by:

Planning efficient routes
Limiting backtracking
Staying longer in good locations
Watching fuel prices regionally
Combining nearby attractions into one travel leg
Good Sams Membership – $0.10/gallon discount

We will be using one of these phone apps to find the most cost-efficent fuel savings:

Trucker Path: The #1 app for truckers, it offers truck-specific navigation, parking info, and locates cheap diesel.
GasBuddy: Ideal for finding the lowest diesel prices, with a crowdsourced database of over 150,000 stations.

📊 7. Track Savings in Real Time

We’ll be tracking our actual trip costs and sharing:

Budget vs actual spending
How much memberships saved us
Best value stops
Unexpected costs
Where we’d do things differently next time

We want to share the real numbers!

❤️ Why This Matters

We’re not trying to travel “cheap.”

We’re trying to travel smart.

Because every dollar saved on admissions or fees becomes:

Another memory
Another campground night
Another activity for the kids
More time on the road together

🧭 Final Thoughts

Before this trip, we assumed travel always meant paying full price everywhere.

But we’ve learned that with a little planning, the right passes can save thousands.

For our family, that means:

$2,000+ saved with the America the Beautiful Pass
$1,000+ saved with zoo + museum reciprocity memberships

That’s real money—and real freedom.

✨ Coming Next

We’ll share the exact memberships we bought, what they cost, and how to know if they’re worth it for your own trip.