Part of the fun of traveling full-time is the endless opportunities to explore new areas and find new adventures. Unfortunately, we don’t have an endless budget or stamina. To help other families, we came up with BDA Quick Trips. BDA Quick Trips are designed to be affordable, take only a couple of hours, and give you ideas of fun family-friendly activities close to the campground.

BDA Quick trips are geared to being able to complete in the morning or afternoon, giving plenty of time in the day for homeschool or remote work to complete as well. While the girls don’t take daily naps anymore, around four hours is all the time we have before cranky kiddos immerge.

BDA Trips are also affordable. We like to look for free activities or leverage discounts, such as Groupons, city coupons, or reciprocal memberships.

Reciprocal Memberships

One of the best ways to save money on the road is to invest in reciprocal memberships. These are great because they give you free or discounted admission to a number of attractions, meaning you can see a lot but only pay a little.

Choosing which memberships to buy can be confusing. There are dozens of options, and each one has its own set of pros and cons. This article from FullTime Families really helped explain all the reciprocal program offers, such as museums, amusement parks, national and state parks, and zoo memberships.

Reciprocal Museum, Zoo, and Garden Programs

Let’s begin by laying the various museum, zoo, and garden reciprocal programs out there. These programs are awesome because they give road schoolers access to educational attractions all over the country.

(The list provided below is provided by the Fulltime Families website.)

• Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC). This program gives members free admission to a huge collection of science centers.
• Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Those with an AZA pass will receive free or half-price admission to a zoos and aquariums across the country.
• North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM). Art museums are the main focus of the NARM reciprocal program. All are free to enter with a membership.
• Time Travelers. If history museums are your thing, you might like Time Travelers.
• Association of Children’s Museums (ACM). Those with young children might appreciate the ACM program. ACM gives members 50% off tons of children’s museums.
• Museum Alliance Reciprocal Program (MARP). MARP is a little known reciprocal program that offers members free admission to a few museums. However, NARM tends to be a much better alternative to this one.
• Southeastern Reciprocal Membership Program (SERM). Travelers who spend a lot of time in the southeast part of the country might like this program. SERM includes tons of museums in one specific region.
• Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM). Another little known reciprocal program. ROAM has a small collection of art museums, history museums, and gardens to offer members.
• American Horticultural Society (AHS). Love to visit gardens? If so, AHS is the program for you. This one offers cardholders free admission to dozens of gardens all over the country.

Memberships we purchased

After a lot of research, we purchased the following memberships to help maximize our savings and fun on BDA Quick Trips.

• Kern County Museum: ASTC, NARM, ACM, Time Travelers, ROAM. This memberships gets us into a thousands of museum’s nationwide, including the Space Center Houston.
• WNC Nature Center: ASTC, AZA. We found this zoo membership to be the most cost effective to help us tour zoos and aquariums nationwide.
• Merlin Pass — All Legoland locations, as well as Sea Life Aquariums, Madame Tussaud’s, and a number of other attractions are included on this pass. Parking is included.

How to find a Quick Trip

Once when we book a campground, I research the area. Using my reciprocal museum lists, I look to see if any museum is in the area we want to visit. (So far, the Art Museums are not popular in my household!). Next, I google the area for things to do in the area with kids. Finally, I compile a list and then read reviews to determine the time each activity takes. When I get to a final list of two or three activities, we put it to a vote weighing budget heavily. We try not to spend over $20 for adults.

BDA Quick Trip to Space Center Houston

BDA Quick Trip to Avery Island, LA

BDA Quick Trip at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

BDA Quick Trip to California Railroad Museum

BDA Quick Trip to Central Coast, CA

We hope our BDA Quick Trips inspire you to go out and find hidden gems for your family. A fun-filled day of family shenanigans doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Nor does it have to take up the whole day. We encourage you to explore ways your family can enjoy Quick Trips together for more BRIGHT DAIS AHEAD!

Other posts to check out

Check out another blog posts for more kid-friendly places to visit:

• HOW TO VISIT GLACIER NATIONAL PARK WITH KIDS
• THINGS TO DO IN THE OREGON CENTRAL COAST WITH KIDS
• THE REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY – HOW TO VISIT WITH KIDS
• How to see the Grand Canyon with Kids
• VISIT CARLSBAD CAVERNS – A BUCKET-LIST MUST SEE
• BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK – 5 REASONS TO DRIVE OUT OF YOUR WAY
• Legoland Florida – a better alternative to Disney
• Visiting Disney World during a pandemic
• South Dakota: America’s Best Kept Secret
• Visiting Yellowstone with Toddlers