Preparing for a Frugal Trip to Washington, D.C.

    Washington, D.C. and the word "frugal" probably shouldn't be used in the same sentence together, right?

    As our family began to plan "the best homeschool field trip ever" - a trip to Washington, D.C. - I frequently read that it would cost a fortune to spend time in our nation's capitol. 

    People mentioned to me how expensive meals are in Washington, and how it's almost impossible to find safe lodging under $200 per night.

    Gulp.

    Over the next few months, I'm going to be sharing with you about my family's recent trip to Washington, D.C., what we did to save as much money as possible in order to make this trip, and how we saved money during the trip.

    I'll also be sharing a 7-day travel itinerary so you can have an idea of how much you'll be able to see in one week's stay in Washington, D.C.  Of course, you can adjust this to fit your own needs and the amount of days that you'll be staying in D.C.

    We saw an amazing number of memorials, museums, and historical sites within seven days' time.  When we've mentioned to our friends all that we saw, they're surprised!  I'm going to let you know how we did this, and the order we did it. 

    Of course, your mileage may vary, as you may have some different factors within your own family, should you plan a trip to D.C. on your own:

• the distance you live from our nation's capitol
• the ages of the children in your family
• the ability of your family members to walk at least several miles each day
• the amount of money you have to spend on your trip to D.C.
  
  
  

    I'm planning blog posts on the following topics, over the next few months:

• finding the best flight for your family's needs
• safe and inexpensive lodging
• how to use the Metro (DC's MetroRail subway system) to your advantage
• clothing and attire
  
• how to pack a week's clothing in a small carry-on bag (no checked baggage fees!)
• a seven-day itinerary that can be adjusted to meet your needs
• eating inexpensively in Washington, D.C.
  
• the most reasonable time of year to travel to D.C.
  
  and more!
  

Left to right: our friend Joanne, me (Julieanne), Brittany, Kelsi, and my husband, Elmer

    Just to give you a taste of all that we saw in our week-long adventure to Washington, D.C., here's a list of what we did:

• Mt. Vernon (home of George Washington)
• National Mall Memorials (all of them!)
• U.S. Capitol Building
• Library of Congress
• White House
• Union Station
• Pentagon and 9/11 Memorial
• Iwo Jima Memorial
• Fords Theatre Museum
• National Archives
• National Art Gallery
• Manassas battlefield of the Civil War
• Monticello (home of Thomas Jefferson)
• Arlington National Cemetery (watched changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns)
• Arlington/Lee House
• National Museum of the American Indian
• National Air and Space Museum
• National Museum of American History
• National Museum of Crime and Punishment
• National Museum of Natural History
• National Postal Museum
• The Smithsonian Castle
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• Albert Einstein Memorial
• The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• The National Cathedral
• The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (where money is printed)
• The Orkin Insect Zoo and Butterfly Pavilion

    I'm going to let you know right up front that if it wasn't for our friend, Joanne, coming on this trip with us, we would never have been able to see all that we were able to see and do in one week's time.  Joanne had previously traveled to Washington, D.C. FIVE TIMES (!!!), so I had jokingly asked her if she wanted to be our tour guide.

    She said, "Yes!"  We were very excited to have Joanne along for the trip, not only for her friendship, but also for her knowledge of the DC area.  It was so helpful to have someone along who had navigated the big city before and knew it well.  I'll be sharing with you many of Joanne's tips for having the best week ever in D.C.

    If you think your family may never be able to finance a week away from home like this, with airline flights involved, that may be true.  We were able to do this, by God's grace.  Our children, at ages 13 and 15, had never flown on a commercial airplane, and the last big trip (driving by car) we took as a family was in 2008 (five years ago).  I'll let you know how we managed to make this trip.  Maybe some of our tips will work for your own family!  Stay tuned for more.  :)

Read all of my helpful tips about staying frugally in Washington, D.C.!

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