Low on cash but dying to travel? With careful planning, it’s possible. Try this:
- Create a very strict but realistic budget
- Gather a group of four or more to split expenses
- Lodge at an affordable outdoor campsite
- Drive (instead of fly)
- Stock up on shareable food items
- Borrow essential but reusable items (instead of buying)
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Since my trip to New Orleans earlier this summer, I had an itch to go somewhere again but wasn’t quite sure where I’d go on a tight budget and without taking off work. Wherever I travel I typically budget $100/day for food, activities, transportation, and shopping, but that’s after purchasing airfare and lodging. As you can imagine, my travel tab can easily add up to over $1,000 for just a few days.
Last month however, I was determined to stay under $200 for one weekend. As difficult a goal it was, thankfully I had a group of friends who were looking for the same kind of adventure as me – a cheap, turnaround weekend trip to a curious destination. And to our benefit, we could fulfill our travel expectations with a road trip from Southern California to Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona.
Many people may not be familiar with Antelope Canyon, AZ by its name, but many people have viewed the red sandlot as a stock photo at some point on their laptop device. That’s because Antelope Canyon is a travel photographer’s playground, frequently featured in publications like National Geographic and the like. People pay good money to experience the sandlots exclusively, even fashion shoots happen here… Bottom line, this geographical landmark is a must and it can be accomplished with petty cash.
These days, regular tourists and social influencers flock to Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon for the photo opps too, hungry for that perfect picture to generate tons of “likes” on Instagram. I admit – I had the same idea in mind!
For a general entrance fee and walking tour, a ticket to either Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon could run between $40 – $60. Antelope Slot Canyon Tours by Chief Tsosie are led by locals of Navajo Nation since the sandlots (as well as parts of the Grand Canyon) are within their sovereign land. Listening to the science behind the formation of the sandlots is just a fascinating as the actual twisting and turning contoured sculptures inside. The whole experience (photo taking + interaction with Navajo Nation + history lesson) is worth the price. I encourage anyone that hasn’t been yet to book your tour tickets now (these tours sell out months in advance) and experience the geographical landmark in person.
But going back to the original purpose of this post, this is about crossing state lines while stretching a limited budget with limited time. And while I think driving to AZ from Southern CA most certainly worked in our favor in terms of time and money, the projected itinerary and budget could work for anyone within 10-hours driving distance to their intended destination. Though do keep in mind, to keep our budget under $200 per person, we needed to make some sacrifices.
For example, instead of an AirBnB we opted for a “primitive” campground at Lone Rock Beach which meant no outdoor grills, no electricity of any kind, outdoor showers, and scattered restroom facilities. We stocked up on dried food items to save on fast food. We also borrowed simple equipment like sleeping bags and tents to avoid buying anything new. Of course the biggest sacrifice was opting to drive instead of fly, which meant 8+ hours of consecutive driving after a Friday’s workday and before Monday’s morning shift. Take a look at the sample itinerary below.
Itinerary
Friday – Day 1
- 11pm – Meet up with friends and pack car
Saturday – Day 2
- 12am – Depart from greater Los Angeles for Lone Rock Beach in Utah (8-9 hrs. with bathroom breaks and other pit stops)
- 9-10am – Arrive at Lone Rock Beach campground
- 10am-8pm – Free day: Unload, shower, explore, eat, suntan etc. **because of the flexibility of time on Day 2, this could also substitute as a day to complete Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon or Grand Canyon.
- 9-10pm – Sleep
Sunday, Day 3
- 6:30-10am- Complete Upper Canyon Tour **From Lone Rock Beach, Utah to Page AZ, the drive is about 20 minutes. The actual tour is about 45-50 minutes long. Upper Canyon Tours begin as early as 6:30am. To see sunbeams in the Upper Canyon, book 10:30am tour
- 11am – Pack up car; clean out campsite
- 12pm – Journey back to Southern California
- 8-10pm – Arrive in greater Los Angeles
At first glance, the itinerary looks like a weekend road trip on steroids, and honestly it kind of is. So splitting up the driving between a group of three (or more) is needed. And certainly, the larger the group, the less each person will need to cover for trip expenses.
Budget (per person for group of 4)
- Rental (midsize SUV) – $20
- Gas – $50
- Lone Rock Beach Campground – $11 (entrance and camping fee combined was $44 total)
- Food & Misc. Spending- $50
- Upper Antelope Canyon Tour Tickets – $60
- Projected Total: $224
- Actual Total: $191
NOT BAD, RIGHT?!! Altogether each person only spent $191 for 2 days and 1 night, which for me is something I could easily blow right through after an hour of shopping on Amazon.
Now I may surprise you all and say that although Antelope Canyon was intended to be the purpose and highlight of the trip, it actually wasn’t. The cutbacks on amenities provided us with activities we didn’t even budget for. Like singalongs in the car, sharing stories, relaxing in the Lone Rock Beach water, and my favorite… star-gazing. A typical star-gazing tour with telescopes and blankets, can cost up to $100+. But in rural Utah with no light pollution, we slept underneath a massive blanket of twinkling stars for FREE. No telescope needed. So yes, this turnaround road trip was totally worth it.
Check out some photos from Antelope Canyon and more below.
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