I've heard from many people that the best time to travel is when you're broke. While I agree to some extent, this isn't entirely possible when traveling with a family. Most of the people that have given me this advice generally do not have children. 
A quick selfie of our family when we first arrived in Colorado Springs, CO in 2016
So, for those of you that are frequent travelers, I am very interested in your methods!
I grew up in a very large, and very poor family. I do feel that it's worth mentioning that we were only poor in terms of money; When it comes to love, we are the richest family in the world. [Extra cheese fully intentional].
Photo from my grandmother from where we grew up in rural Missouri. There's a baby 
Anyway.... when I was growing up, traveling wasn't an option. My parents were blue collar workers and they simply could not afford the time or money to take our large family of eight to do much outside of our local areas. This is where our love for hiking, swimming, floating, fishing and camping around our hometown developed. But that's another story for another time.
As a young girl, I was fascinated with history and geography. I wanted to be a paleontologist and travel, study, and uncover the mysteries of the world! I remember my dad telling me, "Kid, you've got a bad case of wanderlust." I didn't know what that meant until he defined it, but now that word crosses my mind almost daily.
image source http://fernweh.in/portfolio/thewanderlust-poem/
We live in an absolutely beautiful area of the United States and we explore all of the surrounding natural treasures here as often as we can! But we have an insatiable hunger to see more of the country and the world! We have had the opportunity to experience a slice of it thanks to our incredible network of family and friends.
We have been able to take our girls to see the ocean and the mountains and so many things in between! That's a big deal for a lower class family from the Midwest USA on a budget!
In 2012, we traveled to Cocoa Beach, Florida, because our friends Brian and Kali welcomed us into their home. Our mutual friend Katie worked at DisneyWorld at the time, and got us 2 free tickets!!! That was a huge money-saver and we had an incredible experience with our girlies!
In 2016, we went to Colorado Springs and explored the town and surrounding landmarks thanks to my coworker/boss that let us stay in his apartment for free because he heard me swoon and dream about the mountains for years.
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Last March, we visited my older brother and his amazing girlfriend in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where they fed us, gave us a place to stay, and showed us the local sites, beaches and cultures. Not to mention the their wonderful company and conversation!
Also, this past year, an elderly couple gave us their 1976 pop-up camper! My husband has done a lot of computer/ electronic repairs over the years for them, and they were so kind to give a us a token of their appreciation. We were thrilled and so very thankful! We have taken our kids on so many fun camping trips at our local river this past year.
She's a beauty, isn't she??? ;)
Had it not been for these amazing and generous people, we never would have had these opportunities and these memories.
So whilst on these much-appreciated adventures away from home, we made some important financial decisions. We drove in my tiny, gas-efficient car, packed like sardines. We ate our meals out of a cooler, packed with ice and cheap meals. We drove as long and as far as we safely could to keep cheap motel stays to a minimum. In lieu of enjoying the local cuisine and spending loads of money, we basically "picniced" our way through traveling. (However, we did splurge on a couple tasty meals!!)
Our youngest daughter, as we were filling our bellies with cheap sandwiches and snacks in the parking lot before we took the trip up the mountain to Pike's Peak
We are in incredibly grateful for these travel experiences, but now we are excited for more! If you have any tips or helpful hints, please do share. We absolutely can't wait to plan our next adventure and possibly try something we haven't done yet as a family: flying! Realistically, it must be done on a budget, so I would love to hear any suggestions and about experiences you have had with traveling frugally!
One of our stops on the Georgia/Tennessee border one our way home from South Carolina
Thanks for reading!