My family of four recently took a 5‑day, 800‑mile budget road trip from southeastern Wisconsin to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—and spent under $1,000. Here’s our exact budget and the choices that made it possible.
This post is part of our 5‑Day Family Road Trip Series.
We took our family of four (kids ages 2.5 and 6) on an 800‑mile road trip from southeastern Wisconsin to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, camping most nights and keeping our total cost under $1,000. If you’d like to see the whole picture, check out the other posts in this series:
- Budget Breakdown: How Our Family of Four Took a 5‑Day Road Trip for Under $1,000
- Itinerary: Our Upper Peninsula Family Road Trip Itinerary (5 Days with Kids)
- Kids in the Car: How We Survived Long Car Days with a 2.5‑Year‑Old and a 6‑Year‑Old
- Camping Setup: Our Simple Camping Setup for Family Road Trips (On a Budget)
You’re currently reading: How Our Family of Four Took a 5‑Day Road Trip for Under $1,000.
Trip Overview
We traveled with our 2.5‑year‑old daughter and 6‑year‑old son, camping most nights and staying with friends for one night. Our route took us through Green Bay, Marquette, the Keweenaw Peninsula, the Porcupine Mountains, and back home via central Wisconsin.
I didn’t set out with a specific budget target in mind; I simply tracked expenses along the way. Looking back at the numbers showed us what really helped keep costs down.
Our Budget Breakdown
Here’s how our costs shook out for 5 days:
- Lodging (4 nights camping in state and local parks, 1 night with friends): $156
- Food (mostly groceries: sandwich supplies, snacks, beer, campfire dinners): $404
- Gas (2018 Subaru Crosstrek, about 32 miles per gallon): $101
- Entertainment and souvenirs (mine tours, a brewery flight, small treats): $195
Total for 5 days, family of four: $856.
Under $1,000 is still a significant amount of money, but for us, it felt like a good balance between keeping costs reasonable and enjoying meaningful experiences.
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Tips That Helped Us Keep Our Family Road Trip Under $1,000
Each of these decisions ties directly to one of our main expense categories—lodging, food, gas, and entertainment.
Camp instead of hotels for most nights.
Four nights in state and local parks kept lodging costs low and gave the kids built‑in playgrounds, nature time, and playmates.
Cook most dinners at camp.
Rotisserie chicken, tacos, potato hash, and a simple jambalaya made from a dehydrated mix and hot dogs were all easy to cook over a camp stove or fire. Groceries cost less than restaurant meals, especially for a family of four.
Pack an “oh no” box.
My husband, an auto mechanic by training, packed a box with basic tools, tow straps, and a simple code reader. We never needed it, but knowing we could handle minor roadside issues kept us from feeling pressured into extra services “just in case.”
Choose a route with low‑cost, high‑value stops.
State parks, playgrounds, scenic ore docks, mines, waterfalls, and lake views gave us plenty to do without pricey attraction tickets every day.
Let kids help with camp setup and fun.
Our puzzle‑piece floor mat became a nightly “game,” and s’mores and playgrounds turned simple evenings into memorable ones.
Have a contingency plan for bad weather.
We agreed that if it poured, we’d grab a hotel instead of pushing through miserable camping. We didn’t end up needing that backup, but it helped us relax while still budgeting primarily for camping.
A Quick Look at Our Route
Here’s a short overview of where we went each day:
- Night 1: Drive to Green Bay, stay with friends.
- Day 2: Palms Book State Park and Kitch‑iti‑kipi; camp in Marquette.
- Day 3: Ore dock in Marquette, Cliffs Mine in Ishpeming, camp near Lake Linden.
- Day 4: Hancock and old industrial sites, Quincy Mine tour, camp and sunset at Porcupine Mountains State Park.
- Day 5: Porcupine Mountains waterfalls, pasties in Wakefield, camp at Council Grounds State Park.
- Day 6: Slow morning, picnic in Stevens Point, then home.
If you’d like a detailed day‑by‑day itinerary, I’ve written that up separately and will share it here when it’s posted.
What It Was Like with Young Kids
We definitely had moments where the kids had too much car time—every parent knows that special brand of restlessness. Spotify playlists (mostly ’60s–’80s music), “I spy,” conversations about the sights outside, and lots of science, history, and mining talk helped turn those stretches into shared experiences instead of just “Are we there yet?” loops.
I’ll cover our car‑time strategies in more detail in another post, but the short version is: simple games, engaging conversation, and familiar music go a long way.
A Few Caveats and Small Joys
We were lucky with weather: it didn’t rain, which made camping much more pleasant. We also met kind people along the way—camp neighbors who shared s’mores, a ship’s chief engineer and his son who took a moment to explain the ore dock, and a stranger who offered to take a sunset photo of all four of us at the Porcupine Mountains.
Those moments reminded us that budget travel isn’t just about saving money; it’s also about being open to the small connections you find on the road.
Want a printable version of this planning process?
If you’ve taken a budget minded family road trip, I’d love to hear one choice you made that helped keep costs down without cutting out the fun. Share your story in the comments—and if you know someone planning a family trip, send this their way!
If this breakdown was helpful, please like this post and share it with a friend who’s dreaming about a family road trip on a budget.
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