We had to face our budget realities – and downsize our dream trip to make it work.

I’m sure there must be many other families in this situation, where changing financial dynamics and pressures on family budgets end up affecting travels plans. Instead of disaster, we wanted to see it as a  chance for creativity rather than disappointment, and with some key changes and a bit of flexibility, we hope to turn what could have been a major set back into a new adventure.

The original plan

When it comes to planning trips and adventures, dreaming big is what I do best; I’m the ideas woman, and it’s usually me approaching James  with a full itinerary for a trip halfway across various continents! So when I realised for the first time me and James both had jobs which allowed us to take 6 weeks leave off in the summer, I wanted to do something special and grab the opportunity with both hands.

We have always had Canada on our bucket list, wanting to experience the vast wildness, the nature, the wildlife, and spectacular mountian scenery. So we got out a map and started to plan a route.

We planned to fly to Calgary, rent a car and explore the Rockies, stopping at Banff and Jasper National Parks. From there, we would head to Clearwater in Greywells Provincial Park, then drive through British Colombia to the West Coast, visiting Whistler and Vancouver Island, as well as Vacouver itself.

We then wanted to cross the border into the US, visiting Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State, then driving to Montana to visit Glacier National Park. The trip would have concluded back in Calgary, where we would fly back to London for the beginning of September for the start of work and school.

We were so excited to see the mountains, lakes and the majestic wild coast. We wanted to experience the vast forests, and all the wildlife that make Canada so iconic.

We had plans for bear watching tours, zip lining, family white water rafting, and canoeing all on the list of things to do on our dream trip to Canada.

We knew Canada was expensive – but having recently travel to Switzerland and Australia we were no strangers to budget busting destinations, so we were pretty sure with our usual methods of budget travelling, cheap accommodation and working hard we could save up the pounds required ready for summer 2025.

Facing reality

I spent alot of time researching good flight deals and when we found a great option for us – more than £1000 less than we though was average price for that time of year- we decided to go for it, book the flights and lock this holiday in. After all, once the flights are booked it is no longer a pipe dream- it’s reality!

Even though  we 100% know it is worth it, spending alot of money always make me feel anxious, probably as we are not used to having any (just being honest). So we decided to go over some estimations for accommodation and car hire, etc, to make sure we were OK money wise before we confirmed the flights.

What followed was realising the trip was no longer affordable. I am truly shocked by how much rooms are in the summer, even in prime tourist destinations. A lot of the more affordable ( but still quite expensive!) rooms were already gone, and it seemed to be much more than I had originally thought. We were seeing prices such as £500 ($900!) PER NIGHT for 2 rooms ( 4 Beds) in a private hostel room with a shared bathroom. Granted this is in Banff, the most popular location in the peak season, but still, to us, this is crazy money. Accommodation we were looking at ranged from about £200- £450 per night in most places, and often these are not great rooms – basic rooms with outdated decor. My mind has truly been blown on this! I knew it would be expensive as it is peak season, but this is beyond anything I was expecting. The accommodation costs of our original itinery would be astronomical, and we had to think whether it would be worth scrimping and saving all year to do it- and the stress that would bring. We came to the conclusion that it was too much of a stretch.

How we adjusted our plans to make it work

We thought about postponing it until 2026 – not keen as it would be so disappointing to let this idea slip away. Also, we are not the best at saving (another reason we book a year in advance and pay towards the trip throughout the year). There is every possibility we would get to 2026 with not enough savings as we aren’t disciplined enough. And then it would become a “one day” trip that might never happen.

We discussed cutting 2 weeks off the trip, and spending less nights in each place. We really nearly went for this but in the end I’m glad we didnt- it would have felt like rushing through, and we want enough time to do these places justice. We also didn’t want to spend so much time in the car without as many days exploring to balance it out.

We have looked at camping, hostels and holiday parks, which are our usual go to’s for getting our accommodation costs down. It wasn’t helping this time, it just wasn’t cutting enough money off. It also added a logistical problem of obtaining camping equipment, needing a larger rental car, etc. Also, I love camping,  but 4 to 6 solid weeks of camping with 2 kids, in bear country, with the possibility for unpredictable weather and only the bare essential equipment does not sound like my ideal trip, especially when it’s costing thousands to do so!

In the end we settled on a compromise – in 2025 we will book three weeks of our original plan, with the remaining 3 weeks  hopefully to be experienced in 2026 or beyond. This was hard for me as I am always pushing for more when it comes to travelling, and want the biggest trips, the longest adventures, and it felt like I was giving up on our chance for a Canadian summer. But, after.giving my head a wobbled I realised it can still be an incredible trip – and hopefully we can do it the right way, where we don’t make our dream trip become a source of pressure and stress due to the cost.

To save on fuel and to give us as much time on each leg of the road trip, we are focusing on Alberta/ Montana on this trip and leaving Mount Rainer, Vancouver and Vancouver Island as well as Whistler for another adventure.

We also will stay in National Park Otentik’s – permanent canvas tents with beds, a table and electricity but no cooking facilities or bedding. These come in at a fantastic £76 per night, so not only are they budget friendly, they will offer such a cool experience camping in the Canadian Rockies. We have planned for 15 nights camping (5 nights in 3 locations) which is definitely a more manageable amount of camping for me.  The only downside is that they are very popular, so hopefully, we will be able to book them once the dates we want are open.

We are trying hard to focus on what we were gaining from this change rather than what we are losing. It was so dissapointing to cut the trip short. We have over the years changed our expectations from a gap year, to 6 months to 3 months to 6 weeks – now we are down to 3 weeks! The harsh reality is, although we crave lots of travel and adventure, we have to prioritise a roof over our heads and keeping our own home for our family. We could forgo treats and smaller trips for a few years and save for a big one –  but that would mean missing out on travelling with our kids in the now. They are such lovely ages – we want to enjoy travel with them as they are now and in the future. We have made peace with the fact that for now, that means shorter and more regular travel.

We wanted to utilise the whole 6 weeks holiday from school so it is disappointing we won’t be able to grab that opportunity for an extended trip. However, we will be less stressed and have money to do some excursions while we are away so as well as the negatives, there are up sides to shortening our trip as well.

We’ve booked!

So now, we have booked the flights for a three week trip to Alberta and Montana in August 2025 (with a cheeky stopover in NYC on the way!) Yay! This means it is happening, and we can begin to plan in more detail.

Yes we were dissapointed that the plan had to change, but really we are still incredibly lucky to get to travel with our kids and we have come to realise that the reasons we travel – sharing discovery, adventures and new experiences together can look different and come so many forms, and worthwhile however long the trip.

Have any of you had to change your travel plans due to budget constraints? We would.loce to read any experiences in the comments!