Thank you for subscribing!
Got it! Thank you!

Sit Back and Leave the Planning to Them: U.S. Road Trip Packages for Frugal Families

America's favorite way to get around is by car, usually your own. If you want to visit somewhere within normal driving distance, go ahead, already. But say you have a hankering to see some sights or sites on the opposite coast or starting off a thousand miles away. Well, you can fly and drive, of course. But all that planning can give you a headache. Trumpets sound, and Cosmos steps in, doing everything for you, and costing as little as about $70 a day, per person.

This is the thrust of the firm's new On The Road family vacation packages, whether you're traveling with just one other person or the entire family. Their US & Canada on The Road brochures for 2003 describes 12 different itineraries that you can take. Moreover, if you book a trip by March 31, 2003, you get a free night for three of the packages.

The trips are available for periods running from April 2 through October 31, 2003 in the case of some, for slightly altered periods with respect to others. Pick an itinerary for any day within the season, and Cosmos takes care of booking roundtrip airfare, pre-selecting hotels, rental car options, recommended sightseeing and on-call service. You get a TripKit that includes detailed maps, driving instructions, local history and suggestions of what to do and see along the way. (Of course, once you pick your destination, you can do your own excellent research on what to see with Frommers.com.) The price is based on land arrangements and determined by the number of people traveling, hotel accommodations and car rental. Children 11 and under sharing a room with two adults stay free of charge and are not charged in the rental car fee, either.

An 8-day Historical America package features time in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland, with highlights such as Mount Vernon and Shenandoah National Park, not to mention the Skyline Drive, Charlottesville and Virginia Beach. You'll also see the US Naval Academy and Monticello, as well as the nation's capital. An example of a family of four staying in quad hotel accommodations, driving a mid-size sedan and with one child under 11 would be $483 per person or $1,449 total. If you book by the end of March 2003 you get a free night in Washington at the end of the trip.

A California Explorer package takes you for six days from San Diego through Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Carmel, ending up with San Francisco, with possible extension to the Napa wine country. The same typical family of four mentioned above would pay $442 per person or a total of $1,326.

Other packages are New England (8 days), Eastern Highlights (7 days), Southern Rhythms (9 days), Florida Explorer (8 days), Northwestern Trails (7 days), Pacific Coast Adventures (12 days), Western Adventure (9 days), Best of the West (8 days), Canyon Adventure (8 days) and Great Southwest (8 days).

For more information or to book, phone Cosmos at 800/272-8482 or your local travel agent. You can also visit www.cosmosvacations.com.

Are you planning the great American road trip this summer? Tell us where you're headed. Have questions about planning your driving tour? Ask away on the Frommers.com Message Boards. Simply click here to get started.


advertisement