FREE National Park Passes for 4th AND 5th Graders
Thanks to a program called “Every Kid Outdoors,” all 4th graders and their families get FREE access to national parks across the country.
In order to obtain the pass, just go to https://everykidoutdoors.gov/pass.htm.
The pass is good for the entire 4th grade school year; the official dates being September 1 – August 31.
AND, this year only, there is a free park voucher for 5th graders too! It’s good, also, until August 31. That’s because many 4th graders missed out on using their 4th grade pass due to the pandemic. Just click here to download the 5th grader voucher.
Entrance fees for a vehicle varies by park, ranging between $5 and $35. But, if you have the pass, all children under 16, and up to three adults in your vehicle get in for free.
KOA Rewards = 10% off daily rate
If you’re planning to do some camping, we’ve stayed at many great KOAs across the country. Their Value Kard Rewards is a nice program that will save you some bucks.
The cost is $30 per year, however you can quickly make that up with its benefit of 10% off the daily rate.
For example, we paid $50 per night for our sites at the Munising / Pictured Rocks KOA and the Mackinac City KOA on our trip to the U.P. of Michigan.
In total, we had 2 sites and 5 nights that cost us $500. With the 10% discount we saved $50. Minus the $30 annual fee, we came out $20 ahead. Our savings would have been even bigger, obviously, on a week-long stay.
There are some rewards points you can accumulate too with more stays, and access to coupons with the Value Kard program.
4th Grade Ski Passport Program
If you’re planning a ski trip with kids, be sure to check into the possibility of some FREE lift tickets. In Minnesota, for example, there is the Passport Program. It allows 4th graders to ski for free ($34.95 processing fee) at numerous places.
Many other states offer similar programs, too. And, I found an extensive travel site that has organized all kinds of “kids ski free” options by state, so check that out by clicking here.
More Trip Tips coming soon!
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