This summer, my family and I planned a summer trip to the bedrock of all national parks: Yellowstone. Established in 1872 as the first national park in the United States and the world, it’s safe to say the park—with its scenic geysers, hot springs, and canyons—has never been more popular. We were there in mid-June, a busy time, so we started our days either very early or very late to avoid the crowds (spoiler alert: it kind of worked).
I traveled with my parents, sister, and brother-in-law, so our group included five adults total. We were there to explore the park and see geysers and wildlife, but our main priority was to just spend quality time together. We all live in different parts of the world and don’t see each other as often as we’d like. Because we share a passion for the outdoors, we’ve found national parks to be ideal places for our multigenerational family travels, and Yellowstone was no exception. While admission to U.S. national parks is affordable, it’s well known that lodging and food in areas near national parks can be expensive, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect budget-wise.
However, looking back on the trip, I can say that Yellowstone is unlike any place I have ever been. Combined with the time I spent with my family, my visit was absolutely worth the cost.
About the traveler
Work: Freelance writer and digital marketer
Annual salary: 71,000–90,000 USD per year
Place of residence: Sydney, Australia
Age: 41
About the holiday
Where: Yellowstone National Park
How long: Six days of a two-week trip
Planned budget: 3,000 US dollars
Upfront costs
Flights: $1,724. I’m an American living in Australia, which means every trip home is an epic journey. Let’s just say I’ve gotten pretty good at sleeping in economy class. For the flight from Sydney, Australia to Bozeman, Montana, I paid a whopping $1,724. But this is a special family trip and quality family time is priceless, right? (I remembered this when I entered my debit card details to pay for my Qantas flights and watched my checking account balance dwindle.)
Rental car and accommodation: $903. For $461, my family rented an SUV to drive through Montana and Wyoming for five days. We also stayed in vacation rentals in Bozeman and West Yellowstone, totaling $1,223. However, my parents were kind enough to cover the lion’s share of the cost of the rental car and vacation rental. My share of that cost was $500. My sister and I also had a special overnight stay planned at the Lake Lodge Cabins in Yellowstone as a birthday present for my dad. We rented two cabins for $403 per cabin and my sister and I split the cost.
