I’ll be taking a trip letter this summer with our two youngest children– 3 weeks of driving across the country visitingfamily and friends between Montana and Vermont.    We are choosing to drive to make the trip more affordable.  I have turned the trip planning and budget over to our 14 year old because he thrives in project based learning opportunities, and because I don’t want to have to argue over every expenditure on the way.  We have built a budget together and have agreed that whatever is left over when we return is his to keep.  This might sound like a generous offer on our part, but I believe we will come out ahead.  By directing his attention to the real costs of a family vacation he learns that each choice we make impacts a real budget.  Keeping track of gas mileage, tolls, hotel and food costs also give him something to do other than zone out on DVD’s.  The stress of constant negotiations over money would also add to the stress of the trip, eliminating the point of a vacation.  Inevitably, without a children-invested budget, we would complete the trip $1,000 in the hole.  Giving back a few hundred after a cross country adventure seems like a good investment.