Going on epic road trips each summer is expensive! Driving 11,000 km (6,800 miles) costs a fortune in gas, visiting 50 zoos adds up in terms of entrance fees, food on the road is not always cheap and one way that I can save some money is to sleep in the back of my minivan during 75% of the nights. Before I leave Canada I just fold down all of the rear seats (two rows) and toss in a mattress and get some fancy 'Cars' bedding from our linen closet. With many motels all across the USA priced at $100 Canadian (the exchange rate is not that great), in 2017 I saved $1,500 on my California road trip and I'll save at least $1,100 on this Michigan/Wisconsin trek. This enables me to have zoo trips that are several weeks in length!
