Though it wasn’t the splurge vacation to Maui we had planned for our 5th anniversary, three-nights and $995 in Moab, Utah ended up being the perfect way to celebrate. It’s a beautiful town with easy access to multiple national parks. We’d highly recommend a visit to anyone who loves hiking or appreciates the beauty of the great outdoors.
Mr. RFL and I love to travel. We lived in London for the first two years of our relationship and took full advantage of the proximity to the rest of Europe. Since moving back to the US and having our first child, our travelling has slowed WAAYYYY down (I blame diapers and baby gear).
This trip was good for the soul. I’ve been swelling with wanderlust, and with all that’s going on in the world, we needed a few days away as a couple.
Three Nights and $995 in Moab
Day 1
Moab is a little over 7 hours from Phoenix, and we took a slightly longer route on the ride up to drive through Monument Valley. It’s free and more scenic than the alternative route, with a number of places to pull off for photos. It was pretty, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it.
Downtown Moab was packed when we arrived. Since Mr. RFL is a Marriot points member and his work travel has all been cancelled this year, we opted for the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott. The hotel itself was just okay, but the outdoor area was awesome with views of the surrounding red rocks and several unique pools, hot tubs and fire pits to enjoy under the stars.
Day 2
Fall seems to be a peak season for southern Utah, and it’s no surprise. The weather was amazing! Cool mornings and moderate afternoons made for great hiking.
We spent most of the next day at Arches National Park, arriving around 8am and hiking several trails. Get there early! Every website says it, and it’s true. The park was already crowded when we arrived and was at full capacity when we left around 1pm. During peak times, the wait time to get in the park can be long and daily park capacity can be reached as early as 10am.
The park is large and STUNNING. There are hiking trails for all fitness levels, with several famous arches that can be seen from park roads if hiking’s not your thing. You could easily spend a day or two here.
These are a couple pictures we took from Arches (so is main photo). The rock formations are insane… I guarantee my iPhone photos do not do them justice.
After getting cleaned up, we hit up Moab Brewery for some burgers and beer. We’re big craft beer lovers, so always eager to try local breweries on our trips.
Day 3
We spent the morning of day 3 at Canyonlands National Park, which is about 30 min outside of Moab. This park is HUGE and has three distinct sections all several hours apart. We visited the Island in the Sky section located above the canyons which features some incredible vistas. The highlights for us were seeing the Mesa Arch and the Grandview Trail, a 1-mile long hike along the canyon rim.
We ventured to a free public hiking trail nearby in the afternoon. Before arriving at this trail, you drive along the base of sheer rock cliffs known as “Wall Street” where you can see climbers freestyling it up the cliffs daily. I would never do it, but it was pretty cool to see.
The Corona Arch trail was one of our favorites. However, there are some hairy climbs and drop offs near the end and my scared of heights butt didn’t quite make it all the way. We could still see the arch from where we stopped, but the trail goes all the way under the arch.
Day 4
We stopped in Flagstaff on the drive home to grab lunch and a few beers from our favorite AZ breweries, Mother Road Brewing and Historic Brewing Co. Flagstaff is a cool mountain town with excellent restaurants and tons of breweries. It’s also a great home base for visiting the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
How we spent $995 on our three-night road trip to Moab, Utah
Overall, the cost of our trip was pretty reasonable and well worth it. Here’s the breakdown of how we spent our three nights and $995 in Moab.
| Purchase | Amount | Commentary |
| Hotel | $665 | Three nights, included breakfast |
| Food | $138 | This covers 3 full meals out and few craft beers each in Flagstaff |
| Activities | $80 | National Park Pass – good for a year |
| Gas | $109 | Afterall, it is a road trip |
| Parking | $3 | Parking in downtown Flagstaff |
| TOTAL | $995 |
Simple tips to keep travel costs low
We haven’t done too much travel hacking in the traditional sense, though I’d love to learn more about that as we ramp our travel up again. Here are a few small ways we keep travel costs down.
1. Be flexible with your travel dates
If you are able to be flexible with your travel plans, consider researching which days will be the cheapest around your intended trip. We usually do this for both flights and hotels.
For this trip, we were able to save over $400 on the hotel by shifting our trip one week later and arriving on a Sunday instead of a Friday. Prices can vary significantly from day to day depending on demand. Do your research and flex the timing, if you can, to get optimal rates.
2. Consider making it a road trip
Adding flights can significantly increase the price of a vacation. Consider if the location you want to travel is within reasonable driving distance. Or, consider if there are any places within driving distance that should be on your travel list.
It seems that the road trip has come back in vogue in our pandemic world, and that’s great for keeping down costs and stress. I find road trips much more relaxing than air travel, especially with kids. I love being able to pack whatever I want (knowing I don’t have to haul it around an airport) and make up my own timeline.
This one obviously only works for places nearby but can be a good way to get in more travel without blowing the budget. We recently moved to AZ and don’t plan on staying here forever. As such, we’re prioritizing visiting as many National Parks and other places on our list that are nearby while we live here.
3. Bring food and alcohol from home
Obviously, you’ll want to enjoy the local cuisine of wherever you’re going. However, that doesn’t mean you need to eat out for EVERY meal.
We often save money by picking a hotel that provides breakfast and packing a cooler filled with snacks and sandwiches from home. Frozen water bottles can keep food chilled for a couple days. We eat a big breakfast and then snack as needed until dinner time. This strategy allows us to buy only one meal out most days. If there are a lot of great options in town, or a popular coffee/dessert shop, then we make exceptions.
Similarly, we often bring wine from home to enjoy in the evening. It’s really expensive to buy alcohol out, so we save it for happy hours or fancy dinners out. If a location has great breweries or wineries, then we leave the booze at home and splurge (hello, Napa).
4. Check out free or cheap local activities
With a little research, it’s easy to find a number of cheap or free activities to do in almost any destination. Consider adding some of these into your itinerary to save money.
National parks are also great. There is usually a cost, but it can provide days of entertainment. We plan on using the national park pass we purchased on this trip to get us free access to Zion and Bryce Canyon next spring. Additionally, most outdoorsy destinations will have a number of free public hiking trails and parks.
If you’re not into hiking, you can walk downtown or drive surrounding areas to enjoy local parks, shops, or festivals. Just try not to buy too many souvenirs. Spending time together outside of the craziness of daily life is often the most beneficial part of a vacation.
Well, that’s how we spent three nights and $995 in Moab for our anniversary! You can find details for the rest of our September expenses here. Where’s your next trip going to be?
