HEY CHEAP ASS!

CHEAP-ASS-TRAVEL That's right, yes I know it's you... sneakin' around trying to find the absolute cheapest travel that there is. I bet you can pick up your pants and tell how much money you have in change. Well, then if have found the right place. Right here in Cheap-ass-travel. Here we will search together for the absolute cheapest travel available today. Okay, penny pincher let's stop flappin' our gums and get to pinchin' Travling is fun, but it doesn't need to rape your wallet. Welcome to Cheap-Ass-Travel...

Doing something new on Cheap-ass-travel!

Hello there and weclome once agian to cheap-ass-travel. I have decided to start doing travel reviews. I do travel more than the average Joe, so I have decided that I would start commenting on the places that I go and the places that I stay. This just might save someone from wasting a ton of money on either a location, lodging or perhaps even both. So, stay tuned and I will began my reviews as soon as time permits.

Thanks and happy travels

Texas gulf coast travel review

For spring break I decided to take the family on a great vacation, but due to certain financial restrictions and what not we had to keep the budget down to a minimum. I had been to the area a few times before, but I had not taken the kids since they live with their mother. So, I knew that if I was going to get a decent room I would have to book early since it was going to be during spring break. So, i got out the trusty mouse and after days of searching I finally found a great house only about 30 seconds by car from the beach. I will include some pictures of the house, restaurants and some other thing here in a bit. One thing that you need to make sure that you have when traveling with kids is that they bring some sort of entertainment for themselves. Just counting the red cars and playing slug-bug isn't enough for today kids. They seem to require more sophisticated ways of keeping themselves busy. so, make sure they bring their game boys, P2P's mp3 players and other such devices to keep them out of your hair and them sane at the same time. Okay, now back on track. To also save yourselves some money take a small cooler with your favorite beverages and also some snacks to keep down your costs. Also here is another great cost saving tip. While on the road just do quick little stops at the fast food restaurants and save the cool places to eat once you are at your destination. When traveling by car any extra side stops are going to cut into your fun time. so, try and make sure that you can gas up, eat, and also do your bathroom breaks all in one stop.

Here is another great tip that saves you money. forget about buying your gas from those places that offer discounts with the cards and stuff not to mention any names, but one of the major ones has the name Wal in it and it ends in mart. I know it can save you money at the pump but through my own tests I have found that the gas you are getting is usually of such low quality that it just runs out the exhaust pipe and you can get some much better mileage by going to a good major brand name station.

Okay, once again, I see that I have gotten off topic, but I'm trying to save you guys some money. so, here goes. The wife and I plotted our course using both map quest and the good old stand by the Rand Manally road atlas and it is a good idea to go and buy a new one since roads are being constructed all the time. Anywho, Once into Texas we headed toward Galveston, Now this was not our destination but instead we decided that it would be a great way to get down into Port Aransas which was our destination, since once in Galveston we could take hi way 35 and cruise all the way down the coast line which I knew would be great for the kids since the state where we live in land locked and Galveston is the nearest saltwater. So, here goes some of my recommendations for the trip. If you think it would be cool to drive the eastern coast line of Texas go ahead and start in Galveston, but go and take the ferry on over to Galveston island and see the tourist stuff and stay away from regular ol' Galveston we saw somethings that we not only scary, but not very kid friendly. As with most vacation spot just stay where you belong and don't go snooping around too much or otherwise you might jeopardise your entire trip. There are some parts that are rather run down and seedy. Just follow the interstate signs and hit the actual island and see the tourist things. We just blasted through due to our time restraints, but at least you can say that you were there. By the way Galveston has some REALLY cheap cruises that depart from there. If you have about $300 a person and Galveston is within driving range you can really have a great time on a small budget. However, that will be another post all together. With the rig all gassed up and ready to go we get back on the open road and hit 35 that allows us to drive cost line all the way down.

Arriving in Corpus Christi

Okay, this is a major accomplishment! By this time you will be really tired and ready to get some rest. I did a quick fast forward and got us to Corpus. It actually take several hours and once you arrive here you are only a short jaunt from Port Aransas. Corpus is a beautiful town. Some parts of it really take your breath away. It's a town of over 275,000 people so it's not really what I would consider a small town and it is the largest town in the area. Once you are there treat yourself to some nice tourist activities and go see the USS Lexington. It's not keep but just the fact that you are on a really aircraft carrier that helped us win WWII is well worth the money. It will run you less than $50 for two adult and two kids. It will take you 4 hours of more to take the complete tour of the "floating city" it is an engineering feat that was done without the help or aid of our modern day technology or computer. They do a tremendous job of shows you the way these poor sailors had to live on these ships for some really long tours of duty. You will see some of the actual types of plane if not the originals that were flown. You are shown newsreels form the time, newspaper articles, weapons, guns, torpedo's, guns, mines, from both sides actually. There is so much info on the ship it would take much much longer than the four hours that I listed if you really wanted to go through each and every piece of info that they have provided for you. You really get a huge since of patriotism when you go through this piece of history, and a much great appreciation for what these young men gave for us to be free today. Once you hear some of the audio clips that are playing and read some of the details it's hard not to gt a little choked up. especially when you know that the majority of the crew were not any older than 18 years old. I really can't describe the amount of time and effort that was put forth into this floating piece of history. There are not details left out. My kids really loved going out unto the flight deck and looking at all the planes that they have up there. It's well worth the money and the effort that it takes to go through all of the ship. There are some many different things to look at, touch, and people there that you can talk with the really have a better understanding of what went on back then. I cannot recommend this enough.

Texas State Aquarium here is something that we just knew that we had to see. fortunately it is with walking distance from the Lexington.! As you leave the Lexington don't forget to stop by Big daddy's and get yourself an ice-cream cone. Everything they have there is less than $2.00 and it's all big! ( you know what they say everything is bigger in Texas) then it's on to the Aquarium. This too is really worth the money. It's a little more costly than the Lexington and will set you back close to $60 for two adults and two kids. There are places for you to pet stingrays, watch jelly fish light up. There is of course the dolphin shows and there are specific times for the dauphin shows and you need to check those times just as soon as you arrive because you don't want the kids to miss that. There are birds of prey to look at, alligators, and many other things as well, it's a really nice facility and clean as can be. Make sure to go and watch the otters I think the kids enjoyed them the most.make sure you look for the sea horses as well, these are really strange, and beautiful creatures. while we were there we got to see the divers go into the tanks, to clean which was cool to watch. There was also a guy in with the sea turtles allowing people to pet them as well. When you first walk in to the aquarium the first thing that you notice is all of the details that were put into recreating the animals environments which I was really impressed with. There are also several snakes as well for you to look at too. If you like snakes...

Aransas Pass/Port Aransas-

There isn't a whole lot to do in Aransas Pass but it is worth mentioning due to the fact that it is the gate way to Port Aransas. You can however, get some hotel/motel rooms there and then just drive on over the Port A (this is what the locals call it) to see all of the cool stuff. If you love to see some really beautful homes that are on the water you can see those right as you are going over the bridge on your way over to Port A. Okay, now here is the cool part. to get to Port A from Aransas pass you have to take a ferry boat. Let me tell you the kids will love this! they go 24/7 so you are never stranded on the island. They run as many as five or six ferries at a time depending on the amount of traffic of course, and it deosn't take but just a minute or tow to make the commute over but it does make the whole place seem much more special. Also, almost everytime you are on the ferry you can see daulpins and pelicans on your way over and this is really great for kids who are land locked and never see these types of things. The ferry is free and you are never asked to stop using the ferry we saw it as a free boat ride. Yes, they allow you to get out of oyur cars and feel that wonderful seabreeze on your face. Hey, rememeber this is cheap-ass-travel you get your fun whereever you find it!

Once on the island you'll notice tons of gift shops and things to see. There is a wealth of resturaunts as well, and only two that are national chains and they are Dairy Queen, and What-a-burger. The What-a-burger is 24/7 and they serve breakfast as well. One of the best asspects of Port A is their beaches of course and how liberal they are with them. If you want to pitch a tent right smack dab on the beach you can. There is a little beach office type structure that you can go to and pay a small over night fee and stay on the beach. If you are like some of the people that we saw you can even bring your travel trailer or RV and pay for your camping and say for an extended amount of time. You may also drive on the beach. This is cool and for the most part most beaches are not to be drove on but here they don't care. Drive until your hearts content but just stay safe it is patroled and if you are hotrodding around you will get a much deserved ticket. another thing that you can do and it's amost as if it's encourged is to have fires on the beach! That's right you can even purchase a bundle of firewood at an of the gas stations for $5 a bundle and you can have a camp fire on the beach and have one hell of a great time. What could be better than hotdogs, beer, and beach at night. You can do it and they don't even care! It's just as much fun as it sounds. I let my 15 year old son drive our car on the beach and he tought he was the king of the world.

Places to stay in Port A

We really wanted to live out a life long dream and to help out our kids and so I search the interent both high and low and after many hours found a great three bed 2.5 bath beach house just 30 secs by car from the beach. It cost us with tax $678. Now we could have went to a hotel or motel much much cheaper, but we lived out my life long dream of staying in a beach house. It also had a room for all of us we have a son and daughter and they are really getting too old to share a room. So, it actually might have been cheaper than having to rent two different hotel rooms. However, there are plenty of places for you to stay without having to do the whole beach house thing just do a search for hotels or motel, or even accomadations on a link though this site here! :)

Places to eat in Port A

Since this is a huge tourist area there are tons of resturaunts for you to choose from but the one that we think has the most style has to be Moby Dicks. which features the "leaky" tiki bar. this place is really done up right and attracts your attention as soon as you see it. The middle of the place is open with a metal top that covers it from the rain, but it has an appearance that it is completely open. It has that really cool, tropical/pirate theme and both you and your kids will love it. It's not super cheap but this is one of thse one only plcaes that you really need to see when you are on vacation. You can get at a Mcdonals or BurgerKing and time and any place. Always try to make sure that you set enough money aside to trat yourselves to something differtent when you are on vacation. It makes the whole experence much more enjoyable not to mention memorable. Moby Dicks features everything from fresh sea food to mouth watering steak and one pound burgers where you can actually double the meat if you want! Sea food combos and platter range from $13.99 to $15.99 and can feed up tp 2 people depending upon how hungry you are. They will ask you if you want to eat inside or out. It was just a little chilli outside that night so we opted for inside. eating outside which means in the middle of the place that has the top on it that I described earlier now to the right is where you eat inside and to the left is the gift shop. also in the middle is the "leaky" tiki bar which also adds to the atsmosphere. I highly recommend this restruaunt it is very well done and the food is wonderful.

South Padre island

I guess there isn't much I can say about this place that hasn't already been said. It is truly one of the tropical places in the US. sure we know all about Hawaii and Keywest and the like, but this is so close to Mexico that once you leave the island you have to go through a border patrol where drug dogs sniff your car. South Padre is a beautiful place with beautiful people and beaches etc. We were there for the day and then headed back to Port A. That's how I do my vacations. I get the absolute most for my money. South padre is at least a two or three hour drive from Port A. but the secret is to do what I do and stay at one place, but visit several. Port A is also a little cheaper than SPI too. Also, to be quite honest you can see most of SPI in about a day it's not very big and I should mention that they have built a schlitterbaun water park there and you and the kids will love it. It is also worth mentioning that as you are drving to SPI you will pass through a beautiful little town called Port Isabell and it has a light house that you can tour. This place is well worth you time to browse through either going to SPI or on your way back.

RockPort/Fulton

I have been saving this one for last because it is my personal favorite. Let me just say this and get it out of the way. If I could I would retire and move to Rockport Texas. This place is so beautiful and laid back. It is filled with both artists and retired folks. It has georgous beaches and a city park also on the beach of course that is just like something you would see in a postcard. The town has a population of only about 7400 people, so if you crave a little excitement you must make the 25 mile drive to Corpus which is a breeze. When you are in the park don't gorget to stop by the snow creame guy and get yourself and the kiddies a snow cream they are really a good buy for the money. They are huge and very refreshing. Now, for the best part if you like seafood and/or cajun food then you must go to The boiling pot! I first went here as a high school student in 1987 and I never forgot it. I made my second trip back almost 20 years later and it hadn't changed a bit. Make sure you get the gumbo as an appetizer. This looks to be a little run down shack on the border of fulton beach, but around dinner time you better get there early, or you will not get a seat. Almost every table and chair is different. There are ceilng fans in the ceiling all of each are driven by a single motor with belts spinning all of the others. each fan blade has a banner on it with the boling pot prudly displayed. Your table will be covered with a white sheet of paper and you'll be provided with cryons to draw with. All of the walls are covered with the msterful works for art and you'll soon notice that you'll be in good company from people letting you know where they have traveled from through their drawings. Once you've order from their rather humorous menu your sever will come up behind you with a bib that displays a lobster on it and tie it around you. This can be distrubing to some. I think it's funny. Now for the fun part. Your food will be brought you in a huge pot in which it was boiled with all kinds of spices. It will then be dumped on your table. You'll find all kinds of goodies in your steamy pile of delitables too like; shrimp, crawfish, polish sauage,ears of corn, new 'tators, and crab. This is all very spicy and I love it. You have a huge roll of paper towels on your table and you'll need it too. There is also a boiling pot in austin now too, but this one here in Rockport is the orginal, and most likley the most colorful. If you are really feeling adventuresonme you might try some chocolate covered crawfish heads I have not tried these yet, I need to leave something for my retun trip. This is most likley one of my favorite places to eat and I just wish that I could go there more than I get too.

Inconclusion

We all had a great time and we got to see pretty much all that we wanted to see, and it didn't break the bank. The grand total for all of this was right around $1500.00. Much of this however will depend on the distance you have to drive and the current place for a gallon of gas which seems to go up everyday. If you can fly then more power to you, but to see all of the things that I mentioned above will require you to rent a car. Now, this was priced with two adult and two children. This would almost be cut into half if you were only going with your spouse. If you are a beach fanatic the same as I am you shoud really have a great time. You can have simular fun on the Mississippi gulf coast which is just about the same cost. I check the websites and news on a regular basis and they are saying that they have recovered from hurrican Katrina and they are ready for you to come an see them. I will leave that for another time.

Here is a little side note. At some point in time you are going to want breakfast. (most likley in the morning :) ) well, you'll notice that your old favorites are not avaible. You will not find a Denny's, IHOP, Villiage Inn, Mcdonalds, Burger King, or any other breakfast favoirtes. However, I used the ol' noddle and watched the locals and the like and found some really good places for breakfast down there like. Mama cita's in Corpus Christi which is located right off the ramp whcih takes you to the Lexington. Moby Dicks in Port A serves breakfast from 7am 'til 11am. San Juan's in Aransas Pass has a darn fine breakfast. Also, if memory serves the What-a-burger in Port A serves breakfast as well.

Mustang Island

an expensive beach in the area about $12 for us which doesn't have opperational facilities ( as of this writting) and is a little of a drive out of the way. The regular public beaches in Port A and the one in Rockport are nicer and the one in Port A is free. The public beach in rockport I belive is $4.00 per car load. get there late like we did and the gate is open and is free.

WE NOW HAVE Priceline!

That right folks we now have Priceline and we really need to keep William Shatner in new hair-pieces. So, go ahead name your own price and enjoy your trip!

The Worm Has Turned!

That's right folks just like the title of the blog states, This really is Cheap-Ass-Travel. This one here is just a gold mine. Take a look at some of these great prices. Once you get back from your vacation you can send me a post card.