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We describe ourselves as an untourist adventure family 5. We regularly look for hidden gems and ways to experience and support the local favorites. Here are 4 from the past few months that ranks high and were under $100 for all 5 of us. Listed is the total cost for all 5 of us.

1. Sand boarding at Sand master Park near Florence Oregon. ​
We had a full day rental of 3 sand boards, 1 sand sled (my husband and I shared) Sandmaster Park. We had been here in 2020 and after traveling to sand dunes and trying to recreate this experience we have also decided it is simply THE BEST SAND BOARDING EXPERIENCE in the country. Sandmaster Park has their own private dunes, but the real adventures come at Honeyman State Park (#brownsign) with beautiful views and a dip in Honeyman Lake to clean off. We brought swim bag and picnic goodies to make a full day of this. he kids even declared this as a 9 out of 10 in the Joy Audit ​
With the day parking pass at Honeyman State Park our total Cost: $64

2. Stand Up Paddle boarding to Blue Heart Springs near Buhl, ID ​
We rented 2 SUP and 2 kayaks for 2 hours from @Blue Heart Kayaking which also hosts the the closest launching point on Snake River. It's an easy 20 minute paddle down stream to the spring and 30 minute paddle back upstream. We had over an hour to play at the Springs which are gorgeous and a steady 58 degrees. You can only get to Blue Heart Springs via water, and trust me…it’s worth it. Total Cost: $90.80

3. Electric Scooter Rental in Washington D.C. ​
We shared 2 electric scooters to play in Washington D.C. This was the kids highlight of DC (insert Mom Shrug emoji here)
BONUS tip: If you use travel rewards, Chase Sapphire Reserve Card offers free Lyft Pink Membership which unlocks 12 free scooter per year and offers discounts on scooter and bike rides. Total Cost: $6.76

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4. Kayaking among the Icebergs in Valdez, Alaska ​
We rented 3 kayaks (2 tandem for kids under 12, and one solo kayak) for 2 hours from @valdezstayandplay. It included the delivery and launch from Valdez Glacier Lake. While this is higher than $100 it is WAY cheaper than many sea kayaking experiences offered by many cruise excursions. The fact that were were able to get this close made this an unforgettable experience (even on our rainy day)! Total Cost: $243.80

Which one would you like to do?

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In case you missed it...

We have officially kicked off season 6 on the podcast. After taking August off on the podcast, I decided to move the podcast into a season format. Each season will be 15 episodes with a 2 week break in between. Have you listened to these recent episodes?

• ​​125 | Family Gap Year Update (9m in) and Season 6 kickoff​
• ​126 | Who do you Adventure with? Cariss from Feed Us Adventures​
• ​​127​ | Adventures in Entrepreneurship with Brad Barrett from Choose FI​
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Something I am loving

I am not a fan of tracking our discretionary spending or following a budget. Which is why when we started this gap year I needed something simple that I could ​keep me on track without having to document or track details. I decided to use Fetch. It's a free app where I take a picture of every receipt (e-receipts work too) and it documents my receipts and categorizes my spending. I can track everything in real time and know where I am by category, and by month. The added bonus is I also get points that can be redeemed for gift cards to major places that we already shop. Which is why I can easily share that 9+ months into this gap year our discretionary spend total is $17,219.80.

I think the app markets itself as turning shopping receipts into gift cards, but I just wanted a simple tracking solution so the gift cards to me are a bonus. If you want to give it a try, here is a referral link or use code ERUGQM when you download the app. If you try it you will get 500 fetch points after you scan your first receipt. Hopefully you'll appreciate the simplicity of tracking your expenses on the go as much as I do.

Let me know if you give it a try!

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Heidi Dusek
Founder and Host of Ordinary Sherpa Podcast and Author of Beyond Normal​
​Listen: Ordinary Sherpa

Read: Beyond Normal: A field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness, and design an extraordinary life with kids. ​

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Inspiring families to connect through simple adventure experiences

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