Larry Bleiberg is co-author of "The 100 Best Affordable Vacations," a guide published by National Geographic that can help make your next trip possible and memorable. We gave him some reader situations — and asked him to design the best cheap trip.

We're traveling with kids:

"Camp at a YMCA family camp. They're like when you were a kid — out in the woods, cooking marshmallows, hiking, busy all the time with outdoor activities and you can literally relive those days as a family.

There are four huge camps around the country; the most famous is in the Rockies (www.ymcarockies.org). Rooms start at $79 a night in winter and rise with the temperature.

We're both retired (and getting around is harder):

"Road Scholar, which used to be Elderhostel, literally offers learning vacations with experts guiding you in-depth Basically, you stay in perfectly OK hotel or motel rooms. The guides who take you around are experts in their field who can gear the learning to all sorts of levels, whether you want to take hikes or whether you don't. The programming is right there. You may or may not come back with a tan, but you will return with an experience and not just a T-shirt. www.roadscholar.org "Another choice is the Chautauquas, which have been around for more than a century. They're like a theme park for the mind. The most famous is in Chautauqua, N.Y., but they're also in Boulder, Colo., and Ohio. Go there for lectures from leading experts in an incredible array of fields, from biblical history to economics to Victorian literature. www.ciweb.org, www.chautauqua.com, lakesideohio.com.

I'll be dragging teens and younger kids:

"Try the Out 'n' About Treesort, a treehouse B&B resort in Takilma, Ore., where you'll be living like Swiss Family Robinson. It's really nice. There's even a pulley system to get your luggage up to the treehouses (there are 13 of them) ... "

"Even the most jaded teen will be blown away by this. Rates during the summer high season start at $120 per night. On site, you have zip-lining and some activities. You're near Oregon Caves National Monument, which you can explore, and there's hiking and rafting around the area." www.treehouses.com We need something cultural our kids won't choke on:

"Spend a night at a museum: Museums across the country have sleep-ins or overnight camping. The programs are usually geared to locals, but in reality anybody can do this — and it's a cheap night.

"One of my favorites, where the 'Night in the Museum' movie was set, is the American Museum of Natural History in New York ... you can sleep on the floor and explore the museum on your own. Going through its Dinosaur Hall by flashlight is super cool." www.amnh.org.

(Closer to home, Seattle's Pacific Science Center also has camp-ins: www.pacificsciencecenter.org/Camp-In)