by Lori Macdonald

Created on: May 17, 2008

Why pay the big bucks for theme parks and outrageously overpriced attractions when you can see, experience and enjoy natures wonders in Newfoundland for free! Why stay in a 4 star hotel for a couple hundred Cs a night when you can travel the open road and rest up in fifty-dollar-a-night bed and breakfast when you need to?

You could spend six months roaming the outlets and inlets of this fair land and partake of something different every day, but all you need to do to get a taste of the Rock is a reliable vehicle and a shoestring budget. There's no doubt you will have the vacation of a lifetime.

To get a taste of the culture, you don't need much money. Just find an outport, go to the government wharf a little after noon, and stand by while the fishermen land their catch. Chances are that one or more of them will stop for a chat. You'll experience more local culture in 10 minutes there than you would find in a month anywhere else. Drop in to any club on a Saturday night around 10. Once the locals discover you are a C.F.A. (come-from-away) you will most likely be honoured with the most beloved ritual for mainlanders - and be SCREECHED IN. (You become an honourary Newf through a ceremony involving drinking some potent spirits and kissing a codfish.) If you're friendly, you may be invited to someone's home for Sunday Dinner the next day, where you will be served a delicious combination of Salt Beef, potato, carrot, turnip, cabbage, boiled onions and gravy with the meat of the week, which could be roasted chicken, beef or pork. If you visit during July or August, there are hundreds of local festivals, garden-parties, and come-home year celebrations. At these events, there is local food and entertainment, and everyone always has a wonderful time.

Once you get your fill of culture, you can move on to experiencing the land itself. Newfoundland is home to dozens of world famous attractions. We have Gros Morne National Park, where there are fjords, moose, and caribou. The landscape is magnificent. The mountains are unlike anything elsewhere. There is even a mountain called the Tablelands, which is composed of rock from so deep within the earth's core, nothing can grow there. There is a Unesco World Heritage site called L'anse aux Meadows. This is the place the Vikings lived hundreds of years ago, and is a must-see when visiting Newfoundland. On the other side of the island is Cape Spear, the most easterly point in North America. While there, pay heed to the barriers. They are there to ensure you don't get swept out to sea. There are sea-bird colonies, miles and miles of pristine beach and enough photo-opportunities to keep you busy during your entire stay. All of the aforementioned attractions cost absolutely nothing to see.

Perhaps the best way to do Newfoundland on a budget is to partner up with some friends, chip in and rent an RV. Even with the price of gas, sleeping on wheels and eating on the go will add up to less than half the price of an all-inclusive trip for 4 to a resort down south. And the best thing is, you have the freedom to decide what you want to do, and when you want to do it.

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