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Hey Griswolds, here's what your original "Vacation" would cost today

A remake? A reboot? A sequel? Whatever you want to call it, a new take on the 1983 Warner Bros. film, “National Lampoon’s Vacation” called "Vacation" is in theaters across the country, complete with a hot girl in a convertible, a recurring theme song and a goofy car that malfunctions throughout a cross-country road trip. It's brought in $21.2 million since it opened last Wednesday, but missed box office projections over its first weekend.

Yahoo Finance decided to take a look at what that original 2,408 mile road trip (according to Clark’s TripTik anyway) from the first film would cost a family of four today.

Starting out: The suburbs of Chicago, Illinois

Gas up your Wagon Queen Family Truckster or whatever you chose to make the trek in. In Illinois, the average for regular gas is $2.63 a gallon. Just make sure you tie the luggage down. You can pick up a couple of bungee cords for $13 on Amazon.com (AMZN). And bring some entertainment (so the kids don’t have to listen to their parents sing in the front seat like the Griswold kids did). You can find a portable DVD player for about $100 on Amazon.

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Pit Stop: St. Louis, Missouri

The first pitstop on the first Griswold family trip: St. Louis, Missouri. A hotel for one night in the Gateway City will cost around $140 a night according to Expedia (EXPE). Tickets to take the tram to the top of the arch will run you $10 apiece or $40 for a Griswold-sized family of four. But the Griswolds didn’t get to see any attractions; They made a wrong turn. Try to stick to the route. But if you don’t, you can get a set of four hubcaps for about $30 on Autozone.com (AZO).

Pit Stop: Dodge City, Kansas

After an overnight stay at a motel with a faulty bed, the next stop on the Griswold family road trip: Dodge City, Kansas, frontier city of the Old West. Expedia says a hotel in the area will cost a little more than $90/night. While you’re there, you’ll have to check out the Boot Hill Museum and Long Branch Saloon like the Griswolds did. It will cost $120 or $30/each for a family of four. Just remember to be nice to the barkeep.

Pit Stop: Alamosa, Colorado

The Griswolds stayed one night with family in Coolidge during their trip through Kansas and passed up a visit to the House of Mud along the way. Their next stop was Colorado where they chose to go camping for a night. The storyline had the family stopping in South Fork but the movie was filmed in Alamosa, Colorado. At Alamosa KOA campground, for example, you can rent a cabin for a family of four for $69.99 per day. (Not sure if they have a Wildlife Fund or send out a mailer, but there is a pool). But if you’d prefer to avoid tents and cabins and the occasional wild animal, Expedia says a hotel room will cost about $110 a night in that area.

Pit Stop: Monument Valley, Utah

Next, the Griswolds skipped the second-largest ball of twine in the world and headed to Monument Valley, a scenic region along the Arizona-Utah border. They were taking in the views - and trying to fold a map - when they missed a series of “Road Closed” signs. Clark ended up crashing the car in the desert. He then had to walk for miles in the hot sun to get to an auto body shop where he gets taken for a ride – charging him $500 for “four bald tires and a tow.” We recommend watching for road signs, skipping the map and going for a GPS which you can grab for $129 on BestBuy.com (BBY). A hotel in Monument Valley by the way will run you about $100 a night.

Pit Stop: Grand Canyon, Arizona

The Griswolds splurged for the next leg of their road trip, staying at the luxury El Tovar hotel at the Grand Canyon. The average daily rate at this well-known hotel runs $321 for a deluxe room. Of course, bring your credit card. The hotel wouldn’t take Clark’s check in the movie. He used it to pay anyway, making off with a wad of hotel cash. We recommend spending more time in the national park than the Griswolds did to take in the spectacular views.

Pit Stop: Phoenix, Arizona

After leaving the Grand Canyon, the Griswolds made their way to Phoenix, Arizona. They were supposed to stay with cousin Normie, but he wasn’t home when they arrived. Dear Aunt Edna died along the way, but the Griswolds had a road trip schedule to keep and couldn't be slowed down by funeral arrangements. So they left her on Cousin Normie’s patio (in the rain) before getting back on the road. Don’t worry, Clark and Ellen both eulogized her in their own way. We recommend skipping the detour and trying a Phoenix hotel instead: The average nightly rate is $140 a night.

Destination: Anaheim, California

In the original National Lampoon’s Vacation, the final destination is fictitious Walley World in Southern California. The original script called for Disneyland (DIS) as the featured amusement park but the company declined to let the filmmakers use the Disney name. Tickets for a family of four to attend the real Disneyland for a day: $396 (or $99 a person). A night’s stay in Anaheim will run you about $160 a night, according to Expedia.

Total cost: $1,889

(That, of course, doesn't include food or gas or other roadside attractions along the way).  Happy Road Tripping!