When it comes to rafting the Grand Canyon, most think about expensive seven-day white water adventures. The alternative? The one-day smooth water float tour. Relaxing and fun, these South Rim trips are so inexpensive that even the most frugal traveler will be happy.

This kind of float trip starts off by getting on a luxury bus and heading 140 miles east from Grand Canyon National Park to Glen Canyon Dam in Page, AZ. Here your bus will drive through the dam's two-mile access tunnel before you reach the base and board your raft.

Next you'll launch into smooth water and float among canyon walls until you reach breathtaking Horseshoe Bend, the famed "U" that mixes the very best of the area's orange sandstone cliffs with the river's gleaming emerald waters. Onward, you'll get out at a sandy beach and take a short walk to a cliff wall where ancient inhabitants left petroglyphs.

One of the great things about these all-inclusive trips are the boatmen. These river guides get around the river with skill and ease. Many are experts in geology and natural history and are happy to answer your queries about the area's one-of-a-kind rock formations, abundant wildlife, and past explorers like Major John Wesley Powell. It's normal to tip your guide if you found him or her extremely helpful.

The river begins to widen and the vegetation starts to thicken as you head further west toward the historical town of Lee's Ferry, entrance to the Grand Canyon. This is the only place for the next 260 miles where you can cross the Colorado River. Still standing are an old fort and a trading post. John D. Lee, under a commission from the Mormon Church, built and managed the ferry, which became outdated in 1928 after the Navajo Bridge was completed. The location now functions as the beginning for all white-water expeditions.

At Lee's Ferry, you'll switch to your luxury motor coach and begin the return trip to your South Rim lodging. On the way, you will see the mystical Navajo Indian Reservation and the surreal Painted Desert, and you will probably stop at the Cameron Trading Post, an awesome place to buy genuine Native American handicrafts.

The Grand Canyon smooth water float tour with luxury coach is all-inclusive and comes with free hotel shuttle service, lunch, and drinks. Summer trips can get hot and I recommend you bring sun screen lotion and a hat and drink plenty of water. Carry a swim wear or wear one under your clothes if you wish to take a swim. This is all-day tour is suitable for ages four years and up.

The retail price of this tour is a bargain. If you want the best bargain, purchase your trip on the Internet. I suggest this strategy to relatives and buddies. It's actually not uncommon to locate this package sold at a 35% discount. Get your seats in advance, too. Rafts carry between 15 and 22 people. Being that this is among the most popular day trips on the South Rim, seats sell out quick.

Canyon float tours are fantastic for travelers who would like no rapids as they go down the Colorado River. The 15.5-mile trip starts at Glen Canyon Dam and ends at Lee's Ferry. Throughout, you'll experience some of the most incredible scenery in Western U.S. You'd think an outing such as this one would break your budget. Not so! So come aboard one and all, and see the Colorado River in all its calm splendor.