Category: travel

November 14, 2013

Weekend Getaway Retreat

I’m completely smitten with the little hideaway we found on HomeAway! If you were to talk to me in person about our weekend trip this week, you would certainly hear excitement come through in my voice. It was completely perfect in all the ways that I was hoping. It was isolated, in the woods, charming, simple, and close enough to home that if Hubster was called in to work, we could have driven separately. We were also close enough to a few small cities for gas stations and grocery stores when we needed them.

The cabin’s backyard!!!!

To give you an idea of our seclusion, the dirt driveway that took us back to the nestled cabin itself was 1/2 mile long. Oh yes! And one night, the road and ditches were lined with deer galore.

The property came with a grass airport landing strip, which we were allowed to roam, and miles’ worth of walking trails. Ponds, abandoned buildings, assorted birds, animal tracks, deer trails and all kinds of things greeted us on our hikes.

abandoned outbuilding

The cabin itself was the cutest little log cabin. We slept up in the queen-sized bed in the loft while Peanut camped out on the pull-out couch. We had a small kitchen at our disposal and a little bathroom. Just enough creature comforts while still feeling like we were truly getting away from it all. Just imagine the smell of bacon and eggs on the hot plate every morning…

View up to the loft

Loft ladder

Our queen-sized bed and skylight

Cutest little rustic details

Small cabin kitchen

Even the 12WBT series that I’m participating in had many recipes that were suitable for microwave or hot plate cooking, which was all we had, and all we needed. Turkey dogs, sandwiches and eggs with mushrooms were on the menu and completely 12WBT approved–and approved by my guys!

I soaked up hot chocolate and woodpecker watching on our balcony…I mean seriously, a balcony off of our loft bedroom! Can we get any closer to heaven?

Can you spy our two little birdie friends? I was laughing

watching them play through the birch trees like teenagers.

We even had a little screened-in side porch with a fireplace, grill and table that seemed so ideal for a summer barbecue. We didn’t bother getting the fireplace going though. We just kept toasty warm with the space heaters inside the main living area.

Although it’s easy to grumble about the lack of Wifi in this day and age, I was happy to be completely unplugged. Even though I don’t spend a whole lot of time on social media and surfing the web, aside from work-related stuff, I do feel so replenished from not constantly thinking about what I should be accomplishing or uploading or taking care of online.

Bright spots of color in a leaf-less forest

We had a little flatscreen TV with a handful of channels, but we hooked up Peanut’s protable DVD player and snuggled in for a few movies each night, then bedded down with our books until it was light’s out. So peaceful. Soooo what I needed.

The owners live on the same property as the cabin, but they were great hosts and not imposing whatsoever. It really felt like we had the place to ourselves, but that they were nearby in case we needed anything, which was quite reassuring.

They also had a small jungle gym and the most adorable play treehouse with toys in it that Peanut was allowed to soak up.

This boy sure enjoyed the place

Sunday, Peanut and I were up by 5:30, so we took in the sunrise together, wrapped up in a knit vintage blanket.

Backyard sunrise

This past weekend was Hubster’s birthday weekend, so we were celebrating him along with building upon our own fall family tradition. I explained a little last year about this tradition. As a kid, we used to go to a big family reunion at a cabin in the woods with all the food you could ever want in the world–turkey, ham, fish, mashed potatoes, and every other side you can think of. We would walk the trails and peek into the abandoned trailers and campers on the property. I remember the leaves were always changing and the cacophony of colors could make a person cry, they were so beautiful. Those weekends were hands down the best memories I have from childhood, so warm, so full of love, so relaxing. Due to family illness and other things, the reunions stopped one year and that was it. I miss that so badly!

Celebratory birthday spirits

Then, I thought, I can either be all “those were the days” nostalgic about the past or create my own family tradition to carry on since this was something I knew my heart really needed. Hence, the fall getaway weekend was born. This little hideaway nearly replicates those reunions with its rustic charm, tucked away location, room to roam, captivating scenery and relaxation factor. This year, I think we found our landing spot!

I have not edited this photo in any way. Gorgeous!

Small weekend trips have always been enough to completely recharge me, and this trip was no exception. We have no more travel plans until long after the holidays, but I plan to do a lot more of these small getaways next year.

If you’d like to read about how we travel so often on a budget, check out this post. I think I would add a bullet point about trying sites like HomeAway too for a good deal.

How was your weekend? Do you have any longings for the woods like I do?

October 15, 2013

How to Turn Travel Into a Learning Opportunity

No kid wants to go on a trip thinking they’re going to be schooled, right? I mean, c’mon, vacation means vacation from school right? Sure, but that doesn’t mean you can’t sneak a little bit of education in here and there. It’s so beneficial for those emerging brains to have such special opportunities to expand and develop. Our family went on several trips this year that were barely out of state, but our son’s teacher told us how lucky that makes our son. Trips expand their vocabularies, senses of geography, world experiences, and so much more than I’m even aware of. Hey, and we weren’t even trying!

I do, however, make a concerted effort to explain things to Peanut whenever he shows interest. When I started thinking about how our trips were great learning opportunities, I saw the lessons everywhere. I hope you too can use some of these tips for turning your next family trip into a learning experience extraordinaire!

1. Gym/Health Class

We did so much walking on our Mackinac Island trip, it’s incredible. The terrain was pretty varied too, so we had to huff and puff up and run down some steep hills. Peanut even went on a “run” with me one morning down a paved trail in Mackinaw City. Without even trying to, we are giving Peanut some Health education that is going to last his whole life. I’ve said it before on here, but Peanut will never have to seek out fitness later in life because we’ve always made it a natural part of life from the get-go. I think taking walking tours of the cities you visit is one of the best ways to turn a trip into health education. Or go swimming in your hotel’s pool, scout out local trails, rent kayaks, or participate in other active things. And if you like to pack your own food like we do, get your kids used to healthy foods.

Me and Peanut’s running route

Pretty Rainbow of Rental kayaks

2. Geography

Every trip ever is a great Geography lesson. Get out those maps and plot those points. By talking about the Great Lakes in Mackinaw City and looking at maps for The Museum of Science and Industry, we were helping our Peanut get a gauge for his world. Peanut already is showing some strong spatial intelligence–when he was two, he would point out places in different cities that we had only been to once! Since this is an advantage for him, I think the best thing we can do is build upon that skill. Use topography maps when you’re hiking and have your kids try to help you navigate your driving routes. Take a geocaching trip and let your kids help with the coordinates–there are caches everywhere! If you’re flying, get out those atlases and explain the trip to your children. Explain the geological aspects of the location while you’re at it. Limestone bluffs? It’s worth a chat.

3. Nature Studies

On our field trip last year, we had quite the tour guide for nature studies. We found owl pellets and bones and downed trees and all kinds of fantastic natural occurrences. In Mackinaw City, Peanut and I had a good chat about the structure and function of anthills. We are an outdoorsy kind of family anyhow (if you couldn’t tell), so we get excited to teach about birds, leaves, weather, food chains and on and on.

Giant hollow tree

Fungus

Wild turkey vulture

Amazing display of the life cycle of a butterfly at the Butterfly Museum

Just take a walk through a local nature preserve–or even a park! Go without any sort of agenda and you’re guaranteed to find teaching opportunities out there if you’re looking. Explain how turtles live, look at animal prints in the dirt, point out animal trails in the brush, and try to identify butterflies. Almost anything you can think of is a prime opportunity for teaching. If you don’t know much about those types of things, look them up! I had to do a little research on anthills before I could effectively explain them too.

A perfect nest found at a park near our house

Deer tracks near Crivitz

4. History

Almost everywhere you travel, you’ll find historical sites or markers that present great learning opportunities. We visited Heritage Village and several lighthouses near Mackinaw City. Just explaining the history of the lighthouses and one-room schoolhouses to Peanut was so thrilling. I vividly remember visiting my first one-room schoolhouse as a child, so I know that these types of experiences can have a lasting effect.

Morse Code Chart

Mackinac Island Memorial

Lighthouse Museum

Wigwam

5. Math

A kindergarten’s sense of math is much different than an 8th graders, however I think there are opportunities everywhere to teach them both. Peanut’s math involves shapes and counting. We play counting games when we’re in the car for long rides. We try to find every number from 1 to 9 on all the different signs we pass. We count deer we see in pastures, we try to find A/B patterns in artwork, we try to discuss time and things like that. An older child would learn well from trying to help the family organize a trip budget, estimate restaurant bills to the closest dollar, determine expected trip miles, or keep tabs on their own spending money.

Look at all those shapes to identify and things to count!

6. Cultural Studies

We had a really good time reading through the book about how people live on Mackinac Island year-round and how they get materials to build anything on the island. No vehicles are allowed on the island, so we learned that their garbage collection and delivery services are even done via horse and carriage. Many places you travel have opportunities to study different cultures, past or present, if you just pay attention. Sometimes the food offered where you are is an opportunity for cultural expansion. I mean, we learned all about mining culture when we were introduced to pasties.

7. Science

Some science is incorporated into the other subjects listed above. We had a few experiences this summer that were specifically science-related, such as at the Museum of Science and Industry. Their interactive family center is beyond adequate for a science lesson or 600! We explored weather, fires, gravity, light reflection, the color spectrum and human biology (dissecting eyeballs!!!) among so many other things. We also have EAA museum passes where we can explore easy physics principles and airplane dynamics. Just exploring the weather, water tides, moon phases, and animal habitats can expand your kids’ universes by the second. I fully intend for our annual Perseid picnic to get more and more in depth with astronomy as is appropriate for Peanut’s age.

Static Electricity

Full moon over a low tide

Insect museum

Sea Otter Habitat

8. Music

I just couldn’t resist this mini $20 guitar on our trip to Door County this spring. The kid gave me the most heart wrenching little doe eyes. Well, I put down a $20 and called it a great learning experience. He played us his own made-up songs around the campfire, which was perfect. Although he’s a little young to get the hang of playing the six-string yet (I tried!), we still bang out tunes, memorize verses and tap out rhythms with the best of them. In Kindergarten, the kids are learning the whole ta-ta-tee-tee-ta rhythm in music class. We can easily supplement his education at home or on the road by tapping out rhythms on our laps, learning a new Elvis song, or playing his Vacation Bible School CD over and over again, complete with all the hand gestures.

Wow, even just writing this post has gotten me excited! I hadn’t even thought of all these potential learning experiences until I started writing about them. I can’t wait to see what our next trip holds. We’re planning a short weekend getaway for Hubster’s birthday in November and I’m dreaming up a Wisconsin bird scavenger hunt in my head. I think Peanut will be thrilled to learn the names of some of his favorite birdies (and so will his mom:).

I really love how all of these “lessons” are unlike those units in school that you just knew you would never use again in real life. These are real-life lessons that will carry on long throughout your children’s lives. Whether you’re hanging out in your own backyard or hightailing it across the country, think about ways you can turn your trips into learning experiences for your children. You might just learn a thing or two too yourself! And the lasting memories are beyond value!

What are some of the ways that you sneak a little teaching into your travels?

October 15, 2013

How to Turn Travel Into a Learning Opportunity

1. Gym/Health Class

Me and Peanut’s running route

Pretty Rainbow of Rental kayaks

2. Geography

3. Nature Studies

Giant hollow tree

Fungus

Wild turkey vulture

Amazing display of the life cycle of a butterfly at the Butterfly Museum

A perfect nest found at a park near our house

Deer tracks near Crivitz

4. History

Morse Code Chart

Mackinac Island Memorial

Lighthouse Museum

Wigwam

5. Math

Look at all those shapes to identify and things to count!

6. Cultural Studies

7. Science

Static Electricity

Full moon over a low tide

Insect museum

Sea Otter Habitat

8. Music

What are some of the ways that you sneak a little teaching into your travels?

September 17, 2013

How to Stay Fit on Vacation

Our family has taken several trips this past summer, including one that was an entire week long. Like almost every trip I take, I never put my health and fitness on vacation. No, it’s not because I’m crazy; it’s because it makes me a better, healthier person. Keeping up my running habit not only energizes me for a day of sightseeing, it also keeps me centered and happy.

How to Stay Fit and Active on Vacation

1. Bring a few supplies: and by supplies, I mean as simple as sneakers, workout clothes, a jump rope and resistance tubing. I don’t want you to haul all your dumbbells and fancy schmancy equipment along. Keep it simple and packable. If you’re bringing resistance tubing, you’ll want to find some easy resistance workouts that you can do anywhere. For cardio, a good pair of running shoes and/or a $1 jump rope is all you need to get in a good sweat session. You can even add 1 minute of jump roping between each resistance tube move to knock strength and cardio out at the same time.

2. Get up early: and by early, I mean earlier than 10am. No need to get up at 5am like you do at home (unless you want to), but earlier than your travel companions. Then, sneak in a workout before you even get started with your day. It will be much easier to tackle if you get it out of the way first. You won’t want to go for a run after a long day of sightseeing. Knock it out right away and feel that great feeling all day!

3. Scout out the trails, running routes and hotel equipment. Although hotel equipment can be pretty unpredictable (every treadmill is “out of order”), it can be a great option when it’s storming or cold outside. Many hotels nowadays have a workout room at your disposal. Do some research beforehand to find out what’s available and check customer comments about the conditions of the equipment. Even if you don’t have equipment at your disposal, you can always run outside. Use the user-created running routes on Map My Run to see where the locals are kicking up dust. Or check out American Trails to locate nature trails in your vicinity. I found a running trail when we were staying in Port Washington that now is part of one of my most cherished memories ever. I saw two deer and shared the magic of lightning bugs with my son for the first time ever. It was beautiful.

4. Build active activities into your itinerary. Obviously, Mackinac Island is navigable by foot, bike or horse only. We did a ton of walking out of necessity, just like on our Crivitz trip last year where we walked miles of trails to see all the waterfalls. But we also like to kayak, hike, swim, snorkel, and so many other active things. We naturally build many of these things into our vacation days. Take a walking tour, rent a bike, take para-sailing lessons, swim in the local lakes, just get out there! Vacations should naturally have an element of fitness to them already, so take advantage.

5. Eat out only once or twice. In a previous post, I discussed travelling on a budget. One way our family does that is by bringing or buying most of our food from local grocery stores. Not only do we save cash this way, but we also save our waistlines. It is much healthier to eat this way. Yes, splurge while you’re away from home, but only a few times, not for every single meal. Keep healthy snacks like bananas, trail mix and dry cereal with you everywhere you go so you’re less likely to binge when you’re suddenly stricken by severe hunger between meals.

6. Use what you have: in the Resources section below, I offer a link to a hotel room workout. It’s possible to get a sufficient workout in with only a chair, a wall, a stick and/or your body weight. Put together or search for a workout before you leave that involves the “equipment” that you have available to you. There is no shortage of workouts tailored to these types of conditions.

7. Borrow your kid’s portable DVD player: Peanut has a DVD player that I used in Chicago to do the Tracy Anderson workout that I picked up there. All I needed to work out was a chair! This is one super portable way to bring your home fitness DVD collection to good use out on the road. If you’re lucky enough to have a DVD player in your hotel room or cabin, you could trim even more from your luggage. If you’re bringing your laptop and it can play videos, you have yet another option.

Taking in sites on-foot is one of the best ways to navigate your destination. When you run through local parts of town, you will see parts of the city that you never would’ve noticed in a car. In Mackinaw City, I found some neat footpaths, took in gorgeous sunrises and learned the layout of the land much better during my runs. The trail below is one such path that I discovered while running. The city workers use it to get to their day jobs, but it made for such an amazing scenic running route. Peanut even went for a “run” with me on this trail. We had to stop a lot to track chipmunks;) Another beautiful memory.

It’s hard to resist views like this on a run (Lake Huron, Mackinaw City):

I hope that these tips have made it easier for you to fit in fitness out on the road. It definitely is more than possible! Once you can find ways to eliminate the excuses for exercising, you can stay fit for life.

A few resources:

I did this killer workout on YouTube while staying in Mackinaw City, MI. We brought our Google Nexus tablet and had free Wifi, so it worked out pretty swell. You could just do a search for “hotel room workouts,” and get thousands of hits like this.
I always use the Runkeeper app to track my outdoor runs, including time, pace and distance.
I also use the Spotify app while I’m running to listen to tunes, if I’m not surrounded by the lovely sound of waves and birds.
Rubber tubing routines abound on the internet if you do some searching, like this great do-anwhere routine. I also like this Chady Dunmore one from a recent issue of Fitness RX. If the bodybuilders are using it, then it must be good, right?

September 17, 2013

How to Stay Fit on Vacation

How to Stay Fit and Active on Vacation

It’s hard to resist views like this on a run (Lake Huron, Mackinaw City):

A few resources:

I did this killer workout on YouTube while staying in Mackinaw City, MI. We brought our Google Nexus tablet and had free Wifi, so it worked out pretty swell. You could just do a search for “hotel room workouts,” and get thousands of hits like this.
I always use the Runkeeper app to track my outdoor runs, including time, pace and distance.
I also use the Spotify app while I’m running to listen to tunes, if I’m not surrounded by the lovely sound of waves and birds.
Rubber tubing routines abound on the internet if you do some searching, like this great do-anwhere routine. I also like this Chady Dunmore one from a recent issue of Fitness RX. If the bodybuilders are using it, then it must be good, right?

September 5, 2013

Labor Day Weekend

Our weekend was spent giving the last bit of summer vacation our full attention. We did a little shopping for material since I found some new patterns online for my Peanut that I want to try. I got some more weights for my dumbbells from Play it Again Sports. My heaviest weights are 15lbs, and the LiveFit Trainer is pushing me well past the 15lb threshold.

We also had a pen tattoo party, walking around with our art for most of the day. I’m pretty sure I got that flower/sun design from my sister. Thanks J!

On Sunday, Hubster’s workplace put on a picnic at the Milwaukee Zoo where we spent most of the day. We were treated to a cookout, all the drinks we wanted, parking and two inside attractions. We did this last year too, so it will probably become a tradition.

Peanut embracing the world

Peanut and his grandpa on the train

Chilling in the picnic shelter

Feeding the goats

Sleeping S-shaped pink flamingo

Peanut even got to pet a stingray for the first time! He was terrified, but he did it.

Peanut found a feather and stuck it in his new cap.

After the zoo, we made our way to a friends’ house

for a cookout, complete with S’mores.

Monday was spent at another family picnic followed by meal prepping for the 4-day week. My gym was actually open too, so I got to do a LiveFit workout at the gym, where it was meant to be done, without being bothered.

We also got this sweet boy ready for his first day of Kindergarten. It was kind of a great weekend.

What did you do for your holiday weekend?

August 8, 2013

How to Travel on a Budget

I am the queen of travelling on a budget. Take our recent trips to Mackinac Island, Door County and Chicago for examples. We were able to take these three exciting trips within a month of each other without robbing our regular monthly budget. I also happen to be a super resourceful person, so we get quite a lot more out of our trips than I suspect some others do. Let me clue you in to the tips and tricks I use to get every last drop out of our trips that we can:

1. Travel Sunday through Thursday: On our recent Mackinac Island trip, we did just that and the rates were significantly lower during the work week. We’ve done this before with trips to Wisconsin Dells as well, and ended up paying pennies for a week full of memories. Weekends are huge in the world of tourism, so travelling during the week can work to your advantage. If you’re taking a week off of work anyway, why not travel Sunday through Thursday? Hey, that even leaves you a full three-day weekend to take a vacation from your vacation.

2. Travel during the off-season: similar to #1 above, travelling just outside of the purported “high-season” will save you significantly. We got dirt cheap rates for a motel in Wisconsin Dells when we traveled in mid-June. It was still hot enough to enjoy all the water parks and outdoor attractions, but too early to be considered part of the high season. We got to enjoy the sites for cheaper and with far fewer other people clamoring for rides. Check to see if there is an off-season for your desired destination and plan your trip around that.

3. Stick with the envelope system: Prior to leaving for any of our trips, I always designate a certain amount of funds to fixed costs such as gas, motel, food and must-see sites. Then, I put away a little for “extras” like souvenirs, extra dinners out, parking costs and other things. We adhere strictly to this envelope system to keep our spending in check because it can be easy to get carried away with treats and unnecessary souvenirs. With my envelope system, we don’t end up with a bunch of extra junk in our luggage and really give thought to what we’re throwing money at. I’d much rather sacrifice an extra beach towel for an off-road ATV ride any day. Experiences always trump “things.” Your spending should reflect that.

4. Sacrifice a nicer hotel for more experiences: Really, we’re generally only in our hotel room to sleep. Therefore, we don’t need anything extravagant. Yes, we want something decent, but it doesn’t have to be much more than a clean bed, a hot shower and a microwave. That way, we can spare more expenses for memories and experiences. Those are much more important. You will save a significant amount of money if you can find a decent hotel with just the basics. With a little research, you can weed out the really awful places and find something just right. When we went to Chicago in June, our requirements were that we had parking, were within 15 miles of my NASM workshop, were in a decent neighborhood and had a pool to use. Know what you absolutely need and cut out the rest. With research, we ended up finding a decent, clean Best Western for a really good price and were able to spend more on museums and other excursions. You may even be able to score a hotel that is a step up by using travel discount sites like Priceline. This could be a bullet point of its own, but you should never pay full price for your hotel! Check out the prices on several travel sites before you make your final booking.

5. Find package deals. On our recent Mackinac Island trip, I was able to save a significant amount of money by packaging what we knew we needed with our hotel booking. We bought our ferry tickets and butterfly museum tickets along with our hotel room on the Chamber of Tourism website, saving us $7.50 per person. Hotels themselves often offer coupons and special deals, and some travel sites are equipped to do this for you too. If you know exactly what you’ll need for the trip, go ahead and buy tickets at a reduced price ahead of time.

6. Bring your own food. Eating out is definitely something we enjoy doing on vacation, but we try to limit it as much as we can because it can be really expensive when all added up. By bringing sandwiches, yogurt, granola bars, popcorn and other travel-friendly foods in a cooler, we always save a lot on food. We usually plan one or two special restaurant dinners out and enjoy the rest of our meals at picnics or in our room. Beach and boat picnics offer much more significant memories than another restaurant meal anyway. You will probably end up eating more healthy if you use this strategy too!

7. Take advantage of amenities: Our last hotel had one of the best free continental breakfasts I’ve ever experienced. We were able to eliminate some of our food expenses due to this. We filled up in the morning and only had to eat light lunches. There was also an on-site gym, outdoor playground and indoor water park at our disposal. Some of our food and entertainment was built right into the hotel cost! Factor in these amenities to your trip planning to reduce some of your costs.

8. Do your research: Find as many free and low-cost forms of entertainment that you can. Don’t spare expenses for what you really want to do, but do be resourceful about things you can do and see without spending a mint. Check travel websites for what other people are saying and for what locals already know. You might find some hidden gems that others don’t know about or ways to get around certain costs. We’ve found countless free festivals, concerts, historical sites, lighthouses, beaches, museums, state parks and much more that leave us with amazing memories and no travel debt! I mean, swimming in the Great Lakes and catching that colorful awe-inspiring sunset under the Mackinaw Bridge cost us nothing, but those memories will last a lifetime.

9. Check your rewards and memberships: Our local EAA passes got us into the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago for free. In fact, there are hundreds of museums across the country that our passes will get us into for free, so we try to see if there are any nearby whenever we travel. Check with your credit cards, AAA membership, workplace and other places you belong to find discounts and cash in on those points. We also like to save our reward dollars from our credit card just for trips. My and Hubster’s workplaces even offer discounted tickets on places like water and theme parks. It really pays to check out what’s available to you through your various connections and memberships.

10. Use unconventional income sources: A good portion of our trip expenses are brought to us by the cash we get from a friend who rents a room in our house. Explore new ways to bring in extra cash and then dedicate that portion entirely to trips. If you didn’t miss that income before, you won’t miss it now. I have also worked on some freelance writing projects, cashed in our credit card reward dollars, saved our tax returns and sold some unnecessary items from our home online or at rummage sales to sweep together travel funds. You could also squirrel away 1% of your normal income automatically to a dedicated savings account or earmark work bonuses for special travel occasions. Find a way to bring in extra cash, be diligent about saving, and you just might be able to go on your dream vacation–or at least head out of town for the weekend.

11. Stay a little further down the road. Staying directly in the city you which to visit can sometimes be more pricey. For example, staying for a week on Mackinac Island would probably have cost us double what we paid to stay on the mainland. We were still able to enjoy all the pleasures of the island, but we were also even able to explore much more of the upper Michigan area this way. One day, we simply drove down the road until we hit a small town. We wouldn’t have been able to do as much on the Island. Same thing with our Door County trip. Staying right in Fish Creek or Bailey’s Harbor would have set us back more than our little cabin just a tad bit down the road. Staying in a tourist-driven city is notoriously more expensive than staying just a bit outside.

12. Take shorter, closer trips: as you can tell by my family’s travel experiences this year, we like to take vacation within a day’s drive of our home. There are so many places that feel like a whole different world that take no more than a five hour’s drive. Research places in your home state that you’ve never been before and I’m sure you’ll find enough worthwhile trips to last you decades. As a bonus, you won’t have the gas or flight costs associated with further travel. Likewise, we enjoy taking shorter, more frequent trips. If you’re staying close to home, your travel time doesn’t eat up your actual vacation time as much. Also, when you break the year up into smaller slices like that, you have so much more to look forward to, it’s easier to budget for trips, and hey, your work productivity might even surge.

I truly hope these 12 tips give you some useful tips for travelling on a budget. It really is possible to visit new places, even with lighter income streams. Please, don’t let that vacation time roll over into next year’s paycheck. Take some time today to plan your next trip. You’ll be glad you did. What are you top ways to save?

August 2, 2013

Secret Hiding Spots and the EAA Convention

Two of the most infamous things Oshkosh, WI is known for is the origin of the Oshkosh B’Gosh clothing line and the EAA convention. We host a few other big-ish events like Country USA and Rock USA, but EAA is one of the most well-renowned events that draws thousands upon thousands of people from all over the country–and beyond US borders. The airport gets jam-packed with campers and rows and rows of personal planes. People from Oshkosh even rent out their homes and yards to visitors for extra cash and everyone in town grumbles about driving anywhere remotely near the EAA grounds. But they put on quite the show. The fly-in offers everything aircraft-related you could ever imagine.

We used to play the license plate game during EAA when we were younger. We’d drive through all the restaurant and hotel parking lots to try and find one license plate from every state. I’ve even seen Hawaii and Alaska plates!

This year, we bought a family membership to the EAA museum due to the shortage of any indoor places around here to take a child during the winter. I mean, even our McDonald’s doesn’t have a Playland anymore and the closest kid-friendly cafe just shut down. There’s nothing in this town for kids to do in winter. Nothing. Nada. However, we found that the EAA museum offers a really neat children’s discovery area complete with simulators, cockpits and all kinds of exciting stuff.

Now, this membership comes in really handy during the actual EAA convention. I decided to take Peanut to the EAA museum, right on the EAA grounds, to see if we could watch some of the live air shows. The air shows are really spectacular. Every day this week, locals will see all different kinds of planes do tricks in the air. There will be plane formations, smoke shows, parachute jumps, blimps, plane dives and all sorts of other cool things. This is really cool, even if you’re not a real airplane person.

Well, Peanut and I found a secret spot where we can really watch the airshow from front-row seats without having to pay admission to the grounds. And we even took a driving route in the back way that wasn’t flooded with traffic. Now, I’ve been on the grounds before. Living in Oshkosh, at one time or another, you end up working somewhere or other there. But to pay admission every year could really wipe out one’s entertainment budget. Now, with our secret spot, we get to watch the show for free. And no one else really came around the secret spot either. We had the place to ourselves! I’m sure this will become a tradition for Peanut and I each year going forward, now that we found this great spot.

We’re spending these last few weeks of summer vacation with as much excitement as we can. EAA presented another opportunity to do just that and it didn’t cost us anything!

How are you taking advantage of these last few moments of summer vacation?

August 2, 2013

Celebrity Crushes

Ok, I admit, I may occasionally have the propensity to be starstruck.

This past weekend, we went to a little thing called Deerfest, which is a huge festival in our city dedicated to everything deer-hunting. I even picked up a little Realtree camo for $4, in case I should ever need it (although I hate hunting, so figure that one out).

What truly inspired this trip was when Hubster noticed that Troy and Jacob Landry from Swamp People were making a special appearance. Oh, and then we noticed the people from Lizard Lick Towing were going to be there too. Both shows our household actually catch on-the-fly sometimes, and we’re big fans. Um ok, let’s go then! Plus, Hubster has gotten really into hunting in the last two years, so we thought we might as well check out all the toys and equipment too, you know, while we were there.

So, we bought our tickets online. We knew we’d just be getting back from our Mackinac Island trip, but we just shrugged our shoulders and went with it anyway.

The line for Lizard Lick Towing was pretty small when we got there, so we met with the guys, Ronnie and Bobbie, right away. But of course we had to come back later when Amy was there. She looks totally different in person than on TV. Her deep southern drawl is quite the same though! I envy her guns–she was a record-holding powerlifter in the past! Fitness fanatic that I am, I tried googling her workouts, but came up dry. Hey Amy, if you’re reading this, I’d love to know what your workouts look like:)

Amy is also a petite 5’2″ with a tiny waist and is only 3 years older than I am. Details, details, but I just wasn’t expecting that! She’s also a mortician and went to school for radiology at one point. And Ronnie is an ordained minister. That’s quite the background story!

Look at those loaded guns:)

Then, we got in line to meet Troy and Jacob Landry from Swamp People. I have to admit, Jacob is a very nice-looking man in person:) And Troy was very open and sweet. I even got a hug, haha!

Other than getting all fan-girl on celebs (haha, actually I’m too shy), we also got to test-drive some ATVs and bought some really amazing local cheese, which is only fitting for this land of Cheeseheads. This was just a fun little experience that will go down in the memory book. If you can make it next year, I give it a two thumbs up!

What celebrities meetup stories do you have to share?

July 31, 2013

If you’re ever in Mackinaw City Michigan

A few days ago, I offered some insider peeks into our trip to Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island, and I thought it would be great to follow up the post with a virtual itinerary if you happen to travel there. From my experience, these are some of the highlights of the area that you should definitely try:

1. Pick a lighthouse, any lighthouse. Since the Mackinaw straits are narrow and freckled with islands, lighthouses are pretty essential for water travel. Shipwrecks are pretty notorious in the area, so towering beacons abound. Some are only retained for historical value while others are still in use. The Old Mackinac Lighthouse right by the bridge in Mackinaw City costs and comes with a guided tour, but there are a few just down the road that are free and self-guided. It’s neat to see how the lighthouse guardians lived. It was a pretty lucrative career back in the day, but also highly particular. Your house had to be immaculate and you were required to take scrupulous notes about everything from the grounds to the weather to transportation reports.

2. Catch a sunset at the beach. You won’t be alone. The night we went, there were people everywhere on park benches and lawn chairs. It’s so incredible to watch all the colors and the city-scapes. And hey, of course it was a full moon when we decided to wander down to the beach. Bonus!

Peanut learning how to skip rocks while we wait for sunset.

I happened to read this verse in Psalms while listening to the waves: “The voice of the Lord is over the waters.” And oh, was I hanging onto every word.

3. Try a pastie. I have never been introduced to a pastie in my entire life. As we headed to Upper Michigan, we started seeing all these pastie shops everywhere. We wondered what they were. So, when in Rome… we decided to try some. We finally did so on Thursday night. Basically, pasties go back to the time of mining when the miners’ wives would pack their husbands lunches. They packed meat, potatoes and veggies in this pastry shell. Reason being is they’re easy to carry along to the jobsite and very filling. We tried the taco and stroganoff pasties at one of the award-winning pastie shops. Yum!

4. Swim in the Great Lakes: When the weather stays hot for several weeks and the water finally warms up, a good swim in these giant freshwater lakes is refreshing. The clearness of the water is also impeccable. I couldn’t believe how clear Lake Huron was, but I guess I’m jaded by our yucky Lake Winnebago waters. Just make sure you bring water shoes! It’s really rocky everywhere, and you’ll appreciate the reprieve of aqua socks.

Wading in Lake Michigan

See how clear Lake Huron is? And oh so rocky.

5. Visit the butterfly museum on the island. It’s off the beaten path a bit, but sooo worth the visit, especially if you have children. They even give you a butterfly guide so you can even decipher the different types of butterflies. Standing in a greenhouse waiting for amazing ornate butterflies to land on you is pretty magical, if you ask me.

6. Try the fudge and ice cream. This is pretty much a given. Mackinac Island Fudge is pretty famous, and for good reason. You won’t make it one single block on the island or mainland without running into a sweets shop. Just give in at least once and see what all the fuss is about.

7. Travel via horse or bike. You have to anyway. No motor vehicles are allowed on Mackinac Island, except for a select few emergency vehicles and such. Even the UPS/FedEx/USPS guy delivered packages via horse-drawn carriage. You can plan ahead and bring along your own bike on the ferry or rent one. The clippety-clop of horses everywhere is just neat. It’s like you’re being transported to a whole different era.

8. But explore some of the island by foot. You miss some of the incredible details while you’re on a faster-moving vehicle. Horses and bikes cost by the hour (unless you bring your own on the ferry), so you’ll have a great opportunity to explore by foot as well. If you were to walk the entire perimeter of the island, it’s only 8.3 miles anyhow. These are just some of the neater details I caught:

Guests were building these Inukshuk-style statues everywhere along the rocky beaches.

Ornate details of a dragonfly

Beautiful residential details, flower-lined walk path and iron gates.

View of the shore from the topmost part of the island.

Hey, is that a groundhog? Why yes, yes it is.

9. Check out the local thrift stores. The prices in these stories in upper Michigan are much more friendly than the ones in the “big” cities. I couldn’t tear myself away from the kid’s section at the thrift shop in Cheboygan. No shirt was priced more than $1.50 and I got Peanut this handsome little button-down wardrobe–and a shirt for me–for less than $15, and they were all in great shape. It’s a nice way to inherit a few name brands that we wouldn’t normally pay full price for.

10. Get a load of the magnificent Mackinaw Bridge. I mean, unless you get to travel the San Francisco bridge every day, this is a pretty significant site. The towering bridge and story of its construction is just amazing. It does cost $4 each way to cross the bridge. Our ferry ride also took us under the bridge so we got to see it from all sides.

11. Gain access to an indoor waterpark, especially if you have kids. Several of the motels in Mackinaw City offer free indoor waterpark wristbands while other motels have waterparks built right inside them. On days when you’re not travelling and the weather turns sour, you’ll still have something really fun to do.

12. Visit the sand dunes. When I mentioned to my boss that I was visiting the area, she told me that the beautiful white sandy beaches were used for stand-in Caribbean photo shoots because of their similar geography and appearance. Many of the bigger sand dunes have a “look but don’t touch” kind of warning, and recent news stories about boys buried in sand dunes should give you a good idea about why you might want to stand back and admire from a distance.

13. And last but not least, when your son asks you to marry him by offering you a hand-picked upper Michigan wildflower, always say “yes.”

I genuinely hope this post is informative for those of you that are making the trip soon or even inspires you to make a special trip to the Mackinaw City area. If you go, stop back here and tell me about your trip! Or, if you’ve already been there, I’d love to hear about your experiences or if you have anything else to share.

Shortly, I’ll be back with a post about staying fit on vacation, based on my experiences on this trip as well as many previous trips. So, stay tuned for that!