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Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

So, it’s been years since the family has gone on an extended vacation. We’ve done overnights here and there, but a true vacation…where we drive a long way and stay at hotels and do touristy stuff…we haven’t done that since, hmmmm. Let me think. 2007.

Ouch.

Part of the reason is financial. Taking 6 people anywhere is expensive! Hotels often limit the room occupants to 4, which means we have to pay for a more expensive suite. We’ve been spending our money on other things, and then time just passed before I knew what was happening.

And to be completely honest, it’s easier to put something so huge off because the planning and implementation is a big deal.

Next January, there is a super neat milestone in the family. Hubby’s brother is turning 50! A day later, his nephew is turning 21. They live in Florida, so we’ve decided to drive down and celebrate. After all, this is only going to happen once. Ever.

While we’re at it, we’ll do some touristy stuff, since most of us haven’t ever been to Florida or any of the attractions there. Only Hubby has any experience there, really. I was in Florida as an infant. That doesn’t really count.

One of the neat things about the timing of this trip is that it’s more of an off-season kind of event. With the school year being in full swing and the holidays just over, I’m hopeful that we can save a little money by getting some discounts. It’s going to be a little tricky having the older boys miss school, but like I said. Once in a lifetime.

Both Hubby and I love to travel, and I think the boys are pretty fond as well. We’ll see how this trip goes. If the finances pick up, I’d love to plan another trip for us soon. There are so many amazing places to visit just in the US, let alone in the world. One of the boys asked about going to the next Summer Olympics. They’ll all be old enough to enjoy seeing it, and Brazil sounds like a lot of fun. Plus, we’ve got time to wrap our minds around it and do some planning. With all the online resources, planning a trip is a lot easier now than ten years ago.

If you’re in England, you can use Holiday Hypermarket to do some trip planning. I usually use several online sites to get ideas of airfare, hotel, and car rental prices. It’s interesting to see how many of them have the same deals, but then every now and again you can find something at dramatic savings.

For the trip in January, we’ll be driving down and staying…somewhere. Hubby actually said he could do the planning. Which works for me!

Less thinking is a goal in life.


This post courtesy of Holiday Hypermarket.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who want to vacation on a budget.