Timely Tips on Tuesday: Trip Planning (Part 3)

Are you thinking, "How can there be any more to say about her trip planning??"  I completely understand.  I'm kind of surprised there is anything more to say, too:)  But here are some stray thoughts of a few more things that I have on my "To Do" list (very random):

• Update our will:) I don't think we're going to get it done, but I'd sure like to
• Buy walking shoes and break them in (I got some at Clarks ON SALE! and they're really comfortable and I'm so excited I got them on sale)
• Buy new underwear for everyone:) (got that done, too; fall is a good time to do this, as it's usually on sale)
• Get out the fall clothes and buy some new items for family members (Jerry's done, and I just have a little left to get for myself)
• Contact friends that we plan to stop and see (this is done)
• Research on NCFIC on their Church Network page and find churches to attend (almost done)

1. I am so thankful that my husband believes in being in church. No matter what. Every Sunday. No matter where he is!  Worshiping the Lord, not forsaking the assembling of the believers together.  He's even willing to contact people we've never met in another state and attend their Home Church! (That part is really so not like him.  Who are you, and what have you done with my husband)
2. Visiting other churches while on vacation is a fun way to see how other Christians do church.
3. Advantage:  You get to meet new "brothers and sisters in Christ" all over the country and world!

• Find someone to check in on your house while you're away and give them a duplicate key.  (Also, ask someone to take in your mail, and paper; or cancel it for the time you're away.)
• Read up on the area you're going to be visiting.  Find out about festivals or special events scheduled for the time you'll be there; find out what famous people are from the area, any historic sites, etc.
• Check your camera, camcorder, equipment--need to update, get any accessories, etc.?
• Clean and declutter your home.  ("What if I die and someone has to come in and see it like this??!!!")  What can I say--I really do feel compelled to clean up my house before I leave, and there's this inner "Aaagghh!" feeling right now because it's not in the condition that I would like to have someone come in and see it in--even someone just checking on the house. (Guess I'd better move that up on my list or forget about it!)
• Pray and start to look forward to going and having a really good time!

So, did I leave anything out?  Any suggestions for me before I go?

Tuesday Tag-Along and Timely Tips on Tuesday: Trip Planning 101 (Part 2)

Welcome to those of you visiting me from Tuesday Tag-Along today! I'm so glad you came! Please follow me and leave a comment--I would love to meet you! Today, I'm writing about the second part of my trip planning. A little disclaimer first:  There are many kinds of people, styles, and also many unique tastes in travel, so these Trip Planning ideas are not to be taken as the only way to plan, or the best!  I hope they will be interesting or help you get to know me better, and maybe they'll give you resources for the next vacation or trip you want to take!
Read Trip Planning (Part 1), if you haven't already done so!

credit

• If a member of AAA, get TourBooks and choose sites to see in the locations where you're headed.
• I wrote out a "tentative schedule" in my notebook (lined paper), with each day and the date on the left, then: how far we would drive and to where, hotel/B&B/rental house where we would stay, (and room for the address, phone number, confirmation number and details), the approximate cost of expenses for hotel, gas, sightseeing, etc. that day.  I left a few spaces for information about multiple hotels that I see as possibilities.

credit

• Decide what kind of accommodations you want/need, and what your price range is.  I knew that I would have to pay more in the DC area, so I wanted to spend less on the way out and back for hotels.  We'd only be needing, basically, a place to sleep for one or 2 of the nights. Those, I was willing to scrimp on.  I decided that I wanted a little nicer hotel than Super 8, but at Super 8 prices:) and that included breakfast, since with a good breakfast, we don't need lunch.  We planned to pack a cooler and buy groceries and snacks for eating along the way and back, when needed, to save time and money. Our family has enjoyed staying at Bed and Breakfasts on past trips, and I LOVE an historic house filled with antiques, and I really wanted to stay where I could see the mountains and the Peak Color of the Fall Leaves, so just one night I hoped to find an inexpensive-ish Bed and Breakfast out east somewhere.  Because we'd be staying in one place for 10 nights at our final destination, I was pickier on those accommodations. For example, because we are 4 people and our children are adults, a boy and a girl, I wanted them to each have a bed, if possible, for that major mid-section of our trip. Sleeping on the floor could dampen the excitement and affect the enjoyment of whoever had that thrust upon them. When they were younger, we would always just put one of them on the floor in a sleeping bag, and that will still work for one night each on the way and back, but not for the whole time.  I googled "deals" on suites in all locations we'd be staying, and looked a little further away from expensive areas where most people would want to be, but still on our route, referring to a map.

credit

• We decided we wanted to stop and see something on the way out there.  We had heard good reviews on the Creation Museum near Cincinnati, OH, from friends who'd been there, so we decided to go there, if possible.
• I looked online for information on the Museum hours, cost, location, etc.
• Checking with my husband and family, they wanted to drive a long ways the first day.  We lose an hour, crossing a time zone, and I know my husband doesn't like to be up really late, and that we wouldn't be leaving until about 1:00 p.m., so I looked for a hotel in a major city that we could get to by about 10:00 p.m.  Then I looked for deals!
• A very important part of your search for accommodations is to READ REVIEWS!  I went to TripAdvisor, but also googled "reviews" and the name of the hotel and its location, because TripAdvisor reviews can sometimes be more negative than others, before I got too excited about a hotel! On more than one occasion, the reviews turned me away from what I thought was "THE" hotel and deal for us!  ("Found 3 dead bugs in the bedding" is a quote from a review that I won't soon forget!!)  Do your research and you won't be sorry!
• Other considerations for the accommodations once at our destination:  we would want to leave our vehicle and take the metro rail, and needed safe and free parking.  A way to cook at least some of the time--microwave and fridge--was important.  Near to the metro rail was also important.  Our kids are tall, and we are 4 adults.  We have figured that we can save money and time if we have breakfast provided where we stay.  We like our morning coffee; we like to use the internet at night, and often catch up on news on the TV or watch a movie together in our room, so a little more space (such as a suite), a hot breakfast provided free, and WiFi, are specific amenities that I looked for.

• I talked to people and did a lot of research online.  In DC, things weren't looking good.  Really expensive, not enough beds for all 4 of us, etc.  A breakthrough came when a friend asked how things were coming in my plans, and I told her my "tale of woe."  My friend told me about their good experiences using VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner), especially when they traveled with her parents, and sister and brother-in-law, sharing the costs. They'd had a wonderful house with 6 bedrooms and a pool in Florida (I think she said overlooking the ocean), which after dividing up expenses, had only cost them about $55 a night, and they have a large family.  Plus, they could cook and do laundry.  I was greatly encouraged! She also told me that I could dicker on the price with VRBO.  (I LOVE to get a bargain, and am not afraid to haggle:)  The VRBO site was very fun, looking at all the pictures, and dreaming of staying in much nicer accommodations than I'd thought possible--and in a house!  I found what we wanted, and sent off an offer for, basically, the price I was willing to pay, hundreds of dollars less than they were asking.  I knew that I would be reserving the entire time that he had open, thus helping him out a lot, and if he didn't like my offer, he could turn me down or make a counter offer.  (My husband had given me license and told me to find a place and make an offer! After making the offer, I was a little afraid to tell my husband for fear he would be upset with me for possibly insulting the man by making too low of an offer! I needn't have worried--he definitely was not!)  The offer was accepted, but he asked us to pay the tax, which is 14%.  It still was a very good price for the area, and a whole house!  I was very excited.  A bedroom for each of my children, a separate master BR and bathroom for us, and also a bathroom just for my daughter--that has to help in the morning rush to get everyone ready and out the door!--plus a full kitchen if we want to cook sometimes, and a living room to spread out in--these were wonderful perks!

Throughout the whole process, prayer is the most important thing!  Prayer that God would guide the process, lead us to the right place, where He wants us, prayer for safety and a good trip, prayer for wisdom, prayer to be a good testimony to everyone we meet.  And thankfulness for the opportunity to go!

Stay tuned for Part 3 of Trip Planning 101!

Timely Tips on Tuesday: Trip Planning 101

As I've said on more than one occasion, I Love To Travel! I love to fly, drive away, see new places, see new faces.  I subscribe to the old saying, "A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet!"  So is a strange land!  For me, part of the excitement of travel is the anticipation of all that we will experience!  Dreaming, researching, discovering... brochures, tour books, and maps all hold fascination for me!  I love the challenge (and my husband trusts me with the responsibility) of planning a trip which will excite each family member and cause them to light up with joy.  I am thrilled to gaze at photos of delightfully decorated rooms in historic homes, now serving as Bed and Breakfasts, and imagine myself staying there! I may never live in a home built a hundred or more years ago, but for a day or two, I can imagine I do!   Deciding between an array of alternatives--places to go, people to see, things to do--what fun it is!  (Unless there are too many altenatives:)  But, normally, for me, planning is pure pleasure!  So, I thought I would share with you my planning procedure. Here is part 1 of how I went about planning our trip to Washington, DC.

Beginning to Plan

• Decide where you're going
• Decide how you're going (fly or drive)

1. Though our destination was Washington, DC, it was a big decision how we would get there!  3 of us wanted to fly, and I had been saving the miles until we had enough to cover the trip, but 1 of us wanted to drive, and that one was very important.  Discussion continued.

• Decide approximately when you're going

1. My husband chose fall.  I looked at the calendar and wanted as much time to plan as possible, feeling very unready, but not wanting it to get really cold, or to be past the beautiful fall colors.  I had a good weather experience going out east in late September/early October on our last trip.  I thought there'd be less crowds in October.  Leave on a Friday, return on a Saturday or Sunday.  Stay 2 weeks. I tentatively chose my dates based on these considerations.  This, too, could be changed, if necessary, as long as we hadn't made any reservations.  I was rewarded in my choice when I read that October was one of the three best months to travel to DC. 

Both of these decisions may change, but you need to have a foundation to begin.
As I began my planning, and being AAA members, I picked up Tourbooks for the area we'd be sightseeing mostly in, and one of the surrounding areas, which hadn't been decided on yet.  I also happened on some maps of the city of Washington, and the Mall, at Barnes and Noble, which I bought.
I stopped in at my local library and checked out their shelves.  I found Fodor's travel book to the area and another gem called, "Washington with Kids" and checked them out.
There were way too many things to do and see for us to see them all! So, I asked the family members to give me their top 3 "must see or must do" choices, since there appeared to be two or three times what we'd have time to see in the area.  (This wasn't very successful early on, but the priorities have been forthcoming as time has passed.)
I started looking at flights, hotels, and rental vehicles online, and getting an idea of costs.
The Planning had begun!

Step 2 in Planning a Trip

• I started a notebook.

1. For me, keeping all the information organized and being able to easily and quickly find the results of my research was extremely important.  I am a notebook kind of gal.  If you prefer keeping your information on the computer, then a file, files or spreadsheet will work well.  I did bookmark many a webpage.
2. In my notebook I included a page for Estimating Expenses, Things To Do Before We Go, Attractions To See While We're There, a makeshift Calendar which covered the days of the vacation, and a page that had contact and other information for each of the places I researched (including the hours a certain museum was open, phone/email, cost to get in, any pertinent information) and where I'd gotten that information (e.g. Tourbook, page 241) so I could find it again.
3. So, I had a page in my notebook for "Things To Do Before We Leave" and included on it things like: Buy new walking shoes and break them in; see our lawyer and update our will:); ask someone to check on our house.  "Things To Do While We're There" included places I already knew about, such as Mt. Vernon (George Washington's Home) but was added to as I discovered new ideas.  This was a long list, and not written in stone.  Later I would prioritize and rate by most-wanted-to-see.  I grouped the items on "Things To Do While We're There" by location, as much as possible.  Doing a number of things in one location would save us time, and save our feet and energy.

• I prioritized the Planning

1. As I read, I kept on seeing encouragements to make reservations for tours, and contact your Congressman, 1-6 months in advance!  I put it on my list of things to do to contact my congressman as soon as I could.
2. I also knew it was important to get flights booked, and hotels reserved.
3. I did research online to find out how long it would take to drive to the area.  Then, as we still had not decided whether to drive or fly, I made two itineraries, one if we drove and one if we flew. We would have 3-4 less days to sightsee in DC if we drove, but if we drove, we could drive through and possibly see things in areas we had not travelled to before. (I quickly realized we had to make the decision whether to fly or drive! As my husband really wanted to drive, I quickly submitted--I really wanted to fly, so the quickness and completeness with which I submitted was definitely a work of the Holy Spirit, and one of those times when you have to look past your husband and see God leading through him, and say, Ok, Lord, there's some reason we're not supposed to fly.  I don't know what it is, but You do, and so, I will accept that.)

Researching

So, Where to stay, What to drive, and Contacting my Congressman were my top priorities.
Once having decided to drive, and knowing how long it would take, I began checking car rentals.  This was another shocking experience!  It was going to cost a lot of money to rent a vehicle to drive that far for that long. I wasn't finding any good news online about car rental or hotel costs. (It's really expensive to stay in DC!) If I had found any hotels or car rental information that sounded good, I would have recorded that in my notebook.  This was becoming serious, though.  I continued to report my findings to my husband, (and my kids) and we discussed the options.

All the way through this process I was praying.  Now, I was praying hard! "Lord, I can't get this all done! There're too many options! What do You want us to do: fly or drive? Where do You want us to stay? It's so expensive, Lord. Please help us find exactly where You want us to stay, and do what You want us to do."

I have found from planning previous trips that I have an objective in taking a particular vacation, but God has an objective, as well.  His objective includes people we will meet that we have no idea about, and "chance happenings" which I could not possibly plan: people we are to tell about Him, situations into which He desires us to bring the presence of the Holy Spirit, people He wants us to pray with and for, and experiences which He will use to mold us and direct us in our future.  I must lay my plans, goals, desires, and objectives in His Hands if I and my family are to be where He wants us, accomplishing His objectives on this trip.