Vacation Tips

  Christmas vacation 2018/19 is officially over for us. I've learned a lot over the past twenty days and thought I would share a few of those with you. Travel is expensive and saving money where you can is very important but so is your precious vacation time. Some were surprising to us as seasoned travelers while others you kind of forget about until it happens. Either way, I'm in a sharing mood.

  For example, valet parking is sometimes worth the extra few dollars. Not at a hotel normally or a restaurant but at very busy shopping areas or theme parks it's not a luxury. It can take upwards of an hour to find parking at some malls. One we recently went to was $10 for the garage. Valet parking? $15 and right beside the main entrance and exit. That is a no brainer or it would have been if I was driving and not John! Universal Studios general parking was $20 and an 8-15 minute walk to the gate. Again "preferred" was $30 and valet $50. But trust me after twelve hours of walking through the park when it's time to leave your sore, tired feet will be screaming why didn't you pay extra? Especially when water is $5 in the park. To me, that would be money well spent.

  Never, ever book a compact car. Especially if even one of you is over six feet tall. Or you have more than one piece of luggage. To say we were cramped is the understatement of the year. Not only were we a tight fit but the car is on the ground. So low that a pickup truck could run over you and think it as a speed bump. And speaking of speed bumps don't go over one in those tiny vehicles. Just trust me on that one. Going up one size car is pennies per day and your comfort is worth that and more.

  Decide what you can't live without when booking a hotel. If you must be on the ocean you know the room is going to be pricey. Don't mind a walk? Then maybe you could stay a block off the beach and save money to spend on a nicer restaurant. Not a foodie? Maybe a condo is right for you. Buy some groceries and you can save a bundle. Which you can put towards green fees or a boat rental. Our number one thing is a pool. Waterslides even better. 

  You don't have to eat out every meal. Most of us don't have a big breakfast every day. Personally, I'm a coffee and bagel/toast girl. John wants cereal and a banana. Buy a box of cheerios and a small milk and you are all set for the morning. Every hotel has an in-room coffee maker or free java in the lobby. The idea of getting dressed to have breakfast every morning doesn't sound appealing to me. But coffee and a pastry in bed sounds decadent. Like I was on vacation or something. Take the money you saved and splurge at dinner or a great wine.

  Here's one that sounds almost insulting but honestly isn't meant to be. Most meals in the U.S., especially at the chain restaurants, are big enough for two people to share. We almost always get one meal and split it. And when we are done we are both full but not "stuffed". Most of us really only need a kids meal yet we are too embarrassed to order it. Give me the toy please. Whether at the drive-thru or at the counter trust me the workers don't care what you order. And you get a drink!

  This final one was pretty tough for us but it's a reality we need to face. Our children are now at the age where we need two rooms. In hotels and on cruises. At six-one Alex needs more than a pull-down bed where his feet don't dangle off the end and they certainly don't fit in a double together. This will double our travel expenses and cut down on the number of days spent away from home. Neither is a good option. Sometimes reality sucks.

  See I told you most were common sense stuff. Save where you can. Accept where you can't. But always, always make the best of it. You are on vacation after all.

  Ang