Acadia National Park

Acadia is such a gem on in the northeast. Every which way you look the scenery is breath taking. Off the coast of Maine lies an island that doubled as a National Park. Beautiful lakes, majestic mountains, and breathtaking forests make up this gorgeous place. I was fortunate to travel here in the beginning of August. Fortunately for you there are so many different places to stay in Acadia! From tent camping, to five star hotels, to small cozy cottages, there is lodging for every budget! For any of these options do your research! Campsites have such a wide range in prices so make sure you do your research. Campsites are a great way to save on money for families!  Many of them are family campgrounds so they have people constantly there so make sure you book a good time ahead of time so that you make sure you get a reservation.  National Park Campgrounds There are also plenty of other campgrounds not in the National Park!  Acadia over all is pretty inexpensive to visit.

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK PASSES

Entrance Pass - $20 June 23-early October; $10 May 1-June 22 and early October-October 31
Good for entrance into Acadia National Park for one vehicle for seven days, including the date of purchase.

Individual Entrance Pass - $5
Good for entrance into Acadia National Park for one individual (pedestrian, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.) for seven days, including date of purchase.

Acadia Annual Pass - $40
Good for entrance into Acadia National Park for one vehicle for one year from date of purchase.

Acadia Fees
Bar Harbor is only a short drive away from the National Park and has many small stores and waterfront views to window shop all day.

Acadia Website

Roughing It in Beverly Hills

In the summer of 2008 I traveled the US on a ten day road trip through the southwest. In only ten days we hit California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona! It may seem a tad insane, but it was a great experience that is truly unforgettable! While visiting the land of make believe we camped out in the gorgeous Santa Monica Mountains at the Malibu Creek State Park. During the day we walked amongst the stars and at night we slept under the stars. LA is quite costly pretty everything, so camping was a great way for us to save some money. We woke up in the morning to a beautiful view of the mountains. The sunrise over the mountains was breathtaking and as the fog lifted it created a magical piece of scenery. It was an amazing way to wake up every morning.

Not so SUPER SHUTTLE

Now normally i would not use this space to complain, however I believe it benefits you. Over the past week I went to Houston for a convention. When the group arrived we of course got our bags and waited for the Shuttle. We had previously booked the shuttle to ensure I speedy pick up to get us to the hotel in a timely manner. We waited at the baggage claim for around 2 hours! They claimed to do conventions all of the time, but were not prepared for this one. Some of our group were late to an event because of their lack of preparedness. As our trip was coming to a close we were weary of Super Shuttle and their capability of getting us to our flight on time. We sat and waited for the shuttle in the hotel lobby. A half an hour after the time in which the shuttle was supposed to pick us up we find out they cannot pick us up because they did not have enough shuttles for us. We had to find another form of transportation and we were running late. We needed four taxis all costing of $45 one costing over $60. I would have to say that Super Shuttle is not so "super" after all.

Houston

What a great experience it has been being in Houston Texas for the Girl Scout National Convention. Here is just one of the experiences I had.

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On the Road Again

Get Up and Go Podcast 2

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Do Something Different

Sure you can spend a ton of money swimming with dolphins in a pool or you can save money and swim with manatees in their natural habitat!  I have gone on a manatee swim, which included a three hour trip through Crystal River in which we swam/snorkeled with manatees throughout the three hours.  Swimming with manatees cost anywhere from $35-$99 per person, with most ranging in the $40 range.  The tour was amazing and we had ample opportunity to swim with the manatees, it truly was a unique and amazing experience.

About 2 hours away is Discovery Cove a popular destination for vacationers in the Orlando area.   I personally have not been to Discovery Cove, so I cannot give you any personal stories.  However, I can give you the astronomical prices.  For a half an hour dolphin experience, which includes wading with dolphins in a pool for most of the duration and going into the deep end for the dolphin to push you back in or grab on to the dolphin's fin to be pulled in.  The dolphin experience also includes admission into the park.  This package costs anywhere from $200-$400.

So, for a family of four to go swimming with manatees it would cost $160, which is less than one admission and dolphin experience at Discovery Cove.  For a family of four to go to Discovery Cove for the day including the dolphin experience with the individual cost being $300 a person would add up to $1,200!  Wouldn't you rather go on a more unique and unforgettable experience and save $1,040?  Yes, of course there is the gas cost from Orlando to Crystal River and back.  For a vehicle that gets around 20mpg it will cost around $30.00 round trip in gas, for a vehicle that gets around 15mpg it will cost around $40.00 round trip.

Even with the cost of gas, you still save $1,000!  Wouldn't it be nice to have an extra $1,000?  I think so!

Happy Traveling!
Chelsea

Podcast

Here is my first Podcast! Enjoy! As of right now I am waiting for iTunes approval for the Podcast to be published onto iTunes.  I will let you know when it is posted!
Podcast

Make History FUN!

Many kids find history boring and do not understand the point in learning about it. However history does not have to be boring at all! Traveling can create the perfect mix of fun and history so that your kids and you and your kids learn in while having a great time! I would have to say my favorite historical spot that mixed fun and learning perfectly was Plimoth Plantation. If you haven't been there already I highly recommend it! It mixes a historical village with reenacting! As you walk through the village you can enter multiple buildings and houses that make you feel as if you went back in time. There are people all around in period outfits that reenact the life of the original settlers. You can talk to a woman cooking and cleaning food for her family as she tells you what she did yesterday living in Plymouth or to a man doing work on his house as he tells you about the harsh winter they just went through. It is like stepping back in time and submersing your self in all of the sites, smells, emotions, and noises of that era. I remember talking to a woman who told us of her journey over to Plymouth in the Mayflower, it was truly amazing. Walk down a path a little ways and enter the the Wampanoag Village. Enter the wetus and speak to Wampanoags and learn what life was like for the native people before and after European settlers came to Plymouth.

What is great about Plymouth is that you do not even realize you are learning! You feel like you are just having a normal conversation with the people who experienced Plymouth in the 17th century. To learn more about Plimouth Plantation visit there website www.plimoth.org.

Get Up and Go Teaser!

Also check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEdWUCqb-lI

Youtube

I am currently in the process of editing the teaser for the Youtube show for all your travel tips! The show will be entitled "Get Up and Go"
STAY TUNED!

Be A Happy Camper!

Who said camping was just for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts? Why not camp during your travels? Now I know what you're thinking, camping is gross, but it can be fun! Camping brings people together and creates memories that will last forever. On top of that, it is cheap! "The camping fee for state or national park campgrounds is from $5 to $10. For private campgrounds it varies from $10 to $40 " (rv-coach.com) A hotel in the Orlando area for the weekend of June 24th-26th, for two adults and two children, three stars, with a swimming pool, and free parking would range from $50-over $200.

Wekiwa Springs State Park, which is in the Orlando area has sites averaging $24.00 with an electric hookup. That is more than half of the price of a hotel room! Like I said before camping really brings everyone closer, more than staying in a hotel. So next time you are planning your vacation look at different options of places to stay! Even cabins can be cheaper than a hotel room, plus it's a bit more luxurious than sleeping in a tent.

Happy Travels!

Chelsea

On the Road Again

With the spike in gas prices airplane tickets have spiked as well. While this may turn people away from vacationing, it shouldn't. There is so much to see, all you need is a car and a bit of patience. Although it may seem costly to keep refilling your tank, it is much cheeper than flying. Many people are not fond of long driving trips, but I may have the solution. Leave the night before. Set a time in which you want to arrive at your destination, then find out the approximate travel time to find out when you should leave. Leaving at night allows the passengers to sleep, which means less bathroom breaks, which means you will arrive to your destination faster. Plus leaving at night will allow you to avoid daytime traffic. Avoiding daytime traffic helps conserve gas! Leaving at night gives you an extra full day at your destination rather than using that day driving. There are two options for the driver. Switching off drivers every few hours allows everyone to get some sleep. Another option is for the driver straight through, lucky for me on all of our trips our driver (aka my mom) loves driving and can stay up for long hours. Driving through the night has another benefit as well! Lets face it sitting in a cramped car for a few hours can cause tension between the occupants. Since you are driving at night everyone will be sleeping, so tensions are harder to be created. You can make these trips a weekend long to a few weeks long! Many people have the same problem of not being able to sleep in cars, I used to be one of them. The U-shaped neck pillows are an amazing invention that help car sleeping to be a bit more do-able. It is a manner of pros and cons. Yes, it may be a tad uncomfortable for one night, but the experience you will be obtaining on your trip will be memorable and exciting so it will out weigh the discomfort. Driving home is not limited to nighttime driving. It will probably take a bit longer to get home if you drive during the day between traffic and bathroom breaks. This summer I went on a week long road trip and hit Birmingham Alabama, Gulfport Mississippi, New Orleans Louisiana, and Gatlinburg Tennessee!