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!

New Orleans

Over this past summer I journeyed to the land of jazz music, spicy food, and a world wind of culture. New Orleans, Louisiana!!!! I ventured to The Big Easy this past August, where to music was hot and the temperature was hotter!! We started off taking a tour of the colorful French Quarters. The history alone was amazing! Walking around the city was an interesting experience alone. Jazz music filled the humid air and remanences of their intriguing history of Voodoo, Spanish settlers, Canadian settlers, Natives, Myths and Legends created such a fascinating scene. This city truly embraces its rich history and brings it to life on a daily basis. Visiting a New Orleans graveyard was worth the walk across town! Visiting New Orleans with out going on a ghost tour just would not make sense. We took the ultimate tour, Bloody Mary Ghost Tour. It was a mix of Voodoo, Ghosts, Vampires, and Werewolves. Everything you would expect and want in a ghost tour of New Orleans. Of course you have to go to the bayou to search for gaters. Our tour was filled with our scaly pre-historic friends accompanied by a bayou native, with the accent and all. The scenery was amazing and certainly one of a kind. An experience such as this was memorable and I encourage all of you to venture down to New Orleans and experience the culture of such a unique city.

CHECK OUT PICTURES FROM MY TRIP ON THE PHOTOS PAGE!

Mmmm...Mmmm...Good Cheap Travels

Think about your last vacation. Now think about every restaurant you ate at. Can you remember? If you can, now think about what you ate at each. Can you remember? For most people you probably can't. Food, unless it was the reasoning of your vacation, is pretty unimportant. Yes, you need food, but how much do you truly have to spend? I can probably guess the answer, too much! People waste so much money on food on their vacations. Food is necessary, but the amount you spend is not.

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A great way to save money is to not eat out while away. Now, I'm not saying the entire trip, rather the majority of your time.

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What's On The Menu?

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BREAKFAST: Most hotels, lucky for you, offer free breakfast. That is one thing you should look for in a hotel. Most offer cereal, bagels, muffins, fruit, and some even offer waffles and eggs. Use the complimentary breakfasts to your advantage. It will not only save you money, but also time.

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LUNCH: You're out and about, seeing all of the sites and taking in the atmosphere. Now, it's time for lunch. Your stomach is grumbling and yelling at you to feed it. You don't want to sit down at a restaurant because that takes up too much time. I have the solution. Pack your lunch. You can pack with you before you leave, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, and depending on how long you are traveling, cans of chicken and tuna. None of these require a cooler. So you do not end up with dry chicken or tuna bring a jar of mayo, you don't have to keep it in the cooler, unless it is very hot. Instead of carrying bread with you, which can get squished, bring a bag or two of tortillas and make wraps. You can mix in the mayo right in the can, saving you the hassle of carrying a dirty bowl or just slap on some peanut butter and jelly. You can do all of this in the car or make it ahead of time and carry the lunch with you. If you flew, share a suitcase with someone and use the unused one to pack all of your food items to check in!

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DINNER: The invention of electricity and microwaves make traveling a lot cheaper. A great thing to invest in and pack with you on your travels is an electric skillet. You can make so many different types of food on this little plate it is amazing! On trips I have taken we have made chicken fajitas, hot dogs, hamburgers, and reheated various dinners. The great thing about these, they are small and easy to clean. If you have the space for it in your suitcase, a George Forman Grill would work just as well. Microwaves also help in cheap and easy dinners! If all of this is a bit of a hassle, check ahead of time for local restaurants, pizza places, cafes, and diners to compare the prices before you leave!

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I would like to thank my mother, Susan, for inspiring this post. She was my Girl Scout leader and we used to do all of this! So, if you're thinking, well this seems like good advise, but does it work? I can personally say that it does!