Tag Archives: travel

Travel Tip: Cover Your Shoes in Your Suitcase

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Ever hate when your shoes are in your suitcase and they get your clothes all dirty?  I know I do, especially when camping.  After the camping list this morning, I thought I should share this packing tip with you.  I saw this tip in a blog somewhere and just had to post it.

Put your shoes, dirty side down, in a shower cap.  The blog I read suggested a bowl cover, but I just used these hair caps that I bought at the Dollar Store (12 for a dollar).  If you were worried that it would take two caps for your husband’s big shoes, fear not… they will fit!  Have you ever done this?  Are you headed straight to the dollar store to get some caps before your next vacation?

Packing Up for Camping

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We love to camp.  It is (usually) a cheap vacation, once you have all of the essentials.  We were up in the mountains this past weekend for a camping getaway with some friends.  I wanted to share with you a “camping packing list” that Matthew and I have compiled.  We have not yet acquired all of the items, which is why I said camping is usually cheap!  We try to make it easier on ourselves by going somewhere close and creating lists like the one below.  We also create meal plans and (mental) clothing lists.

I was very excited about our new propane lantern -- the sound of it (propane burning) just screams camping to me!

 Camping List

  • Tent
  • Sleeping Bags
  • Pillows
  • Air Mattress & Pump / Camping Mats to Sleep on
  • Lantern(s) [we like one battery operated and one propane]
  • Flashlight(s)
  • Backpack
  • Hiking Shoes
  • Shower Towels & Hand Towels & Washcloth [if we just go up for a weekend, we do not usually shower]
  • Toiletries (travel sized is best)
  • Sunscreen
  • Chairs
  • Broom
  • Firewood

Kitchen Specific
(we try to keep all of this in one tub so it is packed and ready to go when we are!)

  • Plates & Cups
  • Napkins & Paper Towels
  • Silverware
  • Barbecue Tools & Spatula
  • Cast Iron Skillet & Pots / Pans
  • Tablecloth
  • Wash Tub (see the picture below a great two sided collapsible plastic dish washing station that my friend brought)
  • Bucket for Water (again, collapsible is great)
  • Dish soap
  • Dish towels
  • Sponge
  • Cooler & Ice
  • Stove
  • Grate (a homemade metal grate that goes over the campfire for cooking)
  • Hot Dog Skewers
  • Kettle
  • Ziploc Bags
  • Trash Bags
  • Citronella Candles
  • Food (definitely make a meal plan) and water
  • Matches

Happily scrubbing away our dishes by the lantern light

Can you see the awesome two sided dish washing station and collapsible water bucket?

Matt and I still have a few things to buy for our next trip (like that dish washing station), but it is great to have a list to check things off of.  What would you add to this list?  Any special tips?

Ways to Save on Your Honeymoon

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While I remember wedding planning as being pretty fun, I also remember the stress and time that came with it. As much as I was looking forward to the wedding, I couldn’t wait for the honeymoon. It’s a unique time to be carefree and have fun with your spouse.

 

Catching Kauai's sunset after some off-roading.

You may recall that Matt and I went to Maui and Kauai for our honeymoon. While it wasn’t cheap – it was something that we had saved for and splurged on – we didn’t exactly check our frugal tendencies at the door. Here are some things we did (and/or recommend if we could have a second go at it) in order to save some money. They’re also a good idea for vacations in general.

  • Look for packaged deals or specials. We booked our hotels through Costco, which helped save on room rates, but also meant that the breakfasts were included. The price of buffet breakfasts at those hotels were $20 and $30 per person, respectively. Sure, we could have eaten bagels every day, but we ate like kings and saved a cool $700. Some hotels even offer free drink nights for guests (Poipu Sheraton’s mai-tai nights for the win!) or even a free bottle of champagne for honeymooners.

The view from our hotel in Kauai. To be fair, we started with a partial ocean view room (that was part of the Costco package) but got an upgrade for a full ocean view for a nominal fee. Never hurts to ask!

  • Skip restaurants for some meals. Breakfast usually filled us up, so lunch wasn’t a big meal for us. Consider buying sandwich fixins at the grocery store. We also snagged a bag of Ghiradeli chocolates and a bottle of wine from Costco for a romantic evening in for less than $20. (You know we, theCostco Couple, had to pay a visit to see what the island warehouses have to offer.)
  • Take a hike. No, that’s not what you want to tell your spouse, unless it’s prefaced with “let’s.” It’s a great way to learn more about the area, get some exercise and have fun on the cheap. Pick up a local newspaper, do some internet research or ask the concierge for suggestions of other inexpensive excursion ideas.
  • Pool wedding gift money. You’re bound to get some cash gifts for the wedding. Consider putting that towards something special for your honeymoon. We did the “money dance” and received enough to pay for a helicopter tour of Kauai. Thanks again, friends and family!

While saving is important, enjoying yourself is the name of the game. It’s meant to be a once in a lifetime trip. One of my regrets is not ordering more poolside drinks. I really wanted to order a pina colada from the swim up bar, but was deterred from the $12-$15 per drink price. Why didn’t I realize that most restaurants charge that much for those drinks? In the end, it would have only been about $30 spent.

That’s all I can think of right now, but I know that some of you are bound to have more to add to this list. Please share!

Anniversary Getaway

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Matt and I try to do something special every year to celebrate our anniversary.  For our first one, we had a wonderful dinner at The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant.  This is the year my parents started a new tradition with us — they send us a check so that we can go out and celebrate.  It is something that my mom’s parents did for them, and they wanted to keep the love going.  We were so incredibly grateful for that special gift.  The next year, we rented a friend’s condo in Lake Havasu, Arizona.  Their gift helped us pay for the rental.  We lounged around the house, had yummy food, and watched HGTV (we don’t have cable).

This year, my dad offered us something better — hotel points!  They had some extra hotel points (he travels for work) and wanted to gift us with two nights away.  How wonderful!  We were so excited as we chose to stay in San Diego.  We used to go down there a lot while my brother was at Point Loma.  This was our first time down there alone and on our own schedule.  While it was a wee bit bittersweet, seeing all the places we had visited as a family, it was a fantastic trip!

We were right across the street from the water -- but you can't see the beach at night!

I chose a room with a mini fridge and microwave so that we could bring our own meals.  We are on a pretty tight budget, so this was essential to me.  We brought hot pockets for lunches (but they ended up being breakfasts) and salad stuff for dinner.

As we drove down, we called Matt’s relatives to see if we could spend some time with them during our stay.  Matt’s aunt Linda offered to take us sailing and out to dinner on Saturday.  It was such a pleasant day out on the Bay.    She took many of the pictures shown here, so major thanks to her!

Celebratory Jello shooters from Matt's aunt!

Linda and Matt -- hard at work!

Note: Name of beer. Name of boat.

We also spent some time with Matt’s cousin and family on Sunday.  Last weekend was such a wonderful little getaway.  Thank you so much to my parents for the hotel, Matt’s aunt for sailing and dinner, and Matt’s cousin (and wife and son) for lunch on Sunday! We are so blessed to have such wonderful relatives!  How did you celebrate your last anniversary?

Pearl Harbor Day

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Today is Pearl Harbor Day.  It means a lot more to me this year than it has in the past.  The attack on Pearl Harbor was something that I only briefly learned about in school, so it did not have much of an effect on me.  However, after visiting the USS Arizona/Pearl Harbor Memorial on Oahu this past month, I have a much greater appreciation for the sacrifice that happened on that day.  Over 2,300 Americans lost their lives and our ships and planes were brutally damaged, some beyond repair.  However, what the Japanese hadn’t counted on was the amount of national pride and patriotism that the attack would stir up.  Yes, we officially joined World War II after the attack, but we also rebuilt our ships and planes in record time and went on to help the “good side” win.  I wanted to share a few pictures from our solemn trip to the Memorial.

On our way out to the memorial

The ship was supposed to set sail that morning, so the tanks were FULL of oil. I'm not sure how much was in there, but I know it leaks 7 liters a day and has enough to continue doing so for the next 50 years. That's after a ton of oil blew up with the ship. Crazy

There are smaller memorials like this in the water for each ship that was there, I believe.

The whole ship is still under water, with all the bodies that sank with it. They left the ship in the water as a memorial of what happened. The actual memorial building sits over it, but does not touch it. This is a part of the ship.

the names of those on the USS Arizona alone who perished. They had the most crew members on ship, because they were leaving that morning.

Walking out of the memorial. When we arrived, the entrance was lined with current services members in uniform (they didn't get off fast enough to catch their ship back). It was a fluke, but seeing them lined up made me tear up.

I wanted to end by saying thank you to all of the service members who are currently and have previously served.  We are so grateful for your sacrifices.  A special thank you to my uncle (Emily’s dad) who served in Vietnam.  Love you Uncle W.  Also, if any of my facts were wrong, I apologize.  Please let me know in the comments!

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