European tips #1

xxEurope is one of the places that a lot of people would really like to visit one day. Today let’s start looking at some things you might want to know before you go.

• While the Euro is accepted in a lot of European countries, it isn’t accepted in all of them. England and the Scandinavian countries are countries that use other currencies. You will want to know the currency of the country or country that you are visiting before you leave. There are exchange places pretty much anywhere that you would want to go.
• Europeans see Americans as loud and boisterous. And a lot of times, they’re right. Maybe we’re excited to be in the places we have always dreamed about going. Maybe we think that if we talk loud enough, they may be able to understand us better. Please try to keep the noise level down. They will appreciate it.
• We know that countries like France and England have a lot to offer, and we will explore every part of those countries. But some of the other countries we think of having only one city worth seeing. I would love to know the kinds of things you’re interested in seeing, and be able to help you plan your itinerary. Please let me know if you are interested.
• You will not need to carry around all the cash you may need on your entire trip. Take enough to get you from the airport to your first hotel. They do have ATMs in Europe. Look for a bank that will give you a good rate on international transfers.

Advertisement

Planning the perfect beach trip #3

Think about some of your favorite trips growing up. Did you and your family go to the beach each summer? Or maybe a group of your friends went to the beach each year. Often people find the beach to be a very relaxing vacation. Let’s look at some more tips today.

• Yesterday we ended with talking about how the Caribbean has some of the most gorgeous beaches around. But the truth is that there are some beautiful beaches right here in the United States.
• Unless you live in the middle of our great country, you are going to find a beach within driving distance. Turn your beach trip into a road trip for your family..
• One thing I know many home school families consider to be a huge blessing is to be able to travel whenever you want. If you are able to be flexible in your vacation time, consider going in the late spring or any time in the fall. You are going to be able to save a lot of money. You are also going to beat the crowds this way.
• Do you want to do something a little different for your beach trip? Consider taking a cruise. Cruises do not have to be expensive at all. In fact, some cruises quite inexpensive. And cruises are always exploring the Caribbean and other exotic beach locations.
• Are you looking for a luxurious vacation? There are a lot of five star resorts that are on beaches. Many of these places are going to pamper you at every turn. And don’t worry, these places are going to be on the most beautiful beaches on earth.

Planning the perfect beach trip #2

Sometimes people just need to get away to a beach somewhere. Often they aren’t looking to do anything big, they aren’t wanting to go to a lot of different places, all they want is to relax on a beach somewhere. So let’s get back to discussing how to plan the perfect beach vacation.

• If you do not leave near a beach, you might want to consider flying. If you’re concerned about the cost of tickets, a lot of credit cards are now offering airline miles. Airlines also offer deals.
• Air is not the only thing you can get good deals on. A lot of the hotel chains offer loyalty programs where you can get free nights and special amenities. Some credit cards will also help with hotel stays and may even allow you to stay in a resort at a discounted rate. You can scour the internet for deals. Or you could let me help you figure out how to get a great deal.
• Another thing you’ll need to think through is where you want? Do you want to stay in a hotel/resort where someone else is going to handle all the cleaning and possibly most of the food preparation? Or would you rather get a condo where your family will have to share responsibilities, but may have some more privacy. Condos can be great for families with little ones. They can also be wonderful if you have several smaller families getting together.
• Which beach do you want to go to? Would you be willing to leave the United States? There are some beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. This place is made up of hundreds of islands, each with its own culture.

Tips to plan that perfect beach vacation

I know that it’s Memorial Day, but my family doesn’t have anything planned, so to work some anyway. I do this because there are times I am unable to work because of problems with the internet or whatever.

When people think of the ultimate in a relaxing vacation, they are usually thinking of a beach vacation. With fun in the sun vacations, there is not not a lot of planning you have to do before you get there, and once you get there if all you want to do is relax at the beach and the place that you’re staying, no one will really blame you. Today let’s start looking at some tips that will help you have a great beach vacation.

• One of the first you’ll want to think through is how much you want to spend on your vacation? It is a good idea to figure out how much you want to spend on everything, your accommodations, your food and anything you’ll want to do while you are on vacation. Book with me, and I can help you figure out how to stay within your budget.
• One thing you might want to consider if you’re looking for the ultimate in relaxation is if you want to stay at a resort. You might be surprised at how inexpensive some resorts are. And if you are really looking to get out of cooking and cleaning on your vacation, you might want to consider an all inclusive resort. Again, these resorts can be quite reasonable, especially when you think about everything you get. With all inclusive resorts, you are going to get your accommodations, your meals and beverages, and usually at least some of your activities. You just need to read all the fine print to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting. Or if you book through me, I can help you figure out exactly what you need.
• What are you looking to do on this vacation? Are you just looking to relax on the beach and do some swimming, or are you want to enjoy some watersports? It is a good idea to know what you want before booking your trip, so you know whether your destination matches your interests.
• If you’re taking kids, you’re going to want to make sure that there are some fun things for them to do. Check to see if your destination is going to have a waterpark, amusement park, and things like that. Make sure your vacation is perfect for everyone.

We are going to get back to this tomorrow. I would love to know your thoughts.

Memorials #2

I am going to try to do this done now. I have a feeling that once I start partying, I won’t want to stop.. let’s get back to our discussion of Memorial Day sites.

• Okay, so remember Valley Forge? That is the place where Washington and his troops spent one very hard winter. The men were dying of famine and disease. Valley Forge has a National Park where you can learn more about this tragic time.
• Do you want to visit a place that to has a lot of historic significance? Try Philadelphia which is fairly close to Valley Forge. This is where the Constitution was written. This is where the Liberty Bell is.
• New York City has a memorial. It is called Fort Greene Park. Here you will be learning more about the eleven thousand men when died as prisoners of war during the Revolutionary War.

Where to celebrate Memorial Day #1

When most people think of Memorial Day, they think the long weekend, a chance to do cookouts with family or friends, maybe an excuse to hit the malls. And I’ll admit that this weekend is going to be crazy for us. Dear friends have a son is getting married tomorrow. I think I’ll be able to do this tomorrow, but I’m not sure when. Memorial Day is to remember those who have died in the war. Today let’s look at some places that you might to go to memorialize those who have the ultimate sacrifice.

• The site everyone thinks of when they want to pay honor dead soldiers is Arlington, VA. This is near our Capital of Washington D.C.. This is a cemetery that was establishthe time of the Civil “The Tomb of the Unnamed Soldier”, and you will also find a memorial to women who have served.
• In D.C., you are going to find a lot of memorials. In relation to what we’re talking about today you will find a memorial to both the Korean and the Vietnam War. Both are near the National Mall, is not a shopping center. There are memorials you can visit in this city, which makes it a popular place to visit this weekend.

Friend reunion #2

Let’s get back to our discussion on how to plan a great friends’ reunion. Everyone is so busy these days. It’s hard to connect even with the people we care about the most. It’s important to plan weekends where you can gather with the friends who are important to you.

• Food is part of our daily lives. Is your group going to want to eat out for every single meal? Are you going to rent a condo where everyone can cook? I would highly recommend eating together, because if you don’t that is going to be a huge chunk of time that you will not be together. Doing cooking competitions is always fun. You will want to discuss food allergies before your trip so that everyone will be able to plan well.
• Everyone is going to want to talk and hang out together. But you’ll want to try to have at least one group outing planned each day. It can be a very simple thing. You may want to go window shopping one day downtown. Or if you are meeting at the beach, try to have a beach sports day. If guys and girls are coming, you might want to consider splitting up a time or two.
• Having games as an option when everyone together is a must. Was there a game your group used to play when everyone hung out all the time. Your whole group doesn’t have to play the same game. You can split into smaller groups to play.
• And be sure to also discuss who is going to do the clean up after your weekend. You don’t want to be the one left to do everything. This too could be done in teams.
• Once you do go on your trip, be sure to have fun. Enjoy being with people you love. Make memories together. You might want to discuss making this an annual event.

Have you done something like this before? I would love to hear about it. I would also love to help you to plan something like this.

Friend reunion #1

Let’s face it. People in America tend to be busy. Most everyone has a career they’re trying to build. They have a family that they’re trying to keep up with, both immediate and extended. But sometimes it’s good to plan a getaway with old friends people you love but don’t get to see that often anymore. Maybe it’s the group you hung out with in college, or the group you and your husband were part of when you were getting to know each other. Whatever group on you’re thinking about, it’s time to get together. Today let’s look at some tips to help you plan a trip like this.

• First, who all do you want to come? Is it just going to be a couple of close friends? Do you want to include their spouses? Should you include children too.?
• You will want to get a feel for who all may be interested in doing something like this. One of the best ways to do this is to send out an evite and see who all responds.
• The next thing that you will want to do is to create a Facebook group where everyone can discuss where they want to go and what they want to do.
• And if you would allow me, I would love you book your trip. I can help you figure out where the best place might be. I can help you coordinate flight schedules.

Ways to save in Europe

Going to Europe can be expensive, especially if you want to go during the summer months when everyone when everyone wants to be there because school is out and things like that. Today let’s look at some ways you can save money and also have fun.

• Most European cities are going to have one fancy/expensive market where they want all the tourists to go. Don’t go there, unless you just want to get a selfie for your favorite social media site. Instead you will want to go to the market where the locals shop. That will give you a better idea of how they live anyway.
• Things are going to be a lot more reasonable if you go to small towns in Eastern Europe. For the best prices, you will want to go to the lesser known towns.
• Europe is going to have parks anywhere you might go. Go to their market to get your favorite picnic food, and then enjoy an afternoon in the park. This is an inexpensive way to enjoy an afternoon.
• A lot of these cities are going to have city passes. These will get you into their museums and different attractions for a reduced price. The more you use the passes, the more you’ll save.
• Europeans love to party and have fun. There are always going to be citywide parties everywhere, especially during the summer month. These parties are often going to be free, so go for it.
• One of the best ways to get from Point A to Point B is to go by bus. You are going to find that this is going one of the least expensive ways to travel.
• Walking tours of cities have become big in Europe. These are often led by someone who has lived in the city all their lives. This is going to give you a great overview of city. They might ask for tips, but this is going to be a lot less expensive than formal tours.

Tips for traveling with kids #3

Today let’s look at some more tips on what to do when traveling with children..

• You’ll want to do as much of the pre-boarding stuff as you can before you and your children reach the airport. This will help you avoid some of those long lines children tend to get so antsy in. You are going to be able to do a lot of it from your smart phone.
• If you plan on doing a lot of international traveling with your kids, you might even want to look into Global Entry. It does cost one hundred dollars, and I think that is per person. But this is going to allow you to skip even more long lines.
• Especially if you’re traveling with small children, you’ll want to skip guided tours. These type tours are usually pretty boring for children. If there is a tour you’d really like to do, consider getting a babysitter while you go.
• There is a time to save money and a time to splurge a little for the sake of convenience and sanity. You might want to take the taxi instead of doing public transportation. You might want to splurge on that extra room or bringing a babysitter along.
• And it’s perfectly okay to have a day where you have absolutely nothing planned. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. Spend at least a day or two by the pool and/or in front of the tv.
• My favorite trips are when we go see family or old friends. It’s always fun to get to see people you don’t see on a regular basis. This will probably help you save a lot on costs.. You may not need to get a hotel, and you may get some free babysitting time.
• Do you want to teach your kids financially responsibility? Give them each a small budget for the extras, like souvenirs or extra treats. I think that’s about it.

I would love to know your thoughts about any of this.