List sharing

So I have mentioned that when our family travels we create some pretty extensive lists. Anything from Things to do, Things to buy, stuff to pack, and places to eat. I thought I would share a few of them so you can see what type of things we put on them. Who knows you may have suggestions for me. Please share.

1. Things to do

Pull out luggage -gets the old closet smell out and lets you see if there is any damage to them

Look through toiletry bag - dump half crusty bottles, replace razor blades, make sure that you have what you need

Clean- nothing worse than coming home to a messy house. Especially after staying at a nice hotel.
Pull warm/cold weather clothing- depending on where you live you don't always get to wear shorts or a coat best to go through them early to see if they still fit

Contact bank and CC company - let them know where you are going so that you don't have your cards turned off for suspicious charges. Really important when going outside of the US.

Stop mail - or arrange someone to pick it up for you. Also a good ideal to put a few lights on timers to discourage anyone who might break in

Get cash & Disney gift cards - always take small cash for tipping and food/magazine vendors, or vending machines it is appreciated. Also if you are going to a place like Disneyland that has gift cards buy some. It is much than juggling cash around and it keeps you on budget.

Pack - aways my job and I am REALLY good at it

Put clean sheets on bed - after a long or short flight it is nice to sleep on clean sheets on your own bed.

Snacks - don't buy a $5 can of nuts out of the mini bar. Leave a little room and take something to snack on. Spend the extra on  another trip

Measure Kid- you want to know how tall they are so you can keep them from being disappointed when they are to short for a ride.

Pay bills - in the heat of doing all the travel stuff things can be forgotten. Trust me.

Pack DVD and portable player - I have a kid who is good on planes but can get board after the third hour of flight. This is why you bring some favorites for them to watch.

I LOVE Kauai!!!

Anini Beach on the North Shore

It has taken me a bit of time to gather my thoughts on what I want to say about such a great vacation. It started off a bit rocky (and rainy when we finally got there) but once we arrived at the house we rented it all just fell into place. This rental is very much the kind of house I wish I could own (the floor plan was great, and I would kill for the kitchen and porch), the floor plan was open and airy, the screen porch is where we spent most of the time while we were there, and my son loved running down the hallway as only a 2 year old can (feet slapping on the tile floors...GO!!). I will not lie, this place ruined me for hotels when I am in Hawaii. Yes it was not on the beach, but we were 10 minutes from a beach and we didn't have tourists puking by the front door. Kapaa is very central so we could explore both the north and southern part of the island (not the eastern though as my boy decided to have a tantrum). The amenities of being in a house far outweigh the small inconvenience of having to drive to the beach (which we would have had to do anyway as the western beaches are not very conducive to kids).

Now as I have stated in previous posts it wasn't totally perfect. The doors into the master bathroom were tight, and the guest bathroom my chair couldn't get through at all. Once in the bathroom I had to get creative with the transfers to get in the shower. All that being said if the owner of the house would let me stay there again I would do it in a minute.

Tree Tunnel headed to Poipu

Also something you do not get with a hotel, access to an owner. These folks were great hosts. They were there for the delivery of our crib/high chair, and when the TV didn't work they showed up with a new set so that my son didn't have to watch Thomas the Tank Engine on a portable dvd player. They were great! Highly recommend using the site VRBO also -- this is where we found this listing, and it was such a terrific experience that we will definitely do it again.

Regional airports

I really think when flying you should consider skipping the large hub airports and utilize the hidden gems that are the smaller regional airports. These smaller airports are great for several reasons. First you do not get stuck waiting for airport security in lines that you would find in Sea Tac, LAX, or O'Hare International. You will get a thorough search but it takes half the time getting through it and that is nice. Better deals in flying, there are a ton of airlines that are moving away from the super airports and going to the regional ones and can offer you a better ticket price. A prime example is Alaska Air and Allegiant Air flying out of Bellingham International Airport (located between Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia Canada). Alaska Airlines have started flying non-stop to Hawaii (which I can't wait to take advantage of), and Allegiant Air flies to San Diego or Las Vegas (their hub and to points beyond). Check out your local regional airport to see where your travels might take you.

You must have money.......

OK, so I know what you are going to say. “Well you must have money to be traveling to all of those places.” No. I am not independently wealthy, a trust fund brat, or even middle class. Plain truth -- I and my wife were low paid mall employees when we decided to do our first Disneyland vacation. If you really want a trip badly enough you can find many little ways to scrounge the money. It might not be a chi-chi trip but really a room is just a place to sleep when you are not out enjoying yourself. My wife and I each tightened the belt. We started the week with $20 spending money and whatever was left at the end of the week went into a savings account -- by the time of the trip we had a good start. It wasn't always easy (there are always DVDs or books that we wanted) but we kept our eyes on the trip.

And we had a great time. We stayed off property at the Best Western on Katella (where I learned not all shower benches are created equal) that had a short walk to the IHOP (cheap breakfast that lasted until mid afternoon). We brought our own snacks from home (trail mix, granola bars, etc.) and saved tons of money on drinks by bringing refillable water bottles with filters. We also made the most of our souvenir money by choosing a few special pieces (for us, one great memento is a piece of artwork or print that we can display in our home -- daily reminders of some great trips!).

Not every trip has to be exotic or upscale. Budget trips can be every bit as fun. Or you can just start with day trips or overnight trips. Don't let there be a barrier in the way. There will always be a reason you can't do something . Try making a reason that you CAN do something.