Travel Advice

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. ~Mark Twain

Explore Your Own Backyard!

Another good first step is to check out the local Chamber of Commerce, if you have one. They're in business to promote the community to both visitors and potential residents, so they'll have plenty of information on tourist attractions. Gas stations and fast food restaurants also generally have lots of brochures with different attractions and businesses on display; start collecting and reading these brochures. A few more travel tips within your home area:

• Search online for "hidden treasures" others have uncovered in your home town or state.
• Leave the chain restaurants behind and discover your locale's ethnic and unique neighborhood restaurants.
• Talk to native-born local people and learn about local history and historical people.

The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land. ~G.K. Chesterton

Saving for a Family Vacation

• First, select the destination and duration, so you can start to plan the cost. Are you going to stay close to home? Or visit somewhere out of state? Both can be great vacations, but you have to keep your budget in mind. Are you going for a long weekend? A week? Longer? All these factors will determine how much money you will need and time off from work will be needed.
• If both parents work, it can be tricky to get vacation time at the same time, but if you select a time that's "off season", not only will you have a better chance of getting your requested time off, but you can save a bundle on vacation expenses. Many places offer off-season discounts, which can be sizeable. Take advantage of trusted on-line travel sites that might offer special package deals that would save you money.
• Once you know where, when and for how long, how much is it going to cost? Figure out how much you'll have to set back each week toward the vacation expenses. Are there little things you can cut out to put in the fund? Fewer trips to the fast food places, cups of designer coffee, or other splurges can make a huge difference in the budget. Another way to add to the vacation fund is to have a garage sale. Not only will you earn some extra cash, you will clear out some of that stuff that's been cluttering up the house. Make it a family project, with everyone donating things for the sale.
• There are a few ways to organize the money you are saving, to help make it harder to spend.

  Set up a separate account at the bank, something like a Christmas fund can be used, or even just another checking account. Many banks have no frill checking accounts that require no minimum balance and a low amount needed to open the account. Open a savings account in under five minutes with no fees, no minimums and FDIC insurance

  Pre-paid debit cards can also be a great way to save money. Activate the card, add funds to it weekly and tuck them away in a fire safety box, or someone else that isn't accessed all the time until your vacation. If you have the money split between the cards, you can designate one toward food, one toward lodging, another toward travel expenses, etc, so you can keep track of your budget.

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