happy summer friends!
i hope you all are enjoying the sunshine and doing or planning some fun things for summer 2021!
i wanted to jot down some things that we have learned along the way with traveling on a budget....
if you know the dertings, you know that life is budgeted---(something somewhat funny happened friday night in vegas, i will share in a bit).
some do's for us:
*we travel 5 days max! we do travel often on weekends thanks to family in SC & FL (those trips because of our peeps cover room and board)---- we do love to travel, but being gone for more than 5 days is too much for us! our most recent adventure we left monday morning at 7am (arrived at 9am in vegas) and came home saturday morning (left vegas at midnight)----so only 4 nights of hotels were needed!
*we booked our plane tickets using air miles----we got miles 3 years ago when we each applied for an american airlines credit card (those cards are now closed with no balance)------with covid however----we shifted those miles 3 times last summer, so we needed to use them or lose them this year!
*we ALWAYS stay in a hotel that serves breakfast---thats a brooks derting RULE! last week we were in 2 hotels---1 in vegas and 1 in flagstaff (brooks and i stayed in the flagstaff one in august)----thats another thing, when we find something we like, we tend to go back! both hotels last week offered fruit loops (which brit never gets unless in a hotel---- i am in no way a health nut, but i don't buy $5 boxes of cereal when a $1 pack of chocolate chip muffins lasts her a week!) with little boxes of fruit loops and prepackaged bagels----both kids had breakfast and many snacks for the road!
*when on vacations we don't (don't judge) pay for pink jeep tours, museums, bus tours, etc----we prefer to be in charge of our destinations and we also don't want to pay for someone else to control our destinations. we would have paid for the hoover dam tour last week because it would have been a once in a lifetime thing, but it was closed :(
*back to hotels: we don't stay at the most expensive hotel and we sure don't camp (not a camper in any way---never will be don't try to convince me)------we are just fine at a fairfield inn!
*we don't buy "things" when on vacay! brit did get $6 worth of stickers for her water bottles and i got a nevada tank from wal-mart-----but we don't buy "things'! our memories are in things we have done and the pics we take along the way not a stuffed animal that end up at goodwill!
*with this most recent trip----we booked less than a month ago, we couldn't make a decision on what to do with covid still hanging around----sometimes booking late gets you better deals, but sometimes its a gamble!
*last week we knew we were going to see vegas and the grand canyon---brooks thought we would pass hoover dam, but we didn't have a full plan until we got there----we added utah-zion national park last minute on monday---we bought a national parks pass----it was $80, good for a year---- zion and the grand canyon would have been $35 each, so we opted for the year pass---which got us into other monuments, etc----and now we have a year to see more national parks!
*food-----when on vacay---- i am going to eat, i am not cooking anything and its not going to be crappy food! with that being said that may mean we eat hotel breakfast mid morning, have a late big lunch and then a simple dessert for dinner! there are NO days that we eat out 3x and we don't eat things we can get at home----del taco---was great----yes it was a little "fast foody" for me on vacay---but we would like to invest in a franchise for our southern friends (way better than taco bell). you can be mindful of food on vacation if you plan accordingly! (and clearly i would rather spend money on good food than "things")
*the car rental----probably the most annoying part of the trip----it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't the best choice on our part. when we checked in they offered a "free" upgrade to jeep rubicon---yeah it looks cool, but driving it for 12 hours to and from states at 18 miles per gallon and gas at $3.50+ it just wasnt smart as we spent more on gas than anything else! also, for the future----if you have prime, book a rental car through prime (no issues at all last august doing that)...this time was expedia!
*speaking of expedia that is 90% of time how we book trips---hotels for sure!
so back to the "funny" story in vegas-----it was friday night on the vegas strip we needed a cab to the airport and brooks being who he is about money and counting all of his pennies----was asking anyone he could find what the rate would be (he was checking uber and the price kept jumping up and down from $25-$75, i am guessing because it was friday night in vegas)-----we were in the cab line and i guess the guy behind us had been paying attention to brooks' stress about a cab (he really hates to overpay for something he doesn't see value in)----we are next to get a cab and the guy tapped me on the shoulder and said do you have tip money? i am sure i looked at him like he was crazy----he said here, here is a couple dollars, thanks dude we appreciate it, but we have money to get home, my husband just prefers to hoard our money!!!
we loved this last minute trip----the kids got to see things i hope they remember forever! if you get a chance visit out west, the sights won't disappoint!
thank for reading, for looking at our million pics (why take pics, if you don't share?), and for following the latest #dertingadventures
much love, alysha