Arizona

Been thinking about Arizona lately. My mom moved there- My friend Syndie from High School lives there. The Mothering magazine headquarters are either there or in New Mexico. Last night we saw a show about campers (If I were British I'd call it a caravan) It was insane how expensive they were. It's so not my style to spend $300K on a gas guzzling home-on-wheels. I'd much rather buy an old funky Bus, convert it to Biodiesel, paint it pink and head for the hills. Arizona would definitely be a destination. It would be fun to decorate the inside, too. I love all the hidden nooks & crannies of a camper/caravac/hippybus. I think we'd sleep in hammocks. And I'd want to also make the roof of the thing completely flat with anchor hooks and 24 inch high rails on the edges so we could pitch a tent there, and use it as a patio.

Not far from here...

I can't wait to stay at the
Bonneville Hot Springs Resort in North Bonneville Washington

Not that I plan to anytime, soon, but I did the review and I just thought it looked like so much fun to sit in the hot tub on my private balcony in the woods, watching the deer in the forest. It sounds so relaxing.

carsickness?

very dramatized, that last line didn't happen until 10 minutes after we got out of the car, but still....

Overheard on the way to girl scouts (in the car are me, E2 (age 4mos) and R (age 11) and M1 (age 11):

bla bla bla giggle giggle giggle

M1- what's wrong, R?
R- oh nothing

bla bla bla giggle giggle giggle

R- I hope I don't get carsick on the way to Yosemite next week
M1- Um, yeah that would suck
Me- Are you feeling carsick now?
R- well, no

bla bla bla giggle giggle giggle

R- BBLLEECCHHH

Whew- I can't wait to go now

I checked out the hotel, it's the Comfort Inn & Suites near the Portland Airport and it's been reviewed favorably several times. It has an indoor pool, which will be nice. One reviewer suggested taking the free shuttle to the airport and using city transportation (which is dirt cheap) while we're there. The idea doesn't sound immediately appealing to me, in fact it sounds rotten at first, but when I think of the possibility of getting lost while driving around an unfamiliar town and paying to park at attractions not to mention the fuel cost (we have 6 kids and a Suburban that gets 8-10 mpg) The idea of using the light rail shuttle does sound a little better. So I am investigatin, we'll see if it will work for us. I'll keep you posted!

We're going to Portland

June 2-5 Not sure of the whole itinerary but we'll be visiting Pioneer square, the Oregon Zoo, the Oregon History Center and OMSI. I found the Oregon Zoo has great resources for teachers on their website. We're traveling with a large group of homeschooling families, it's going to be so much fun. I need to check customer reviews of the hotel we're staying at, the idea of staying with the group sounds like so much fun but the name of the hotel isn't consistently reputable throughout the U.S. (lucky me- the hotel reviewer, gets the inside scoop) I don't want to switch away from the group, but I also don't want to stay if it's overpriced or dirty. $71 a night isn't bad for a big city, but it's by the airport, and you just never know by the airport. They have a pool and a spa and continental breakfast, but do they have complimentary high speed internet access? Some hotels charge, and what about parking? I'd rather spend $ on a better room than on parking. When we went to CA last summer, they wanted to charge us $12 each time we used the parking lot, so we just parked across the street. And they wanted to charge $10 per day for internet access WTF??? I think it was like a 4 star hotel, too. Marriott I think. But the toiletries were Bath & Bodyworks, I think. That was nice. And it was beautiful, the view was beautiful. The staff was friendly. Anyhow- back to Portland. I can't wait to get the itinerary. I want to get together with friends from my Mothering Magazine Due Date Club. Lunch, at a park or something. Do I even want to Bring Mr H? He once said "zoos are for retards."

Cinco De Mayo Resources

I do realize this is a travel blog, but we're homeschoolers on a tight budget, so instead of real ly traveling to Mexico for Cinco De Mayo (which would be stupid because they don't celebrate it there) we're just using the holiday to learn a little more about Mexico. Here are some resources we've found:


Coloring Page: Children in Traditional Mexican Clothing
Coloring Page: Children playing with pinata
Coloring Page: Mexican boy in Charro suit
Coloring Page: Fiesta
Word Search: easier and harder
Cinco De Mayo songs (not traditional songs, these are goofy teacher-made songs)
Tons of Crafts (with excellent pictures) at Kaboose
Making Friends website also has tons of fiesta crafts you can use for Cinco De Mayo
More Mexican Crafts at Enchanted Learning

Planning a budget vacation for families

I thought this article had some really good ideas for inexpensive family travel. I hope you enjoy it. Eddy has some good ideas for saving money planning a family trip. And, he loves, using commas. Enjoy,,,

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How To Use 6 Simple Tip To Plan A Budget Family Vacation

This article reveals 6 simple tips on how to get the budget family vacation you always wanted. Read on.

The need for a budget family vacation is getting more and more important as the standard of living keep on rising.

Having the joy of a family get-together is often viewed as a time to bonding with the children. It is also a great opportunity to rest and relax after a hard day's work or from school.

Your children will love to go on an adventure trip for the summer and you will enjoy spending some quality time with your family in a beautiful setting.

With the increasing cost of airfares and lodging, many people feel they can no longer afford to go on vacation . The good news is that with a bit of extra effort, you can plan a budget family vacation that everyone will enjoy.

I have some interesting ideas to share with you. In fact, there are 7 simple tips to explore.

#1 Prepare early is one of the keys to saving on your family vacation. You have to start planning in advance. If you start your search in advance, you have a better chance to find a special offer that provides you with a budget family vacation package to a dream location. You will get lots of fun planning together as a whole family.

#2 Choosing during the non-peak period is often the best bet. A holiday vacation during the non-peak period can be cheaper than peak periods. Travel agency have special offers in May and September. It is much easier to plan a budget family vacation during these 2 months. This period happens to be near the summer holidays.

#3 Location flexibility is also one of the factors to a budget family vacation. Some airline companies often have promotion for specific vacation spots. Although they don't fly anywhere, if you happen to enjoy one of their vacation destinations, you will get cheaper airplane tickets for your budget family vacation.

Finding an attractive location within 300 miles from your home can be also another tip for a budget family vacation. Thus reading gas and traveling expense altogether.

#4 Rental vacation is quite popular among people seeking budget family vacation. There are researches that shown the average holidaymaker spends more on food than on accommodation during a family vacation.

If you find a vacation rental with a kitchen, you can cook some of your own meals. This way you will spend less money on dining out.

#5 Do you want you friends to join you?

The 5th tip is to invite your friends to join you for a budget family vacation. It is more of sharing the accommodation costs, traveling in a larger group has plenty of other advantages.

You kids will be able to play with your friend altogether if you are going to invite them to join you for a budget family vacation. They can turns babysitting so you can enjoy a romantic dinner in a fine restaurant.

#6 Another tip is a cheap vacation is to go camping. Your kids will love to go for a camping because it is fun and exciting not forgetting the safety aspect of it. As there are other campers, they will get to interact with them. This will also boost up their social skills.

This activity is one of the most affordable choice for the whole family. For a family of four, it is usually costing less than $1500, with new camping gears.

Campsites are usually located in wonderful settings and include plenty of planned activities and bathroom and shower facilities. Some even provide wireless Internet access and cable TV.

If you love outdoor adventures, going camping is a great option for a budget family vacation.

Are you ready for more fun?

A family vacation with a budget can be more fun and exciting than a expensive one. If you put some effort into the planning process, you can have a perfect vacation with your loved ones and share some unforgettable life experiences.

In conclusion

A well planned, budgeted holidays for the whole family is surely a good way to travel with current rising costs of living. Most of all, it instills family cooperation and planning to make it happen.

That's why, Eddy believe he can help you find the most budgeted family holidays and to enjoy most of your vacations.

Source: articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eddy Kong is the owner of a website called all inclusive family vacation deals. This guide will be able to help more dads and moms find alternative solutions to their family vacations so as to start the bonding the process. Drop by at his site now.