New Purchases

I purchased a road map and a campground and RV atlas. I've already marked the outline of where I will definitely be going. What I need to do next is to add in the places that I'm actually going to visit and match them up to the book.

I will also need to contact the people that I would like to see along the way. I have one friend in Oregon, and a family friend in LA that I need to contact to let them know that I will be visiting this summer.

Planning where I'm going and figuring out where and how long I will be somewhere has turned into a pain. I am bringing my kitty along with me over the summer because it's too expensive to have someone come in and check on him all summer long. I can't leave him at my dad's house because his dog is really big and will make my kitty scared. Although I'm pretty sure I've done a good enough job of that. I'm not going to my mom's house until the end of the summer. I wouldn't want to leave him at MBF's, My Best Friend's, house with a new baby. So, the best solution is to bring him with me. He should be able to roam around in the tent and really be able to roam around the car while we're driving. (I say we because S wants to come with me on some or all of the trip. My sister, M, may also go along for part of the ride.)

I'm in sort of a dilemma. Do I put the money I've saved up into the bank in a separate savings account or do I just keep it here at home. Sometimes it makes me nervous having so much money in the house, but at least I know where it is if it is here with me. I'm able to count and recount my savings and it gives me something to do for a few minutes, when I need something to do. I may just keep the money here. If I put it in the bank then I have to leave it in the account for at least 6 months. I could put it in with my current savings account, but I don't want to get too confused between what I've got and what I've already saved up. I think I'll just keep it here at home until it's time to go on the trip. I'll figure something out between now and then.
If I have any money left over, I will start saving for the big backpacking trip across Europe in a few years (2?) Yeah, I'm gonna throw it out there, anyone interested in a summer long backpacking trip across Europe. I want to be able to visit many parts of Europe, so it will be long and adventurous.

In other news, I'm going to be leaving to visit my family for Christmas on Saturday. I will be gone for the entire two weeks and hopefully I will be well rested when I come back on Sunday, January 6. I've already got a busy 2008 in January lined up.

I guess that's enough rambling for now.

Happy Holidays

Am I ready for vacation??

I am so excited for the cruise that will be happening in March! This is my first cruise. S and I have decided what we're going to be doing for all of the land excursions... Mayan ruins, zip lines, ATV drives through the jungle and then snorkeling or enjoying ourselves on the beach. I am not one to over pack my vacations with too much in terms of activities. How is that fun? I would like to have one or two major activities a day and just take my time in doing them. And enjoy myself.

I've been on the lookout for good deals for airfare. We're going in March, so it's spring break season in Miami. So... I hope that I'll be able to get a good deal for the flight. I'm anticipating spending money for a hotel room for Friday night and also for Saturday night, March 22. We won't be flying back immediately, we're going to stay one night before we make any plans... again, this falls into my "it's vacation" mentality. Why rush when you can take your time and have the same arrangements?

I haven't made any big plans for summer, yet. I am waiting for a United States fold out map. That's probably something I could have picked up today, while I was out. Maybe I'll make another excursion out and pick this up tonight so that I can begin to plan over Winter Break. I will be getting a significant amount of money next week, so I might be able to spend some and purchase the annual pass and the Hostelling International membership so that I would be able to begin to make plans for each place that I am going to visit.

One thing I am concerned about is what to do with my kitty cat while I am gone. Should I bring him with me? Should I leave him with a friend? Should I pay to have someone come in while I'm gone? So many questions...

I will not be starting my summer vacation right away when school lets out in June. My very good friend is expecting around that time and will be having a C-Section. I'm going to begin the summer by going to visit her and help take care of her little boy before I can begin my trip. D, my sister, is also expecting around this time and I may be able to visit her and her little one when s/he is still little! I am definitely making a stop to visit family for the summer!

So many things to think about, so many things to do, so little time to complete it all!

December 7, 2007

After last summer's very hectic schedule, I decided that this year's summer (2008) would be different. I told myself, you are going to have a vacation no matter what it takes. And as I thought about it, I decided that I would like to travel the northwest camping and exploring areas that I have always heard about but have not yet been able to visit.

Tonight, as I was contemplating the trip, I searched the internet for the national parks pass that allows a person to purchase an annual pass for $80 and allows free admission to all of the national parks in the country. Since I am planning to visit many national parks over the summer, I thought this might be a good investment.

I also searched online for hostelling international sites as an alternative to outdoor camping. For the areas that I am planning to visit, there are a good number of hostelling international sites that I would be able to take advantage of. Since there are many hostels in the areas that I am planning to visit, this may also be a good investment.

And, as I was searching I would like to get a fold out road map, so that I would be able to visualize where I am and where I am going. I will also need to get a book that lists campground sites and addresses of their locations so that I would be able to begin to list an itinerary. Of course, I've got quite a while before the beginning of my trip and I will hopefully be able to gather much of what I need before I leave.