For A Bit of Holiday Fun

School is back in session.  Schedules are pretty much set in stone.  And the calendar is filling up weekly with things to do, places to be, and deadlines to be met.  When do you find time to travel with the family?  That's saved for holidays and weekends.  Right?

It's getting more like that each week as we watch our hard earned dollars sucked away by rising fuel costs.  It seems like our trips are staying closer to home and getting fewer and further between.  Well, that doesn't work when we want to visit family across the country.  So how do you do it?

First, start saving those pennies.  Every little bit helps.  When I get the idea in my head that we need to go see Great Grams, I start planning months in advance to make sure we're going to get the best price for our trip.  I realize I can't control the gas prices, but I can look at past trends to see how much the price will increase on a particular holiday weekend.  That way, I can average out how much more I'm going to spend to get from home, through the woods, and on to Grandma's house.

Then, I start looking at hotels.  Some of the best deals can be made by searching online for a few weeks in advance.  You could even call the hotel of your choice and see if they have any special deals they can make

With our family, we exceed some of the largest room capacities by one person.  We've called to make sure they don't really care if one of our kids squishes into the queen size bed with the other two children.  Oftentimes, they may be able to cut you a deal, especially if you need more than one room.

Since we usually travel during peak holiday times, we spend a few months before we go telling the kids to help us set aside some money for our trip.  They love the idea that they can help fund the trip.  There have been evenings when I'm too tired to cook and I want to grab something from fast food.  They will remind me that we're saving up to see Grandma.  That's their contribution.  And boy are they proud!

Be sure to include the kids in your plans.  They will feel as though they own just a part of the trip and maybe that will help things go more smoothly once you start out for Grandma's house.