a blog about budget travel and making the most of every vacation
January 10, 2024
Our stay at Lost Pines was in early June of 2023. Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Spa and Resort is a sprawling resort just outside Austin, Texas. Our stay was booked on points and our room was a standard room. The resort is beautiful and well maintained.
August 14, 2023
Arriving at the Drury Plaza Riverwalk, we pulled into the parking garage area and had to wait a bit as all vehicles are parked via valet. However, we had rented a Tesla for our stay and that is one car that they have you park yourself.
June 17, 2023
On a recent trip to the Austin Texas area, we rented a Tesla Model Y from Hertz. I like to use our trip rentals to try out different cars that we may purchase in the future and a Tesla is on my list. After a bit of research, I found that it is best to join their Gold membership for an easier rental experience, and you can join for no extra cost! The two advantages for me was the walk to the car without the long wait at the counter and my spouse is also allowed to drive without an additional fee.
September 11, 2022
We recently stayed at the Mohican Lodge at Mohican State Park. The layout is very similar to other state park lodges built around the same time. It is often much easier to get around by going outside the lodge going to and from your room. This lodge has and outdoor pool with a kiddy pool and and indoor pool.
August 5, 2022
On our way to Mohican State Park, we made a slight detour to eat lunch at Ye’ Olde Mill Velvet Ice Cream. Velvet Ice Cream no longer manufactures ice cream there, but it is a nice stop to eat and Read more…
The tour we signed up for was called Beyond the Bars. We had a fabulous guide whose true enthusiasm for this historical site shone through. It was so interesting to learn that before the reformatory was there, it was a Civil War training site and how the Reformatory came to be built, the early guiding principles that formed the early success of the Reformatory’s mission and how history unfolded that led to the dark later years of the Reformatory’s history.
February 23, 2022
This past January, we did our second SWDAS cruise. I have to admit that I was nervous that one of us would test positive at port and we would not be able to do our cruise. That by far was Read more…
January 14, 2022
Starting at 15 days before your Disney cruise, you will need to log into Safe Passage to upload your vaccine information. This is the same website the COVID test results will need to be uploaded to for ages 4 years Read more…
January 2, 2022
We are getting ready to go on our Disney cruise on the Fantasy at the end of the month and recently completed our online check-in. You may begin check-in at midnight on day 29 before your cruise. If you want Read more…
September 3, 2021
Enjoy the photo slide show below of our visit. Today we visited The Wilds in Ohio again to do the open air safari tour. We had a great time and got to see the new greater one-horned Asian rhino 2 Read more…
August 7, 2021
We did Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak Scavenger Hunt at EPCOT’s Food and Wine festival. It was a fun way to tour the park. From Disney’s site: “Once you’ve found them all, bring your completed map to Disney Traders, World Read more…
July 7, 2021
If you have watched “Secrets of the Zoo” on Disney+, then you may be familiar with The Wilds, a conservation center in Southeast Ohio. This really is an amazing place to visit and I am so lucky to actually live not far from The Wilds. I have done the open air safari tour several times and enjoy that tour immensely, however as part of a recent stay-cation, I did the Wildside Tour. As amazing as the open air safari tour is, I had no idea what I was missing with the Wildside Tour!
June 23, 2021
We visited Otherworld in Columbus, Ohio the other day. Otherworld is an art museum in east Columbus located in an old strip mall. The tickets are purchased in advance on the website with a timed entry time. The ticket is Read more…
June 9, 2021
Everything has been changed so much by the pandemic for travel, that what we knew before, may or may not be true. I am going to Orlando in August of 2021 and have been tracking the cost of points to Read more…
May 19, 2021
This article is to put all of our blog posts about our Florida Keys trip in one place for easy reference. I hope you enjoyed this series and up next I will blog about some close to home day trips Read more…
April 28, 2021
At the end of our Florida Keys visit, we drove back to Ft. Lauderdale taking a route along the edge the Everglades. We didn’t have this previously planned, but decided to try to find an airboat ride along the way. Just outside of Miami is this neat and affordable stop that gives you a taste of the Everglades.
April 21, 2021
After leaving Key West and on the way back to stay in Key Largo, we stopped at Bahia Honda State Park at mile marker 37 for an afternoon beach break. At the entrance, there is a fee to pay at the gate
April 16, 2021
If you are a history buff or just enjoy the idea of finding a sunken treasure, a visit to the Mel Fisher Museum should be on your list. Our visit was during COVID precautions and upon arrival, we scanned a Read more…
March 28, 2021
This is definitely a must do in Key West for families. It has the fort for the educational aspect and a pretty nice beach by Florida Key standards. You can also launch your kayak, picnic, fish and snorkel here. We only visited the fort and beach on the day we were here. When you arrive, you pay an entrance fee at the gate.