10 Things To Make Vacations More Fun and Memorable

We've all been there. We spend hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars on a vacation, only to be disappointed when we get home. Things didn't go as planned or live up to all our expectations leading up to said vacation. It doesn't have to be that way though. Life is about experiences! And, even if those experiences aren't what you planned, they can still be great and make your life all the richer for them. A little planning and a lot of attitude can make even the smallest of vacations memorable. Here are 10 strategies we use to make each trip we take amazing and wonderful.

Cliche Selfie Date

This last weekend we spent three days in Las Vegas with some friends of ours. On our last day we had a few hours to kill before our flight and wanted something fun to do without spending any more money - Vegas will bleed you dry and we were tapped out! We decided we were going to walk around for an hour and take every single cliche selfie we could think of in that amount of time. We actually had a blast doing this, it cost us zero dollars, and we had a good laugh at ourselves looking at the pictures in the airport. This idea could really be taken to any city you visit, or even your own home town if you need a free date. Grab the camera, get out there and get silly. Here are our favorite pictures from that little jaunt. 

Take A One Day Road Trip

Yesterday was a sunny Sunday with nothing on the books. We decided it was the perfect day to grab our son and his wife and head out for a little day trip. We packed the car with road snacks and headed out for an adventure and had a GREAT time! Taking a road trip in the area you live in could just be the ticket your family needs for a day of fun together.

10 Car Camping Tips

When the kids were growing up we did a lot of camping. It was cheap, fun and got their energy out. We kept it simple, but always had a great time. When my father died in a car accident, the weekend after the funeral we were up in the mountains camping. It gave our family some time to ourselves, to be together, to reflect and be away from the distractions of the rest of the world. I think that's the thing I love the most about camping and hiking - the peace. Here are 10 tips to help make your next camping trip a success.

How To Pay For Your Vacations

Aaron and I love to travel: if you have been following my blog for any length of time, you already know that. We are not rich people however, so going on trips can be a little tricky for us in the financial department. How do we do it then, you ask? Here are our tips to help us on our way with smiles on our faces.

The Big Island - Hawaii

When most people think of Hawaii, they think of Oahu, with Waikiki beach, Pearl Harbor and The Polynesian Center. We decided to go off the beaten path and visit The Big Island, the island furthest south, and the youngest of the Hawaiian islands. I will give you a quick synopsis of our favorite spots from our 8 day excursion in case you are thinking about going yourself.

Visit A Neighboring City

Aaron and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary this weekend. Time sure does go by quickly! I was fortunate enough, however, to meet my guy so early in life that we have been together for most of that time: We met when I was 14 years old, dated for 4 years and married the rest so we have pretty much been together for two-thirds of my life. The amazing thing is, we still LOVE to be together.

We had so much fun this weekend, that I wanted to share. Maybe you could find something fun to do in our trip, and want to do it yourself ;o) We took a three hour drive down to Portland.

We Need a Vacation

by Amy Hamblin

I came across an article the other day about what you can do to keep romance in your marriage.  I always love to read those articles just to see how many of the things they list are things that my husband and I already do.  One of the things listed was to take a vacation without your kids.

The Man Cave: Top 10 Road Trip Tips

Summer is here. Like many Americans our family will be making a few road-trips. I love road trips, and over the years I have made literally hundreds. In today's Man Cave I have distilled all my accumulated experience and knowledge into 10 vital tips for a successful road trip...man style. So load 'em up, family...car leaves in 5 minutes, with or without you.

Wallawa Lake, Oregon

I had an amazing week with my family! We went up to Wallawa Lake, Oregon and had a great time hiking, swimming, paddle boating, playing games and eating. It's a fun destination if your looking for a new place to go.

Thinking About A Cruise? Here's My Experience.

Hola Amigos! We are finally home from our vacation. It is always a bitter sweet feeling coming home. You are happy to be sleeping in your own bed again, and eating your own food, but sad to be back to reality. I liked hanging out in the sun all day; living in Seattle we just don't get a lot of that.

If you are thinking about doing a cruise in the future, here is my new found experience.

3 Strategies We Use To Help Pay For Vacations

I love to go places and see things. It doesn't have to be exotic just new. We have always tried to do at least one family trip a year. A couple have been big - Disneyland, Cancun and our upcoming Caribbean Cruise - but mostly we keep it simple. Just exploring and being together. Even simple can get expensive though. Here are the top 3 things we do to help us pay for our vacations.