Lessons From the Road: ODO 27/ MDC 10

Crossover Show!!

We are back from our annual vacation to Texas. After executing what we feel has been our most successful vacation to date, we decided to share some of our road stories and tips for surviving the experience.

Our Vacation Pro Tips:

• If you can stand to do it, driving is much more economical. Our total fuel cost round trip was less than the cost of a single plane ticket. With a family of 6 flying would have beyond broken our budget.
• Staying with family is always a handy was to save a bit on hotels. It also means you’ll have a kitchen handy to have home cooked meals. This also helps reduce dependence on restaurants all the time.
• If staying in a hotel, look into getting an extended stay suite with a  kitchen. They are typically a bit roomier and again having a kitchen severely reduces dependence on takeout. Considering the cost of dining out for every meal for a family of any size, the cost of the suite with kitchen is more than made up in the big picture.
• Put your vacation budget on a prepaid gift card (Visa, AMEX, MasterCard.) It’s a great way to avoid overspending. We even separated out our projected gas budget for the trip on a second card to keep those funds safe from accidental spending.
• Consider purchasing solid shampoo for the trip. We use a variety sold by LUSH. It is easier to pack/ use/ travel with than bottles. And, if you are flying, you avoid the hassle of TSA security trouble over a bottle of shampoo.