Lisa’s Travels

As a user of Twitter, I often see people reaching out and asking one another who they should use for cheap flights, cars, airfare, etc.  I know I am always looking for the best deal out there for my family.  With four of us, it can get quite pricey.  I recently came across a cheap discount holidays site that if you are looking for vacation in the UK and want to save a few bucks, you should check out.  They have several links to sites that will give you quotes on everything you will need for the perfect vacation.  They have some links for places here in the United States like Las Vegas and Orlando too.  I think I even saw a link for Mexican vacations (we almost went to Mexico instead of Arizona this last Feb. but Arizona was cheaper).  They make it super easy for you to compare and for you to get the best deal since you are cutting out the middleman.  The site is super easy navigate and find what you are looking for so check it when researching your next vacation.

If we ever go back to Arizona, I have heard that we should check out rocky point rentals. It is located about an hour drive from the Arizona border. These condos and house rentals are located on a beach in a resort town also known as Puerto Penasco. I have heard that they have some great fishing (for the boys) and great shopping (for the girls). It is a resort town, so there really is something there for everyone. I also heard that the gas prices there are more than a dollar cheaper per gallon (which makes it worth the drive)!  Who wouldn’t want the view above from their room?  This will be a place we are going to check out if we head West again.

Even though its still summer here in Chicago, I like to think about how I would love to spend our winter vacation. While its below zero here, I would love to go to a place like the French Polynesian islands. Tahiti sounds absolutely wonderful. Did you know that there are 2 volcanoes there (which I would love to go see) and that by car it takes about 6 hours to go from one end of the island to the other (and this is without stopping)?  You could easily spread out traveling the island over a week or more. There are several places to stop like their colorful market, art and history museums, botanical and flower gardens, animated nightlife, and cultural exhibitions. The picture to the left is one of the three waterfalls that can be found here too.  The resorts are spectacular.  I was not sure what I was expecting when I was checking out some of the amenities, but a lot of their resorts have high speed internet, babysitting, currency exchange, etc.  Pretty much, they have every kind of hotel that will fit your needs.  If you want fancy, they have it.  If you want one that just has a bed for you to sleep in at night, they have that too.  I can definitely see my family and me spending a few Tahiti Holidays here.  How about you?

Not everyone stays in a hotel when they go on vacation. I know several people who look into vacation rentals by owner when they are heading out on vacation. Instead of staying in a stuffy hotel, they get to be comfortable in someone else’s house. The owners sometimes use their second home for this or if you live near an event (like the Olympics) will give up their primary home. I know if Chicago gets the Olympics that I will definitely be looking into vacation rentals. We will find someplace else to live for that month! The cool thing about home rentals is that they are available all over the place: you can find Florida rentals all the way up to Alaska rentals. Pretty much anywhere you want to go, you can find a rental property.

When you use Vacation Home Rentals, you are able to see exactly what you are getting.  There are pictures, a list of what the house has, and how much they are wanting monthly, weekly, daily, etc.  For example, the house that I have pictured above rents for $700 a night, $3,100 a week, or $15,000 a month.  It has 4 bedrooms and 4 bath.  It has full listing of all the amentities like high speed internet access and the activities that are located in the area.  Now, if this is little above your price range, there are tons of other listings you can choose from.  They have houses, condos, and apartments that you can choose from for your rental.

Next time you go are planning a vacation, check out Vacation Home Rentals.

How can you travel without luggage?  You really can’t.  Bill and I have starting looking at possibly getting some new luggage since I think we got ours when we got married (which was 7 years ago).  We have taken several trips with it, and it is starting to show its wear and tear now.  One of the suitcases doesn’t even zip up anymore!  With having 4 of us needing suitcases now, we definitely need some that close and look up to the task.

While checking out Luggage Online, it definitely looks like Travelpro Luggage is the way to go. With 851 reviews, they score 4 stars on all the important categories such as durability, design, buy again, overall, etc.  The picture you see to the left here is one of the Travelpro luggage sets that I really like.  at a sale price of $152.96, it is a great deal.  You can get it in black or blue (and honestly, I would go with blue.  Everybody has black luggage, and it makes it incredibly difficult at the airport to figure out which luggage is yours!)  I love all the extra storage pockets.  I like to be organized and this would allow me to do so.  All these suitcases also fit into one another, so they are a spacesaver once you get home.  Besides this cool luggage set, Travelpro does have several other kinds of luggage — from duffle bags to computer briefcases on wheels.  There is a little something for everyone here, so make sure you check out Travelpro Luggage the next time you need luggage.

Bill and I have been struggling this whole summer so far trying to decide where to take the kids on vacation this year.  With my kids only being 4 and 1, it is a hard call.  I do not want to be spending a ton of money on a trip they are not going to remember.  That being said and with gas prices being so high, we have decided to stay home and vacation.  We live right next to Chicago, and never have any time to enjoy it!  Being that Bill hates to drive downtown more than he has to, we are looking at staying maybe one night (maybe even two) with the kids downtown.  There is a ton of stuff to do in Chicago like Navy Pier, Children’s Museum, The Museum of Science and Industry, The Aquarium, and The Field Museum.  This is just a few things that are just a few blocks away from one another.  On top of there being a ton of things to do, there area also a ton of hotels to pick from.  I personally think we need one with a pool and continental breakfast if we have the kids with.  I love that Hotels Combined has the ability to search on the very parameters that I want.  It makes it so easy to find exactly what I want.  Our plan is to become a tourist in our very own town and visit all the places we never have time for!

Where are you going on vacation this summer?

I have never been a cruise ever.  However, this is one of those things I would love to do.  My inlaws went on a Royal Caribbean(I think) cruise several years ago and absolutely loved it. They actually told us that we need to take one ourselves one day, because it was one of the best vacations they had ever had. After doing some research, I have found that there are several different kinds of cruises you can take. They range from Celebrity Cruises all the way to just using the Norwegian Cruise Line. Currently, my inlaws are in Hawaii. Now, if they would have used a company like Direct Line Cruises, they could have taken a cruise there instead of the forever long airplane trip (which may be a great option for my family with two little ones under the age of 5)! Direct Line Cruises include destinations such as Alaska (which I would seriously love to do!), Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe — just to name a few. Personally, I have always wanted to take an Alaskan cruise. I have heard it is absolutely awesome to go and do. Direct Line Cruises has been around since 1995, so they have been around the block a few times. This is definitely not a fly by night company. They also make booking super easy — it is a just a phone call away or a couple of clicks online!

I never knew there were so many Things to do in New Jersey. If we didn’t already go to Arizona this year, we sure would have a lot of fun at the Wildwood events and the new jersey water parks.

There are going to be Magic Mondays (July 7th, 14th, and 21st). On the Morey’s Piers, Radio Disney’s musical artists will appear. These free concerts (yes, I said free!) will take place next to the Giant Ferris wheel at 1 pm and 4 pm. The Series Finale will be July 26th (which is a Saturday) at the Wildwoods Convention Center Oceanfront Area. Plan on seeing stars such as Raven-Symone and Mitchell Musso there. If you do get tickets for the concert, make sure you get the savings that are also offered with it. On July 26th and 27th, show your summer concert series finale ticket at guest services, and you will get $10 off an all day waterpark ticket for Raging Waters or Ocean Oasis, or $10 off an amusement pier wristband, or $15 off a one day splash and ride combination ticket. How can you go wrong?

If you are in New Jersey in July, make sure you check all the cool happenings that are going on!

Bill and I are trying to decide where to take the kids this summer for vacation. With money being tight due to our basement remodeling project, it is really hard to decide where to go. We also have the other disadvantage that Will is only going to be one. There is not a lot of things that are going to hold both Madison (who is 4 years old) and his attention. He hates to be in the stroller too. One of the places that we were thinking about taking the kids is Wisconsin Dells. I know, its a tad pricey there. However, I think both kids would enjoy the water parks. Instead of going to all the travel sites like Orbitz or Expedia, I have been using Hotels Combined. They have the largest database available. Nothing is more annoying than having to look at 10 different travel sites just to find the best deal. As a mom with little ones, I don’t have time for that.

There are a couple of different things I am looking for in a hotel room. Now, if it is only Bill and myself, I don’t normally care. However, when the kids are with us, we need a lot more room. They need room to play and walk around. I also really like having wifi. I also do not like having to pay extra for it. I also like not having to look at the fine print of the hotels to make sure they have wifi. I like a site that allows me to search according to my parameters not theirs.

Now, I am checking out hotels that Hotels Combined gave me, and there is a ton of information to comb though. One of the hotels I was actually able to check out and get a way better price is the Great Wolf Lodge. This is one of the hotels we are seriously looking at. I was happily surprised to find out that the prices offered here are way less than go through their site. They list all the different prices that all the travel sites are offering, so you can pick which one you want to use. One you pick which place you want to go through, Hotels Combined directs you to their site so you can book. They definitely make it much easier and less time consuming to book your trip.

Since my inlaws have a Hilton Timeshare that we have used many times, I can with confidence say that the Hilton Head South Carolina would be a great place to visit. Hilton is known for their quality, and I am sure that Hilton Head meets those expectations. Hilton Head SC has a little something for everything here. Outdoor activities include boating tours, parasailing, tennis, golf, kayaking and even surfing. There are soccer fields, picnic tables, and even a roller skating/skate board park. They even have golf packages if you enjoy that sport. For someone with little children, I was happy to see that there are ice cream shops and family-friendly restaurants all over. For those of us who like to shop while the boys play, they have 3 malls. Two of them are outlet malls too! There is also a variety of family owned businesses, boutiques, and unique gift shops.

The units come with a lot of things that are great to have. They include washer/dryer, linens, bath towels, start-up supplies of dishwasher and laundry detergent, toilet paper and paper towels, fully equipped kitchen, iron and ironing board, and trash pickup and receptacles. I personally love having a washer/dryer unit. I get to pack less. When you are in your room at night, you are able to do laundry. I also don’t have to come home and have to do a zillion loads either! The other thing I love is the full kitchen. You can save a ton of money by heading to the grocery store and eating out of your room!