Summer is in full swing, but have you been delaying a summer vacation because it all just seems too expensive? It doesn’t have to be that way, and you don’t need to spend lots of cash to create lasting memories. Living on a budget doesn’t equal living a boring legacy. Take time this summer to have fun—just be intentional about it.
My husband and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary last month. One of the greatest things about moving fairly frequently is that you get to go to new places and see things unique to the area. Washington has a spectacular coastline. The Pacific Ocean and the Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific) are full of some great things. I was able to visit Ocean Shores last year. It was nice to see the Pacific again.
Monterey delighted us. This town of 29,000 people has the attractions and shopping of a city of 200,000. I came as a teenager with my family over 20 years ago and have always wanted to share the aquarium with my children. This visit we lounged at the Lover’s Point Inn (10% off with military ID http://www.loverspointinnpg.com/) with great rooms a two-minute walk from the beach – try the Mermaid Beach House if you want something extra special and have the space of a home.
Most of us have probably felt a hate for the current place we call home—at least a time or two. It could be the housing, the neighbors, the weather, the unit, the constant deployment or TDY cycles, or one of a hundred other things that make it bad. I’ve had that hate, but just like going through basic training, often times it takes moving on from that installation to realize it wasn’t really that bad or that there was actually some good things about that “home.”
As every military family knows, serving one’s country often comes at a personal cost. Our family members may return home with serious injuries from overseas combat or peacekeeping operations. Arduous training may leave them susceptible to strength-sapping illnesses like pneumonia or the flu, while bugs they contract abroad can require extensive medication and recovery.
Fortunately, there are a variety of resources to assist military families facing precisely these kinds of issues. From airline mile donations to complementary hotel rooms, these programs can help ensure that the financial burden of helping heal a wounded warrior doesn’t fall entirely upon his or her family’s shoulders.
The entire month of March, to say the least, was a journey for me. As much as I hate to use that word (most likely thanks to its glaring overuse on ABC’s The Bachelor), it has been.
Living in South Korea has its challenges, and calling them “challenges” shows a lot of restraint on my part and a testament to my will power. The past 15 months have been a learning experience unlike any other; however, I am thankful my family is together, regardless of the growing pains encountered due to living in a foreign country. It got me thinking about the misconceptions people have of South Korea.
With gas prices on the rise, you might think a summer trip will cost more than you can afford this year. But if you’re willing to do a little homework and planning, you’ll find that most any trip can be affordable.
It’s that time – time to start planning your summer vacations. With the current economy, there are so many doubts and question. Can I afford it? Should I use that money for something else? Is there any way to make a vacation more affordable? Should I just stay home?
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