Tag / airplane

by Kelly Mattei

Ways to Keep Vacation Costs Down

Ways to keep vacation costs down.

It’s no secret that I love a vacation. I always have. Just say the word “vacation,” and I immediately start singing a song from the 80s by the GoGos: Vacation. I’m a firm believer that we can get a lot of joy from experiencing something different…a culture, a destination, food, and even new people. Some people, apparently, think my husband and I spend a lot of money on travel, and while we enjoy hopping on a plane as much as anyone can, we have learned some ways to take those vacations without paying premium prices. I was a flight attendant for a while after graduating from college and then worked in the travel business, so I know a little bit about travel and keeping costs down. Do I always take inexpensive vacations? No, some of them are more “posh” than others, but I don’t always pay the highest prices, either. I know how to find a deal. I do great research.

Often, people ask me about our trips, and I always remind them that lots of my trips are with friends who split the costs. Yes, splitting costs is the #1 way to keep travel costs down. Take for instance, trips to California, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, New York, Palm Springs, Mexico City, and more…all shared costs with friends who love to travel too. Yes, we purchased individual airline tickets, but by sharing a house or a hotel room, we are able to cut that cost in half. Lots of people do it, and if you’re not doing that, you might be spending too much money. My friend, Jennifer, from Ohio, and I have vacationed together countless times…with our daughters and without. We have shared hotel rooms with our daughters and gotten adjoining rooms for them, but we always have a great time. We also travel with our husbands…sharing a house in the Caribbean. My friend, Mary Ann, and I travel together too, and the two of us simply share a hotel room, keeping costs down. Trust me when I say there are very few people with whom I can travel, but when we do, we split the costs. Renting a house somewhere with a friend or with another family? That cuts rental cost by 50%.

Also, when we travel, I keep my eyes open for future places to stay. I make notes in my phone, so if/when we decide to return to the same destination, I know where hotels/rentals are located, and I can check prices accordingly. For example, there is a place we enjoy visiting regularly, and the first time we went and stayed at a big property, I looked at all the properties nearby. The next time we went, I told my husband I would actually prefer to stay in the smaller, less expensive rentals nearby. They were quieter, with a great pool and beautiful beach, and the visitors seemed less nosy. Now, whenever we return there, we stay in the less expensive villas nearby…and they are so inexpensive that they almost feel free! I actually prefer them over the more crowded resort area we visited first, and we love the villa we rent!

Another way to cut travel costs? Make sure you get your hotel points and airline miles every single time you travel. Also, most airlines now have credit cards that help you accumulate miles more quickly. Use those miles for free tickets, and use your hotel points for free rooms. Huge savings every time! Even if you don’t have a credit card with the airlines, and you only travel by car, you can have a credit card that kicks off cash for everything you purchase. For example, the Bank of America Travel Rewards card will give you cash back, as do credit cards from Wells Fargo, Huntington Bank, and more. Personally, when that accumulates in the account, we use it for a “free” vacation. It adds up more quickly than you think it will. Years ago, I finally convinced my husband he was leaving money on the table by not using credit cards that offered good rewards like airline miles or cash back, and now, he sings my praises for it. Also, airlines sometimes offer promotions that increase the number of miles you receive. If you’re a member of a frequent flyer program, watch for email with special deals on flights. I once took a very expensive seven-night vacation for free, simply because I used the cash back from a credit card, free flights using miles, and a hotel stay using hotel points. I was so proud of myself!

Hotels often offer special deals too. Countless times, I have booked hotels that had “stay for three and get the fourth night free” deals. And some hotel frequent traveler programs offer the 5th night free if you use points to book four nights. Marriott and Hilton both offer this, so if you have a lot of points with Bonvoy or Hilton Honors, look into it. I have actually used this with both hotel chains. With hotel pricing and specials, it’s a matter of checking and double-checking. Don’t just book it and forget it. Every single time I book a hotel room, I continue to check almost daily to see if I see better deals. If I do, I rebook. I have saved thousands of dollars over the years doing this. I once saved over $1500 on one five night trip, simply because I kept watching to see if the rates went down, and when they did, I took advantage of it. Also, some hotel deals might include breakfast or a $150 daily hotel credit. On the surface, it doesn’t look like much, but at a nice hotel, you could spent $100 or more on breakfast. If it’s included and you stay for five nights, that’s $500 savings! The daily hotel credit adds up too!

Another way to save? Because I primarily fly American Airlines, sometimes, I book my hotels through their Advantage Hotels program. When I do, I often receive between 15,000 and 30,000 loyalty points and miles with American…a huge bonus for status with the airline and for miles I can use toward a ticket. Those miles can be a real money-saver. For example, our daughter will be flying next week, and I booked her ticket in coach using miles. I then upgraded her for just $97, and I booked her hotel using my Hilton points. Her trip is practically free!

Also, often, we plan our travel around the best prices for the destination. Don’t travel to destinations during high season. For example, if you can stand it, travel to Phoenix or Palm Springs in late spring or summer. Sure, it is guaranteed to be 100+ degrees, but if you have a pool to lounge in, who cares? Plan a trip to the Caribbean during hurricane season, so you get the very best rates. Always get the travel insurance, so if something happens, and you can’t travel, you can get a full refund. You don’t want to lose your money because a hurricane comes through. Wanna go to Europe and save? Often traveling during the low season (Nov-Mar) will yield considerably better hotel rates. Before you plan a trip, if you want to save money, check online to see when the low season is for that destination.

If you love cruises, you can often get a real deal on cruises. I have known people who went on cruises, and it would have cost them more to stay home! With the food included, cruises are often a bargain. I’m not much of a cruiser, simply because I like to go somewhere and spend time in a place, but I know lots of folks who absolutely love it.

And don’t forget the “ask for a discount” option. For example, if you rent the same vacation home regularly, remind the management company that “this is our fifth time renting this house” and ask for a discount. All they can say is “no.” Even my husband, who used to hate to ask for a discount, will do it now.

So if you look at me and think I spend a lot of money on travel, you should know I vacation a lot, but I don’t always spend a lot of money. You should probably just call me for some hints on how to travel less expensively. Yes, occasionally, we have a more posh vacation, but not always. If you’re always paying full price, you’re doing it wrong. It is very rare that I pay full price. You can also follow different travel sites online like The Points Guy. He has lots of great ideas on how to save. Now get busy saving and planning for that next vacation. Everybody needs some joy in their lives!

***Feature photo from The GoGos album, Vacation***

by Kelly Mattei

I Can See Clearly Now

***I wrote this in September 2020 but never published it. I was afraid of the backlash, but it makes me a little happier to read it now. It’s a reminder that one reason we are having so much infighting right now is that we have lost our normal “outlets” for stress.***

I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It’s gonna be a bright, bright, sunshiny day!

-I Can See Clearly Now, Song by Jimmy Cliff

This is how I feel today. I feel like the clouds have been lifted, and I can see the world more clearly than I did before. No, I didn’t have a cataract removed. No, I didn’t get new glasses. I’ve been feelin’ the pandemic blues for quite some time, and it was skewing my view of the world. I think other people are feeling the same thing. I talked to someone today who said he was happy to get to go to a funeral in another city, because it gave him an excuse to get on a plane! I didn’t go to a funeral, but I did get on a plane.

Go ahead. Scold me. Call me selfish. I don’t really care. Yes, I got on a plane, and while some would say it was “unnecessary travel,” I beg to differ. I’m guessing my husband would too, since I came home so much happier. We all make choices. I chose to get on a plane…and go on vacation…during the pandemic. One person on my personal Facebook page said I was “brave” to get on a plane right now. Well, I don’t see it that way. The way I see it…for the past few weeks, people have been brave to approach me, because I’ve been angry. Now, that’s brave. Usually, I’m pretty happy-go-lucky and don’t take myself too seriously, but this whole pandemic thing? Well, it had me downright depressed…and did I mention angry??? You name it, I’ve been angry about it. I knew I needed to get away. I knew what I needed to do to change my mindset, so I did it.

And when I arrived at my hotel, I cried. I promise you, I cried. I was that happy to be there. Make fun. I don’t care. In fact, I told the gentleman at the front desk of the hotel that I could guarantee one thing: no one in that hotel was happier to be there than I was. And I wasn’t kidding. I was on a high for five solid days.

Jennifer met me there. I’ve mentioned her before. Miss Merry Sunshine. Who better to have with you on your vacation during a pandemic than a person who is perpetually happy? She was there for two days, and I was there for five, but we enjoyed the two days we had together. We acted like teenagers…having lunch at a cafe on the beach. When I say it was a cafe on the beach, I mean our toes were in the sand while we ate fish tacos! We took the top off our rented Jeep and drove all through the canyons and took selfies with canyons and selfies with every beautiful vista we could find! We shopped! We laughed. We talked. We ate at a couple of “fancy” restaurants (outdoors, of course)…till we just couldn’t eat more. We drank a lot of champagne. And did I mention we laughed?

After Jennifer left, I dined at a few more “fancy” restaurants…yep, by myself…because I’m cool like that, and because I was just so damn happy to be there, and I was going to take advantage of every moment I had. I ate. I drank. I shopped more. I checked out sights I’d never seen. I met a friend and her new baby for lunch at an outdoor rooftop restaurant. I relished every moment.

When I got home, my husband said he felt like his “old” wife is back. That’s a good thing. That means the “depressed” wife is gone. No joke…staying home all the time was about to make me insane. I was struggling.

I’m putting this out there, because I think we all need to do what we can to become a little happier right now. If you love binge-watching cheesy TV shows, do it. If you like to hike, do it…find somewhere you can hike. If, like me, you need to get on an airplane, well, that’s up to you. I needed to do it. And I can survive on the joy from that trip for a couple of months…till the next time I get on a plane…at Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving travel counts as “necessary” travel, right? To me, it does. And I’m taking my daughter with me too. The hubs doesn’t want to travel, and that’s OK. But when we get home, if the school tells my daughter she has to quarantine for two weeks, because they decided to change the “rules” after telling us they wouldn’t police us outside of school…well, so be it. Damn it. She will just go remote for a couple weeks. And frankly, I won’t give a damn…because we need a Thanksgiving break.

If you see me in the airport around Thanksgiving, that means you’re there too. Give me a wave or a thumbs up, and I can promise I will smile at you, because I’ll just be so damn happy to be traveling again.

As for now, I’m still on a “high” from this last trip. I’m smiling again. I’m laughing. I’m making fun of myself. I’m not taking everyone so seriously. I’m back to my old self. And it feels good.

by Kelly Mattei

Back to Reality

Ahhhh…vacation. If only we could feel as relaxed in daily life as we do on vacation.

We returned last night from what is likely the last big vacation of the summer for us. I love vacation. I love vacations of all kinds…active, outdoors (but not camping), water, city, lazy, big, small…just vacations in general. I love visiting new places and familiar places.

This most recent trip was to a familiar place, Los Angeles, but we had people with us who had never been, so everything old was new again. We had a great time…three moms with three teenagers. One mom was my awesome sister-in-law, whom I adore, and the other was my college friend, Angela…also adored. As we all started to depart the hotel yesterday, I could feel “reality” hanging over our heads like a fog.

I always get a little sad when I know the final big trip of summer is over. This year, because of high school sports, the final big trip of summer had to be a little earlier. (Note that I keep saying our final big trip, because I keep hoping for a couple of small adventures.) Our daughter is starting 9th grade and trying out for high school teams this year. Those tryouts start in early August, so no more vacations…back to reality.

Reality means it’s time to start getting prepared for the next school year. I get queasy just thinking about it. I don’t know if my daughter is nervous at all, but I am. It happens every year, but this year, more so, because she is going to high school. I’ve never had a child in high school, so this is a new experience for us. Deep down, though, I know she will settle in just fine, and eventually, I will settle down.

The most immediate thing on the horizon is the “assigned summer reading.” That is reality at our house right now, and that is the part I do not like. It’s not really my reality; it’s my daughter’s reality, but I will have to listen to her complain about it. I’m not the mom who helps with homework or nags about assignments. Most of the time, I don’t even know what the assignments are…and that’s how I’d like to keep it. I’ve talked with my friend, Maureen Paschal, about assigned summer reading on Been There Moms. You can see the video here. I simply do not like assigned summer reading. I feel like it is encroaching on my family time, and it’s like a cloud hanging over summer for us. I love to read, and I hope my daughter will eventually love it too, but even as a reader, “assigned” reading was tough for me as a student. At some point in the next couple weeks, she will take a couple days to sit down and read that book. She will complain about it, but she will get it done.

Personally, I think, if the school is going to require summer reading, I think they should also require outdoor exercise. There are some students who love reading all summer, and there are some who enjoy being outdoors all summer. Sure, there are some who fall between the two, but my daughter loves moving around and being outdoors. Sitting still? Nah. There’s no fun in that. But I really believe that if the school is going to have assigned summer reading, they should also have required outdoor exercise hours. If we are trying to enrich the whole student, let’s build their minds and their bodies.

Another reality is getting prepared for my daughter’s freshman year, meaning I need to make sure she has everything she is going to need. Right now, though, we are one month out from the first day of school, so seeing school supplies in the stores just makes me nauseous. I will get everything in advance with time to spare, but I don’t look forward to it.

And then there’s this reality: a month of back to back trips means things in my closet (and my home) are in disarray. I came home from the beach in June, and I’ve had several back-to-back trips since. I won’t get into listing all the places we visited, but it has been a lot of packing, unpacking, and packing again. And in some cases, I didn’t even unpack and repack…there wasn’t time. I just packed other stuff in a different suitcase. I need to take the time to straighten out all that, and it is one of my least favorite things to do. It means pulling out everything from closets around my house and purging. I’ve found some good “purging” advice in an article from the Huffington Post here. I dread it. But I will do it…maybe while my daughter is doing her assigned reading!

Today, though, I choose to ignore those realities. I want to enjoy the last fun, lazy days of summer…hanging out in the pool, spending time with family, harvesting tomatoes, spending time outdoors, and possibly, taking a little road trip or two. I’m on my way out to the pool now…

 

by Kelly Mattei

Let’s Hit the Road

As the end of the school year approaches, it means the summer travel season will be gearing up quickly. It’s one of my favorite times of year…the summer I mean, not the last weeks of school. Any time we have extra days, weeks, or even months to go somewhere, I’m happy.

I have one daughter, who is now 14, and travel is pretty darn easy with her.

Of course, there was a time it was a little more difficult, but that didn’t stop me!

Frankly, there’s not a lot of fun in traveling with an infant, so there weren’t lots of great vacations in that year, but things ramped up after that. I did take her to visit family regularly, though.

Infant travel was always a crap shoot. I vividly remember one flight when my daughter was about ten months old, and she wasn’t happy about being stuck in a car seat on the plane. She wanted to get out of that seat, and she let everyone know it. She cried. She fussed. And she cried some more. The man sitting across the aisle from me had the chutzpah to reach over, tap me on the arm, and tell me she needed a bottle.

I wanted to throat punch the guy, but I resisted the urge.

I gave him my legendary stinkeye and didn’t say anything. As a former flight attendant, I am aware that sucking on a bottle will help open a child’s ears at takeoff and landing. My child didn’t take a bottle. She was breastfed, and I knew she wasn’t needing that. Her ears weren’t bothering her. I knew what she wanted. She wanted to get out of that seat. If I had taken her out of the carseat to breastfeed, she would have wanted to get in the floor, and the crying would have gotten louder.

Stupid, stupid man. Bless his heart.

We all survived it. And every time I’m on a plane and a baby cries, I sympathize with the mother. I remind everyone around me that we’ve been there before…we were all babies at one time, and lots of us have survived it as parents.

When our daughter was a toddler, we traveled. We traveled by plane, and we traveled by car. I even traveled alone with her on a regular basis. My husband doesn’t like to travel as much as I do, so often, we were traveling on our own. I remember regularly trekking through airports, pushing my one-yr-old in a stroller with the carry-on bag in the bottom of the stroller, all while carrying the car seat strapped to my back. I felt like a warrior, and I must have looked like one too, as I would hear multiple times, “You go, girl!” or “Wow! You know what you’re doing!” I felt tough, and frankly, I was…and still am.

That carry-on bag that was tucked into the bottom basket of that stroller held all the tools of airplane survival. Keeping a toddler happy on a plane is the key to your own happiness and the happiness of the passengers around you. I always had “special treats” in that bag. I would go to Target and arm myself with lots of little things from the Dollar Spot…anything that would keep her entertained, and I would take cards and books with pictures of animals, cupcakes, and babies. My toddler loved pictures of animals, cupcakes, and other babies. Any little trinket she had never seen before was fun.

Often, I shared those “special treats” with other families on the flights who were not as prepared. I clearly remember sitting behind a family with their toddler daughter. She was whining and restless, till we started sharing our animal picture cards. She got happier, so her mom could relax, and we were happier too!

I also learned early to let my daughter wear whatever she wanted. When she was two and three, she flew many times wearing a Snow White costume top, a yellow costume skirt, and a pink plastic grass hula skirt pulled on over that, but she was happy…and she was proud of that crazy outfit she had put together. She loved all the compliments she received. I have a friend whose daughter wore her Daphne costume (from Scooby Doo) for months on end…but she was happy.

IMG_4675

My 2-yr-old daughter wearing her Snow White top and grass skirt while enjoying ice cream with my daddy.

Two and three- year- old girls also love to play with makeup. I discovered this one time when we were flying to visit my parents. You know how grocery stores have those tiny toy sections? I had been in the grocery store the day before we left, and I saw this cute little makeup palette for little girls. I grabbed it, thinking it might be entertaining for her on the plane.

Was it ever! We were only taking a one hour flight, but it kept her entertained the whole time! It was like “peace in a packet” for me! She put on eye shadow. She put on lip gloss. She put on blush. And of course, she overdid it…all of it. But it kept her happy and occupied, and therefore, I was happy. She looked like a two-dollar hooker when we landed, but I didn’t care. I had been able to relax for one full hour!

Traveling by car with an infant or toddler can be more tricky. Road trips less than four hours were OK. In 2004, when Hurricane Ivan was threatening the Gulf Coast of Alabama, we were visiting my parents, who lived near Mobile Bay. We had flown down, but we ended up renting an SUV to drive back to Charlotte, because flights were cancelling. We opted to drive overnight, so our 11-month-old would sleep all the way home. It worked out fine, till we got home, and she was wide awake, but we were groggy. We took turns taking care of her that day.

I discovered age five was the golden year…the year travel became super easy. Kids are more self-sufficient and can entertain themselves really well at five. Plus, they can manage their own carry-on bag of “stuff.”

When my daughter was seven, I took her on her first transcontinental trip. We went to Los Angeles, and it was one of the best trips ever. Not only could she entertain herself on the flight, but she could keep up with me all day without fussing! My friend, Leah, and her daughter met us there on that trip, and we still talk about that fun trip. I had learned years before on other trips the the secret to keeping a child moving is food. When my daughter was under age ten, I always tried to stop, sit down, and get her something small to eat every couple of hours…maybe an ice cream cone…maybe some yogurt…maybe some fries…maybe some peanut butter crackers…maybe a banana…anything that would give her energy so she could stay on the go. Now that she is older, she knows when she needs to grab a little something to eat, and she lets me know.  Also, stay hydrated…crucial.

Now that she is fourteen, we have taken countless trips together by plane and by car. We have walked many miles in lots of different cities and locales. We have climbed waterfalls, zip lined through rainforests, climbed a rock scramble, hiked a mountain, visited landmarks, toured cities, climbed lighthouses, and made lots of great memories.

We have made lengthy road trips with friends, and we’ve learned a lot along the way. We’ve learned about this great country in which we live, and we have learned what is necessary for a pleasant road trip…snacks, minimal packing, beverages, lots of quick stops, games for the car, and lots of laughter.

I no longer have to take a carry-on filled with treats for flights, but now, she always wants to take a friend or two. That’s perfectly fine with me. I truly have a “the more, the merrier” approach. I have found that if there are more people around, more events get locked into long term memory. Funny things are funnier in a group. Exciting things are more exciting with other people.

Now, our summers are shorter as she enters high school. Starting in ninth grade, varsity and junior varsity fall sports start practicing at the beginning of August, a few weeks before school starts. So, we have to cram in a lot of fun in less time. This year, all new adventures await, and I can hardly wait to get it started. I’m counting down to the last day of school.

Travel safely and have fun this summer!