Monthly Musings ~ April 2022

 

Hi.  I am linking up with Patty and Holly for April's Monthly Musings all about Vacation!

1. What trips do you have planned for this year?

Oh my, so many trips!  We have a cruise booked for May, which will be my daughter's senior trip and our family vacation.  This fall, we will be going to Savannah twice.  We also are planning a road trip to Virginia for an expo and then a weekend to Dallas to meet up with a friend from San Antonio.  

2.  Best packing tips?

I always like to carry backpack to have a hands free way to carry some of my basic items, like wallet, keys, phone, medicine, water and snacks.  

3.  Packing cubes....yes or no?

So this is my other packing tip....Yes to packing cubes!  I bought my first set back in 2015, so before they were so readily available and popular.  I bought my first few sets through Ebags.  They offer so many different sizes, colors and coupons.  I love using these to pack my clothes and then use them as a dirty laundry bag towards the end of a trip.  Even if I am going somewhere for 2 nights, I use my packing cubes.  They can be packed for entire outfits for the day or can be packed for specific items, like shirts, pants, or pajamas.

4.  Favorite travel outfit?

I don't have one particular outfit, however, my two parameters are to be comfortable and modest.  I typically always wear pants and often bring a lightweight sweater along as well.

5.  Favorite vacation destination?

My goodness, this is a loaded question because of so many favorite places!  As I've mentioned here before, I spent most of my professional career as a travel agent.   I specialized in corporate travel, but often got some travel benefits, even though I spent most of my day booking for other people.  

When I read this question, the first place that came into my mind is New York City.  I have always loved NYC.  Speaking of which, I am also working on planning a trip to NYC this December so my girls can see it at Christmas time.  

Some other trips that stand out to me as favorites are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montana, Philadelphia, Richmond, San Antonio, Washington, DC and Orlando. Other countries I have been to that are favorites are Colombia, Peru, Singapore, Beligum (this is probably my favorite European country), Germany, Switzerland, England and France.  Small town USA favorite trips have been Pawhuska, Oklahoma (home of Pioneer Woman) and lots of towns in western North Carolina, like Boone and Blowing Rock.

My husband and I in Paris

My dad and I in NYC

Standing in the lodge of Pioneer Woman

6.  Have you flown since March 2020?

I have flown twice.....once to Richmond, Virginia and then to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  I am looking forward to flying again next month.

7.  Beach or mountains?

I like them both, but if I had to choose, I am going mountains.  I do like a mountain stream though too, so that offers some water :).

8.  Do you prefer to sightsee or relax on vacation?

A little bit of both sightseeing and relaxing on vacation is good with me.  I do like to explore a new area, but do it with time allowed to relax.  This is what I hope to do on the cruise....sightsee at ports and relax on the ship!

9.  Hotel, camping or AirBNB?

I have done all 3 of these lodging options.  Most trips, we do stay at a hotel, however, more and more hotels allow pets in the rooms.  I prefer to stay at a hotel that is not pet-friendly.  I know a lot of people may not agree, but I would rather not stay where a pet may have spent the night prior in my bed.  For several years, we had a travel trailer when the girls were younger and we would camp.  I loved this option as well.  We have also stayed at AirBNB's a few times.  We tend to do these when we travel with other people.

10.  Overpacker?  Underpacker?

I am a slight overpacker.  I say slight because I usually just have 1 or 2 items I may not use on a trip.  We will see how it goes on a cruise ship though....I feel like I will be overpacking for that trip.  I have been on several cruises before, but it has been a while.

Such a fun post!