I took a trip to Panama this year and rented a car.  Upon receiving my car, I was told that google maps didn’t work in Panama.  My Panamanian friend even said “there is no GPS” in Panama.  She was wrong about that part thank goodness because a gentleman overheard me and said to use “WAZE”.  “WAZE is the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app”, according to the company.  It saved my butt, let me tell you.  I didn’t get lost once, and believe me, as my friend said the signage is TERRIBLE!  It was also able to talk to me in English or Spanish – which was perfect as sometimes my Spanish friend would play co-pilot.

Laurie, Mamen and Ellie at the Panama Canal

I recently used it on a trip to Virginia Beach – not because I needed directions – but it’s usually very accurate about where the police are waiting ;-0.  It even told me where there were potholes to avoid.

I’m a believer!  Check out WAZE.

On a trip to Europe I found a great deal to Brussels.  Our next destination was Italy so I thought a quick flight on Ryan Air would suffice.  I looked up airports and plugged in Venice.  The website populated Treviso automatically so I assumed it was a good option.  We were taking public transportation as I often do.  We ended up having to take a taxi to the bust stop then a bus to the airport (all starting at 5am).  UGH, never again.  It wouldn’t have been so bad if they would have had direct transportation.

It’s like saying Dulles is in Washington.  My bad.

Oh and be aware that airlines like Ryan Air have smaller baggage allowance than the big international airlines.  We had to lay our stuff out and repack a little in the airport so as not to get stuck with hefty baggage fees.

One of the most important things to consider when planning a trip is your budget.  I found a nice website that provides some spreadsheets for tracking your travel expenses, Vacation Travel Worksheet.  As I have done the math over and over on my trips, I can say for sure that I spend much less than the average person traveling to the same locations.  Even when I just wanted a low key, low cost vacation, I found places within driving distance.  Just fill up the gas tank, buy some groceries (or wait if cheaper in the place visiting) and pack some fun car activities for kids (more on that in another blog to come) and you’re off!  We have driven to NC, NY, NJ and they were all fantastic getaways and VERY INEXPENSIVE.  Virginia beach is our destination for next weekend!

In yesterday’s Capital Gazette, there is an article on B4 entitled “Budgeting for a Family Vacation“.  It’s a great reminder to do your homework in advance.  My recent guests from Iceland said they got roundtrip airfare from Iceland to Washington State for $300 (because bought year in advance), CRAZY!    As the article also states, be creative about activities and eating out.  In Croatia, we bought groceries, ate breakfast at the house, packed our lunch and ate most dinners at the house.  We spent the day on the local public beach and found a very reasonable “local bus” to tour the  (beautiful) little towns of Slovenia.  We spent less on vacation in daily activities than we do at home.

You can travel to many places within a reasonable budget, you just have to think outside the box.  Let me know if you need some help with that….

Just came across some of the newest tech gadgets for travel.  Check out this video.  This new laptop weighs 1.9 pounds – one whole pound less that MAC Air.  Wow!  Portable travel speaker is so small; has good sound but at a very reasonable price – ok if you forget it somewhere.