It seems that no matter how hard we try to stay in touch with family and friends, time passes by and before you know it you can go days, weeks and even months without contacting people that you care about. Each year I make a vow that I am going to do a better job of staying in touch, but before long I let the busyness of day to day life get in the way of reaching out to others.
A few weeks ago a friend and I decided that we were going to take off for an overnight stay together and just catch up with what is going on in each other’s life. We thought we could find cheap hotel rooms and stay close to home so that the majority of our time would not be spent on the road and so we would not have to spend a great deal of money. We needed cheap hotel rooms because we were each going to book one. I love my friend dearly, but she snores so loudly that I cannot get any sleep if I am in the same room with her. She is so self conscious about the snoring that she does not sleep well either, so it is better for us if we look for cheap hotel rooms and rent two of them.
There is a resort town within a couple hours drive of my home. There are many cute shops and several nice restaurants. This small town is located in the heart of the lakes area. During the weekends and in the summer the town is crowded, however in midweek during the off season the streets are empty. We had decided to go on this trip in early May. Most schools were still in session so the heavy tourist season had yet to start. There are several very nice resorts in the area, but we thought they would be too expensive. I told my friend that I would take care of booking the cheap hotel rooms. I decided it would not hurt to check the rates in the resorts for off season midweek. I could not believe the price. They were willing to rent the rooms to us for the same price as the discount hotel in town. The resort had an indoor pool we could use as well as a hot tub. The rates were so cheap because they were renovating the kitchen in the restaurant so there was no food in the building we were staying in, but there was pizza and burgers in the bar adjacent to our building. They also provided coffee makers in the rooms.
I booked the rooms and called my friend and told her that we had a place to stay. I did not give her any details. When we drove to the resort town she was very surprised when I pulled up to the resort. Our rooms were beautiful. They were connected by a door that the manager unlocked for us. Each room had a Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom and a deck over looking the lake. It was the best cheap rate place we had ever stayed in.
Travel Clothing
When you are planning a trip, the most challenging part might not be what sights to see first or which restaurant has the best deal on dinner. For men, women and children, the frustrating part might happen even before you leave home for the airport. Trying to pack a week’s worth of outfits into one suitcase can be virtually impossible. That’s why travel clothing is so appealing and becoming more and more popular.
We’ve all heard the horror stories about how much luggage goes missing each year. If you happen to be the victim of disappearing baggage you know exactly what it feels like. Not only does it ruin your entire vacation if the bag goes astray on the way to your destination, but if you lose it on the way back, all the souvenirs you collected may be just a distant memory. Packing light so you can carry-on your belongings removes all fear that they’ll be misplaced. With travel clothing you can pack everything you need in just one small bag.
Choosing a color scheme for the outfits you plan on wearing is really the key to packing light. This can be a challenge for women but if you give it some effort, you’ll find that you can pack fewer things and still enjoy just as many outfits. For example a pair of jeans can be worn both during the day and in the evening. With a white t-shirt they’ll keep you stylish and cool all day, when paired with a glittery black top you can go clubbing all night. The key to packing travel clothing is choosing things that can be worn more than once in different ways.
Another thing to consider is bringing fewer items and washing them while you are away. Some fabrics just don’t wash well. They need to be pressed after washing and drying and they’ll wrinkle even when in the suitcase. Leave these at home and instead opt for travel clothing that is wrinkle-resistant. Imagine placing a few shirts and skirts in a suitcase only to find them looking great once you arrive at your travel destination.
Also bear in mind when you are packing what the temperature is like at your final destination. If it’s warm, you are only going to need one pair of long pants along with one sweater for the evening breeze. If you wear these on the airplane, you’ll be affording yourself much more room within the bag. Layering while flying is also a great idea, as sometimes the travel clothing we wear during the trip leaves us either too hot or too cold while in flight. If you have on a t-shirt and a sweater you can easily remove the latter if you get too warm or put it back on if you feel chilly.
Smart planning is really all it takes. By mixing and matching and choosing easy to care for fabrics, your suitcase will be lighter and you’ll worry much less about what to wear while you are away.
