Where Do We Go From Here?

Many times, friends and family ask, “How do I pick the location to visit?” “Where should we go for vacation? For a weekend getaway?”

Let’s start with your list. Oh, did I hear you say you don’t have a list? Where is your vision? When planning to travel, it helps if you know where you’re going or at least have an idea. One is more likely to accomplish the mission when the vision is established.

Establish your goals

Writing down your dreams and desires is the first thing you should do. People don’t believe me when I tell them my list is made out through 2020. Honestly, it is. I have suggested places for travel over the next two years. This is vital. It helps keep me on track and brings about a level of inspiration.

With your list, start with the top ten. If that’s too much, go for five. Or heck, even the big three. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. Allow your imagination to flow. It’s whatever your heart desires. Regardless of the location, write something down. It can be within the state you currently live or international. The whole purpose is to start. And don’t worry about if it’s “too much.” Who determines what “too much” is anyway? Just wondering – food for thought.

For several years, my husband and I would select destinations (getaways and vacations) based on referrals or places our friends and family had been. Cities we’d heard of before. I call this the crawl phase – having to start somewhere.

Honestly, for the first nine years of marriage, we only made two international trips. One to Canada and the other was a cruise to the Bahamas. It wasn’t until year ten that our list expanded. We desired more, to go even further…. We wanted to try something out of the box.

Anniversary Trips (with the year listed):

Niagara Falls, Canada (2) - Helen, Georgia (6)

Charleston, South Carolina (3) - Dahlonega, Georgia (7)

Austin, Texas (4) - Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA. (8)

Savannah, Georgia (5) - Destin, Florida (9)

You don't have to be rich.

Larry and I had average incomes throughout many years of our marriage. Although we both maintained steady jobs, they weren’t necessarily careers in our eyes. I want to reiterate this because many think it takes thousands of dollars or being in the elite club to travel when it really doesn’t. Our salaries afforded us opportunities and for that, we are grateful. Planning our trips have been the key. Developing a spending plan came in at a close second. Investing in a couple of “travel tools” truly made the dreams a reality as well.

Do you have the right tools?

One tool that’s highly recommended is an atlas. That’s right, a map to your future. I use one quite frequently. Purchased it a few years ago. It was on sale in the clearance bin at Barnes and Noble for about $10. This was the best investment. The atlas caused me to expand my thought process; allowing me to think beyond the norm. I began to realize how much the world had to offer. Having this tool allowed me to imagine going places, even if I didn’t know anyone personally who’d been. Since then, I haven’t turned back.

Another tool I’d suggest having is an automatic banking draft. I read a book years ago about setting up automated bank accounts in efforts of saving money. Well, this is a MUST in my book for traveling. Depending on when you receive a paycheck or how you earn an income, setting up a separate travel account will do you a world of good. Set up your main checking account to automatically transfer money into your now established travel account. Again, baby steps. Do $15 every paid period. If you receive pay bi-monthly, that will average $360 annually. You CAN enjoy a nice weekend getaway for $360. It’s not impossible. So you don’t believe me? Try this on for size:

Château Élan is a wonderful winery and resort in Braselton, GA. This award winning establishment is known for offering package deals and specials. One year for Independence Day, my husband and I did an overnight stay. Château Élan had their own fireworks display. Guests could sit right on the lawn and enjoy the festivities. Seeing the resort is a winery as well, a bottle of wine from the vineyards was included with the cost of the room. Since we took advantage of the holiday special, the overnight stay was less than $150 (including taxes) – which comprised of a full gourmet breakfast buffet for two and all the hotel amenities. Considering we live an hour away, this was the perfect getaway for the summer holiday.

I know someone is reading this saying, “Well, that was just overnight.” If it helps, we’ve used similar packages at this same resort for weekend getaways; date night packages priced at $99-$129 per night. The total cost being just below $360, even with purchasing lunch and dinner. And again, this started with saving $15 every two weeks. If you haven’t taken an anniversary trip or spent quality time with your loved one, something as simple as a resort in a city close by, might be a great solution or even a nice start.

What's in your spending plan?

If your spending plan allows you to save more, you can definitely do more. I really want readers to know that it doesn’t take much to travel…. Just a willing heart and an active imagination. And again, there is a crawl phase prior to the big sprint…don’t ever forget that. I mentioned earlier that my husband and I only experienced two international vacations in our first nine years of marriage. It wasn’t until year ten that our plans changed. Crawl, walk then run; take "Historic Steps".