Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

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Knott’s Berry Farm Military Discounts and More

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Knott's Berry Farm Military Discounts and More

Growing up in Southern California meant we went to amusement parks all of the time. As an adult living in Tennessee, it is so strange to me that we actually have to travel somewhere to go to one. My growing up experience was so different.

One of my favorite places, besides Disneyland, is Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA. I have so many memories there. From going with my 4th-grade class on a field trip to meet up with friends to have fun on all the rides. I remember my brother riding some of the rides over and over again and having so much fun doing so!

Military Discount at Knott's Berry Farm
My brother and I, Knott’s Berry Farm, around 1985

I have been able to take my own boys a handful of times over the years and we are due for another trip sometime soon.

Did you know about Knott’s Berry Farm’s amazing deal they have going on for military service members this fall? In fact, Buena Park is honoring the military this year with not only a promotion for Knott’s Berry Farm but discounts at some of the local restaurants and other attractions nearby.

Here is what you need to know:

Knott’s Berry Farm is offering active and retired military and one guest free tickets from November 3-November 21, and December 2-December 19th, 2019. You can also bring up to 6 friends for a discounted rate. If you are stationed in California or will be visiting, make sure to take advantage of this offer!

Military Discount at Knott's Berry Farm

If you are looking for an interactive dinner show, check out Pirates Dinner Adventure, where you can get adult tickets for $35.11 or children’s tickets for $30.11 when you purchase your tickets online or over the phone using the code, “Military.” Past and present military will receive free admission with a paid adult admission on November 10th and 11th with code, “PDAVET19.”

Medieval Times is also close by and I remember visiting when I was about 7. One of the knights threw me a rose and I still remember this all these years later. You can receive a free Royalty Package update when you purchase discounted tickets on-base at the ITT/ITR/MWR office or get discounted tickets when you book online at www.medievaltimes.com/celebrate-with-us/military.html.

Military Discount at Knott's Berry Farm
My son’s first roller coaster ride at Knott’s Berry Farm, 2009

Porto’s Bakery and Café offers a complimentary box of pastries to all active and retired armed forces with a US military ID on Veterans Day only.

Rock & Brews offers a 10% off savings on wings, barbecue, burgers, and more.

You can also find a military discount at Santa Maria BBQ, Pizza Studio, SUP Noddle Bar, The Cauldron, Buffalo Wild Wings, Fuddruckers, Chili’s, Denny’s, IHOP, Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Claim Jumper, TGI Friday’s, Black Bear Diner and Dickey’s BBQ Pit in Buena Park!

Are you looking for a hotel in Buena Park?

Here is a list of participating hotels where you can find exclusive military discounts and upgrades, free parking, no resort fees and complimentary shuttle service to local attractions.

If you do visit Knott’s Berry Farm or the local area, make sure to check out Heroes Hall, which is a year-round free museum that features exhibitions, performances, and educational programs that celebrate the legacy of Orange County veterans. Also, make sure to stop by Knott’s Independence Hall, which is an exact brick-by-brick replica of the original. We always used to go over there first before we headed to Knott’s Berry Farm.

You can also find military discounts at other locations in Orange County and Long Beach. Add the Aquarium of the Pacific, Discovery Cube OC, the Richard Nixon Library, the Queen Mary, the Lyon Air Museum, and Bowers Museum to your list.

And of course, don’t forget about Disneyland and the amazing military discount they offer to service members and their families. We got to use it in 2017, and 2018!

Visit www.visitbuenapark.com/Military for a list of all the amazing offers going on during this time of year for members of the military!

The Amazing Disneyland Military Discount You Must Use On Your Next Visit

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The Amazing Disneyland Military Discount You Must Use On Your Next Visit

For updated 2021 information on the Disney Military Discount, please visit my article on Disneyland over at My Military Benefits.

We just got back from California, and during our time there we went to Disneyland using the amazing Disneyland military discount that they have going on right now. We went to Disneyland with the discount last summer, and although the price went up just a little bit, we were able to get the discount again.

The Amazing Disneyland Military Discount You Must Use On Your Next Visit

How much were the Disneyland military discount tickets?

We paid $168 for each of our tickets. This is the price for adults and children. While the regular Disneyland tickets have a lower rate for those between the ages of 3-9, this is not the case for these special tickets.

Normally, a three-day hopper ticket would be $330, so you can see what type of deal this is. Even if you get one and can only use the ticket for two of the three days, the discount is worth it. A two-day park hopper is $260.

We bought the three-day pass, but you can also buy a four-day pass for $188.

Now, what happens if you can only go to Disneyland for two days in August but know you will be back in November? Well, you do have until December 19th, 2018 to use those other two tickets. You don’t have to use them in a row. If there is any chance you can come back, go for the four-day pass and plan to use what you can’t now later in the year.

The Amazing Disneyland Military Discount You Must Use On Your Next Visit

Can you buy tickets for other people?

Yes, you sure can. You can buy six each year. This is either you or your service member spouse. If your spouse is deployed, you can use your ID to get them.

What you can’t do is both get six tickets for a total of twelve. You only get six. And you can give them to friends or family members. They do have to be with you the first day you activate them. Then they can return the other two or three days without you.

The Amazing Disneyland Military Discount You Must Use On Your Next Visit

What is the buying process like?

Well, we got to the pack, went up to the ticket window and bought them. She got all of our names, and each ticket had one of our names on it. I did have to show my military ID, and then we made our way to the front gate.

I had to show my military ID one more time, but that was it for the rest of our trip. Everyone I bought a ticket for was with me and had to have their photo taken. This is so only that person can use the ticket the rest of the days. You can’t share a ticket in any way.

The Amazing Disneyland Military Discount You Must Use On Your Next Visit

So what does a park hopper ticket mean?

This means you can go to Disneyland and California Aventure, on the same day. You could start your day at Disneyland, head to California Adventure after lunch and back over to Disneyland for Fantasmic in the evening.

The Amazing Disneyland Military Discount You Must Use On Your Next Visit

So what is the Disney PhotoPass Collection listed on the Disneyland website?

Okay, so my plan was to buy this. With the military discount, you will pay $49, and you will receive all of your digital downloads, a voucher for a dining print package, and 350 high-resolution professional photos from around Disneyland. Sounds like a good deal right? Yes, and no.

When I went to go buy this, the cast member told me that if I was getting the pass for all of my digital downloads, I should just get the MaxPass. This is pretty new, I think it came out late last summer and I was so confused by what the MaxPass was, I wasn’t going to mess with it. But I am glad he told me this because I ended up saving money going with the MaxPass.

The Amazing Disneyland Military Discount You Must Use On Your Next Visit

So what IS the MaxPass?

The MaxPass is $10 a person right now (this could go up in the future.) This pass will allow you to use the FastPass system on your Disneyland app. You don’t have to go to each ride to get the pass. The other thing the MaxPass gives you is access to all of your digital photos.

So, if you only want the MaxPass for the photos, only one person in your party needs to get it. Since we were going three days, it would have cost me $30 total, which is much cheaper than the $49 I would have paid for the Disney PhotoPass collection.

The first day we were at Disneyland, I just got the MaxPass for me, and we were able to get the photos.

On the second day, I was just with my 13 and 11-year-old, so I decided to get the MaxPass for all three of us to use the FastPass option. I wasn’t sure if it would save us time or if the MaxPass would be worth the cost. I ended up paying $30 that day.

We were able to get our FastPasses from the app. In the past, we would have to go to each ride to get one, but this time we didn’t have to do that. We could get our next FastPass while in line for the previous one.  This saved us a lot of time and rushing around. We were also able to get a FastPass for rides at Disneyland while in California Adventure, and vice versa.

So is the MaxPass worth it when it comes to FastPasses? I am going to say that depends. Would I have spent $50 for all five of us? I don’t know. That adds up. And the first day, when all five of us went, we used the free FastPass system, and that was fine. Getting the MaxPass just helps you save time and we really didn’t have to wait for many rides. But I also think we were able to go on plenty of rides only using the paper FastPass system.

The Amazing Disneyland Military Discount You Must Use On Your Next Visit

So how do the digital photos work?

So whether you have the MaxPass or the PhotoPass, you will have access to any photos that a cast member takes for you, or that you get on the ride. As you walk around the park, you will see cast member photographers that will take your photos. They might be in front of the castle, or near the characters.

When you have them take your photo, you either give them a pass with a code that they scan, or they can scan from your app. When you get off of a ride, take a photo of your ride photo as there is a code on there you can enter into your app later. Having this access allows you to have some pretty amazing photos when you are at the park.

The Amazing Disneyland Military Discount You Must Use On Your Next Visit

How does this differ from the military discount at Disney World?

Well, I am not sure how this all works at Disney World. That is a different experience from going to Disneyland and seems to take a lot more planning. For example, you book your FastPass tickets before you even get there. But here is the Disney World military discount page if you are looking for that information.

I am so glad we took advantage of this amazing military discount. Hopefully, they will renew again for 2019, and those rates will be released soon.

The Amazing Disneyland Military Discount You Must Use On Your Next Visit

Have you had had the chance to visit Disneyland this year? Are you hoping to use this Disneyland military discount to do so?

2019 Update: This post was written in 2018 with 2018 rates. You can see the 2019 Disneyland and Disney World rates on their website.

11 Reasons to Plan a Trip Home This Summer

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11 Reasons to Plan a Trip Home This Summer

As a military spouse, you probably have moved around a lot. You could be miles and miles from your home and family. You could be overseas, or across the country. You could be a two-hour drive away or a two-day drive. However far away you might be, it could be time for a visit home this summer.

11 Reasons to Plan a Trip Home This Summer

Whether your spouse is deployed and you take the kids, or they are home and luckily have some block leave time, planning a trip home for the summer can be a good idea.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. It’s been a while

If you haven’t visited home in a while, maybe now is the time to do so. You probably have family and friends that would love to see you.

2. You have school-age kids and summer works best

When your kids start school, you have less time to go on vacation with them. While you can pull them out of school sometimes, generally it is better to go on long vacation when they are out of school. That is why summer is a good idea. No one is missing any school.

3. Summers are really too long anyway

Let’s face it; summer can feel a bit long. By about the six-week mark, you might be over summer break. That is the best time to plan a trip.

11 Reasons to Plan a Trip Home This Summer

4. Grandparent time

Grandparents love to spend time with their grandchildren, but sometimes it can be harder for them to travel and see you. If you can’t get away, you could always send your older children to spend time with their grandparents during the summer. I have such special memories with my own grandparents from when we went to visit them as a child.

5. Summer at home is better weather than summer at your duty station

This isn’t true for everyone, but the summer weather in my hometown is a lot better than where we currently live. It isn’t as humid, and the bugs are not as loud. Visiting home during the summer is a nice break from the hot and humidity of the south.

6. You really miss your favorite hamburger place

It might not be a hamburger place; maybe it is a favorite pizza place or Mexican restaurant. There is just something about having a taste of home when you visit. In-and-Out, here we come.

7. More likely to see friends who have also moved out of town

You might not be the only one who moved away from home; your friends might have too. And from experience, summer is usually when they visit their families. Maybe, just maybe you will be in town at the same time and can make plans to see each other.

11 Reasons to Plan a Trip Home This Summer

8. The winters are long at your duty station, and you need a pick me up

If it snows a lot in the winter where you are stationed, and you know that once school starts in the fall, the first snowflakes won’t be far behind, a summer trip home can be the pick me up you need before the weather changes. Go home, make memories, and take them back with you for the long winter.

9. Homecooked meals

Sometimes you want a nice homecooked meal, without having to make it yourself.

10. So you can see your best friend

It could be that your best friend still lives where you grew up. And you want to see them. You want your kids to play together, and you want to go out for dinner and to catch up.

11. You hate the snow and would rather not visit when it is on the ground

Maybe you are from a colder climate, and you don’t want to visit at all during the winter. Just the thought of 20 degrees sends you under the blankets. Summer is a good time to get your vacationing time at home in.

Whatever your reasons, if you are going home this summer, have a good time. We are looking forward to our own vacation this summer too. 

 

Why You Should Go To Honeysuckle Hill Farm If You Are Stationed At Fort Campbell

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Honeysuckle hill farm

Our family was given free passes for the day in exchange for this review!

Honeysuckle Hill Farm

Are you at Fort Campbell too? If so, you are in for a treat. Have you heard of Honeysuckle Hill Farm? This is a fantastic pumpkin patch near Fort Campbell, located off of exit 24, about 30 minutes away.

In 1995, Farmer Jeff purchased 12 acres in Robertson County as a place to raise his kids and do some farming. He grew up in Memphis and was a city boy who had always dreamed of farming. In 2003, he had his first fall festival for church friends and neighbors. After that, Honeysuckle Hill Farm was born.

Today, Honeysuckle Hill Farm covers 200 acres and is managed by his son, daughter and about 150 farm hands.

Honeysuckle Hill Farm

The fall season at Honeysuckle Hill Farm started on September 23rd and will be ongoing until November 4th.

They are open:

Tues-Thurs from 9 am to 2 pm
Friday: 9 am to 10 pm
Saturday 10 am to 10 pm
Sunday 12 pm to 6 pm

Hometown Heroes Day

On September 30th of this year, the Farm will be celebrating Hometown Heroes Day. Those who serve will receive free admission and their direct families will get 50% off the cost of the ticket price. This will be for firemen, police, and active duty and retired military. There will also be a firework show that night starting at 7 pm.

Honeysuckle Hill Farm

Fall Festival 

Enjoy the fall festival and what Honeysuckle Hill Farm has to offer. My family and I were able to spend last Sunday afternoon exploring the farm. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed a lot of what the farm has to offer. Here are the highlights:

Honeysuckle Hill Farm

Pumpkin Train

This is a fun train ride you take out to the pumpkin patch part of the farm. They let you off and you can choose your very own pumpkin. This is so much fun for the kids and the train is super cute.

Honeysuckle Hill Farm

Corn Maze

This year the corn maze is the Nashville’s Country Music Corn Maze Sponsored By CMT & Mix 92.9. We spent a lot of time in there and it was a lot of fun trying to find our way out. I am not sure I would want to be in the maze after dark.

Honeysuckle hill farm

Playgrounds

Honeysuckle Hill Farm has quite a few playgrounds and areas for kids to run around. They have stagecoaches to play on as well as a giant tractor, a horse, and even some slides. They can also jump around on the corn popper trampolines, my 6-year-old loves them.

Honeysuckle Hill FarmPig Races

The pig races are hilarious because well, they are pigs. The kids can watch and root for their team and watch the pigs make it around the track.

Honeysuckle Hill Farm

There are other things going on at the farm too, from tasting some of KK’s Sweet Shop fudge to zip lining. You can buy lunch or just snacks at some of their many food stands.

Our family had a blast and plan to go back again in the future! Your kids will love this farm too!

If you live near Fort Campbell or in the Nashville or Clarksville area, make plans to head on out to Honeysuckle Hill Farm this fall and enjoy everything they have to offer. And don’t forget to come Sunday for Hometown Heroes Day!

 

We Went to Knott’s Berry Farm and Got a Military Discount

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We Went to Knott's Berry Farm and Got a Military DiscountWe Went to Knott’s Berry Farm and Got a Military Discount

Growing up in Southern California, Knott’s Berry Farm was a huge part of my childhood. I have so many fun memories of that place too. Like Disneyland, my mom would take us there during our school breaks, for birthdays, or really whenever she found a good deal. We even went there for our 4th-grade field trip to learn about the history of the area and the gold rush.

When we were in California this past July we decided to plan a family trip to Knott’s Berry Farm. My mom, dad, brother, and boys would all be going, and we planned to meet up with my best friend and her kids who live in the area.

We Went to Knott's Berry Farm and Got a Military Discount

Where to get your Knott’s Berry Farm military discount

I knew Knott’s Berry Farm had a military discount. We have always been able to use one since my husband joined and the amount of the discount has been different every time. This trip, I went to my local MWR Leisure Travel Services to buy my tickets here at Fort Campbell.

I was able to purchase tickets for my boys and me as well as my mom. When I bought them I didn’t know my dad and brother were going to come too. I paid $40 for each ticket. Regular price is $75.00 for adults and $45.oo for adults, although sometimes they do have sales on their prices.

We Went to Knott's Berry Farm and Got a Military Discount

If you go to the gate to buy your tickets with the military discount, they will be $48. If you buy them online through Knott’s Berry Farm, they would be $43. On the website they state that the service member has to be there to get that discount, that wasn’t the case when I bought my tickets at MWR.

So if you are planning a trip to Knott’s Berry Farm and you can easily go to an MWR to get your tickets, that would be your best bet. They also have had months where they offer free admission for the military, but that will depend on the year. Last year it was a few weeks in November and then again in December.

We Went to Knott's Berry Farm and Got a Military Discount

If you have never been to Knott’s, know that it is a different place from Disneyland.

Knott’s doesn’t have all the magic that Disney has, but really, who does? But Knott’s can make for a fun day just the same.

My favorite ride is the Timber Mountain Log Ride. My kids were trying to say they copied Splash Mountain but the log ride has been around since 1969 and I have been riding it for as long as I can remember. When Splash Mountain was built, I remember thinking how great it was that Disneyland would now have a log ride too.

We Went to Knott's Berry Farm and Got a Military Discount

There are more roller coaster rides at Knott’s and some parts of the park have a very Six Flags feel to it. There is Camp Snoopy for the little kids and quite a few shows to take in. They also have a water park now that would be an extra ticket. I have never been but heard that park is quite fun too.

We Went to Knott's Berry Farm and Got a Military Discount

Ghost Town is a lot of fun, and we always tend to go there first. They have people dressed up and in character from that time period. Don’t miss talking to the man in jail and visit the old school house.

Food at Knott’s Berry Farm

I have never been too thrilled with the food choices at Knott’s, although I do love their ice cream. We ended up eating lunch at Johnny Rocket’s which cost more than a regular Johnny Rocket’s but felt like we were getting better food than we would at some of the other places in the park. There is also a TGI Friday’s outside the gate that we have been to before.

If you have the time and the money, eating at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Resturant can be a good choice. This is right outside the gate. You can also get a meal from there at the Chicken-To-Go place next door.

Shopping

There are also quite a few fun shops to look at inside the park as well as outside the gate. Make time for those to buy a survivor or to just look at what they have to offer.

If you are trying to decide if you should go to Knott’s Berry Farm, think about what your kids like to do. If you have smaller children your day could be spent in Camp Snoopy and watching some of the shows. If you have older children, you can do more of the big rides and roller coasters.

Have you ever been to Knott’s Berry Farm?

 

 

6 Ways to Travel With Kids and Not Lose Your Mind

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6 Ways to Travel With Kids and Not Lose Your Mind

6 Ways to Travel With Kids and Not Lose Your Mind

I collaborated with Expedia.com to share my travel experiences to help get the word out about the Expedia Military Offer. The military offer provides complimentary Expedia+ Gold Status to anyone that signs up by verifying their military status. It’s available to active duty, veterans, military spouses, and dependents. Expedia + Gold Status is valued at $10,000 and includes benefits like bonus points, complimentary upgrades, and exclusive amenities. Visit the Expedia Military Offer page to sign up.

This past summer I took my three boys from our home in Tennessee to my parent’s house in Southern California. We spent three weeks with them, making memories and enjoying family. I was so glad that I decided to take the trip even though the idea of flying alone with my three boys made me nervous.

I have done it several times before, but they were a lot younger. This time the flight would be four hours and then an hour drive to and from the airport. When I got home, I thought back to that trip as well as other trips I had taken with them and figured out how I got through the travels without losing my mind.

1. Make sure to organize and prepare

The number one thing I do when I travel with my kids is to get organized before we leave. This trip, each child had their own backpack with anything they would want to play with on the plane, an extra change of clothes, snacks, and an empty water bottle. Doing this freed up space in my own bag and made them responsible for some of their things.

I also make plans for the trip. How long will we be traveling? What will they need? What about food? Snacks are a big deal. When you have snacks, you have something to give your child when you need them to think about something else besides being in the car or plane.

6 Ways to Travel With Kids and Not Lose Your Mind

2. Traveling will not be as difficult as you think

I always get so nervous and anxious about traveling with my kids, but in the end, the trip is usually never as bad as I expected it would be. Sure, we might run into issues and frustrations but overall, we get to where we need to go and do so all in one piece.

I try to remind myself of this before we leave for our trip. I think about the good times we have had in the past and all the fun memories we will make while we are on our travels. That helps my mood and keeps my anxiety low.

3. Let people help you

When I flew over to Germany to join my husband, I had my 18-month-old with me, and luckily I sat next to a nice woman with four boys of her own. She offered to keep an eye on him when I went to the bathroom. When you are traveling with kids, people might try to help you, and it is a good idea to let them.

4. Ask for help

In some cases, you will have to ask people to help you. One of my boys has autism so before every flight, I tell the flight attendants, and they allow us to board before regular boarding begins. This helps my son out to be able to find the right seat without being rushed to do so.

If you feel stuck, ask a flight attendant or someone working at a desk for help. Depending on the situation, you might want to ask the people who are around you to help. Most people would be happy to help you out during your travels.

6 Ways to Travel With Kids and Not Lose Your Mind

5. Let some rules go

When traveling with children, you will have to let go of some of the rules you might normally have in your home. The middle of a flight isn’t the best time to enforce the “one hour a day” rule for screen time. Your children should be able to understand that you are not at home, that you are on vacation, and that things will be different.

6. Keep your sense of humor

Remember to keep your sense of humor during your trip. You will need it. If you take everything too seriously, you are going to stress yourself out. You want to get from your home to your destination without losing your mind and having a sense of humor about the situation will go a long way.

If you are frustrated by a delayed flight, try to make things fun and turn the waiting into a game. If you have a crying child, know that you are not alone and that plenty of people have flown with a crying child. Do what you can to calm them down and make it to your next stop.

Planning Vacations as a Military Family

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I have received compensation for this post from TravelCenters of America. All opinions and work are my own.

Planning Vacations as a Military Family

 

Planning Vacations as a Military Family

“They took away my weekend pass.” He said.

“What? How is that possible? We are leaving tomorrow!”

I couldn’t believe what he was saying. We had been in Germany just about two months and we had planned our first trip. We were going to take the train to Salzburg and meet up with a friend of mine that live in Austria. We would spend two nights in Salzburg exploring the city. Salzburg was the first city on my Germany bucket list. And now my husband tells me he can’t go.

Little did I know that this can happen. In our case, I was able to put my son in hourly for the next day. My husband picked him up after work and stayed with him while I went on ahead and met my friend in Austria. My friend and I had a great time but we lost money on the train tickets and I always wonder what that trip could have been like.

Months later I was sitting at the base travel agent getting ready to buy tickets to California. I had probably asked my husband about ten times if it was okay to buy them. He was coming home from deployment and then we were going to fly to California for a month. If I bought the tickets and the dates changed, we would be out money. I was so worried that his homecoming date would change yet again. He assured me that they had assured them that this is when their leave would be and we were okay to buy tickets. So I did, I worried the whole time but I did and we were able to go to California as planned.

One of the truths about military life is that plans are never set in stone until they happen.

There are many reasons why there could be delays. Leave can be canceled or changed. So what can a military family to in order to plan a vacation? How can you make plans for anything without running the risk of losing money? What are you to do?

So what can a military family do in order to plan a vacation? How can you make plans for anything without running the risk of losing money? What are you to do?

Over the years I have learned the hard way about what you can do and what you should do when you are a military family who wants to plan a vacation. I hope these tips can help you to military proof your vacation plans…

1. Know that things can change. One thing you have to do is know that things can change. Know that you might have to change your dates around or deal with canceled leave. Knowing this is a possibility ahead of time will help you deal with the disappointment a little better when a cancellation or delay happens. I had no idea they could take away your leave after you booked your trip, but that is what happened. After that, I knew that things could change, even at the last-minute.

2. Find good companies. I have learned that if you can go with companies that allow you to change your dates for free or for a low price, do so. This isn’t always possible but before you book anything to find out what you would have to do to change your dates. That way you will know what you will be dealing with if plans change. Some companies might even accept deployment orders as a reason for why you are having to change the date.

3. Be flexible on your dates if you can. If possible, keep your dates open-ended. This is possible if you are visiting family and don’t have to book anything. Let your family know that the dates are tentative and you are not 100% sure those will be the actual dates you are there. This will help with any expectations your family has about when they will see you.

4. Have a backup plan. Always have a backup plan. What would you do if your spouse’s leave was cancelled? Would you go on the trip without your spouse? Would you postpone for another time? Cut the trip short? By having a plan you will know what your next step is if things change.

5. Don’t tell the kids. For the love, don’t tell your kids. I know that is hard for some people, I want to tell my kids the minute we have plans to go anywhere. But a lot of kids won’t understand that changing things last-minute is how the military works. You don’t want to have to deal with a child that thought they were going to their favorite amusement park and then they were not.

Supporting the military

Speaking of traveling…as it is summertime right now, a lot of you will be out on the roads taking vacations. I wanted to let you know about how TravelCenters of America are honoring Active Military and Veterans. For six weeks this summer travel season, customers are encouraged to visit TravelCenters of America LLC (TravelCenters TA® and Petro Stopping Centers®) to support military heroes. 

TravelCenters is honoring the sacrifice of active military personnel and veterans by encouraging restaurant guests to order a meal in support of the National Military Family Association (NMFA), a nonprofit that works to strengthen and protect military families. From June 28 to August 5, participating Country Pride and Iron Skillet locations will donate $1.00 to the NMFA for each entrée ordered from a select group of menu items.

How great is that? 

 

Amsterdam & The Netherlands

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Amsterdam

While we were overseas we were able to do a little bit of traveling. I am glad we were able to do this.  In May of 2008 I took a USO tour with some friends to visit Amsterdam & The Netherlands. It was a two-day tour but you were supposed to sleep on the bus. I think I was one of the only ones that couldn’t do that but it was still worth it, even though I never got to sleep.

Amsterdam

We were able to go to a cheese farm, a place they made wooden shoes, the Keukenhof where we got to see all of the tulips and beautiful flowers, we took a canal right around Amsterdam and visited a diamond shop. We also had exactly one hour of free time where a friend of mind was able to see the Anne Frank house. The rest of us didn’t think we had enough time to do the tour, although we did get to see the outside. I wish I had been a little more adventurous and done it even if it meant getting on the bus five minutes before we were supposed to be there.

Amsterdam

The USO is a great way to travel if you don’t want to plan the trip yourself. It is good for traveling alone, with your spouse or your friend. You sign up on post, pay the fee and then go where you need to go the day the trip starts. They have day trips, overnight trips and even week-long ones. You can also meet new people on these trips which is a lot of fun. If I didn’t have children when I was in Germany I would have gone on as many trips as I could afford to do but that just wasn’t possible.

Amsterdam

 

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I thought Amsterdam was amazing. I want to go back with my husband and spend a week there. In some ways it reminded me of what New York City would be like, although I have never been there myself. In other ways it reminded me a bit of San Fransisco. It was just big and amazing. Very different from Bavaria and maybe that was why it stood out to me so much. I was used to the German countryside and not a big city.

Amsterdam

I loved looking at the tulips at the Keukenhof.  They were simply amazing and thinking back to that reminds me to look for tulip festivals in the states. I know they probably won’t compare but they would be great to see too.

Amsterdam

When we were in the canal on the boat, I thought it was amazing to think of living on one of those house boats. What a different life that would be from my own. To be that close to water and to have to depend on it. To have a bike and no car. It feels like a different world and I find it fascinating.

That is what I like the most about traveling. Seeing first hand out other people live in different parts of the world. Understanding that my normal is not everyone’s normal and that is a good thing.

Amsterdam

The only part of the trip I would have skipped was the diamond factory. It really wasn’t interesting and they kept us there longer then they normally would have. A diamond went missing and they had to figure out what happened before we could leave.  I wish we could have spent that time in the city, walking around, visiting the Anne Frank house or doing something else more interesting.

Amsterdam

 

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Have you ever been to Amsterdam? What did you think? Have you been on a USO tour?