travel

Planning Vacations as a Military Family

June 30, 2016 by Julie Leave a Comment

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

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.

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?

So You Got Stationed Overseas: Why you NEED to make TRAVEL a part of your short PCS abroad

February 10, 2016 by Julie Leave a Comment

Thanks so much to LeAnna Brown for this guest post!

Living in Europe for the past five years as a contractor with the US Army, I have had what most people would call a “Dream Life.” I’ve learned to budget travel and travel hack, so we get to travel extensively and all over the world, not just Europe! I’ve danced on the tables at Oktoberfest, I’ve climbed all 1710 step of the Eiffel Tower and I’ve cliff dived into the blue ocean in Croatia, to name a few adventures.

I started shopping at the local grocery store the first week I moved to Germany and I’ve taken advantage of just about every 4-Day Weekend we’ve had to go somewhere new. So, I’ve learned a thing or two about living life abroad while being stationed overseas.

However, I found that there were SO many military members, spouses and families that were sitting on Post not ever leaving…and then complaining that life was horrible here in Europe and that they couldn’t wait to move back to the States!

This not only made me sad that they were not seeing the Europe that I was, but was also infuriating me that so many people only DREAM of getting to visit Europe and yet some people that got assigned here were dismissing that opportunity completely.

But then I started to find out WHY some of these people weren’t getting out and exploring

Some were too nervous about buying the wrong items at the store.

Others didn’t like not being able to communicate with the locals.

Many didn’t think that they could afford to travel or site see.

About the Book: So You Got Stationed Overseas: Why you NEED to make TRAVEL a part of your short PCS abroad

So, I took ALL the experience of the 40 countries and 90 new cities I had seen over the past five years, and combined it with stories from local spouses that I collected through research to create the ultimate How- To book for anyone facing an upcoming PCS to Europe, or those already living there!

I help the person stepping off the plane learn to get acquainted with life abroad by slowly dipping your toes into the local culture but giving exact tips and advice on how to do so, like navigating the local grocery stores.

I encourage all the nay-sayers with excuses to drop them out of the plane as you cross the ocean. Therefore, I PROVE how to budget for travel, how to adjust for military schedules and more in order to get out and site-see. But not only do I prove this, I include a workbook with guides that help you do the same.

I then drop resource after resource for people living in Europe looking for ways to budget travel or even those wanting to LEARN how to plan a trip!

This isn’t your typical PCS checklist book and it isn’t your Rick Steves Travel Planning guide either. It is a resource for you, the military member facing that overwhelming OCONUS PCS!

And, as if helping active duty service members isn’t enough, 5% of the books proceeds also is donated towards the Wounded Warrior Project!

You Can Order The Book on Amazon HERE.

Know someone who is PCSing to Europe? Share this invaluable resource with them so that they can take advantage of their time abroad!

Are you facing an OCONUS PCS? What fears or questions do you have? Sometimes it is just a matter of getting them answered before you can have the time of your life!

About the Author

LeAnna Brown currently helps fellow travelers learn how to travel on a tight budget and Travel Hack through her blog EconomicalExcursionists.com. After almost 40 countries down in four years and only a few thousand dollars spent a year on travel, they have learned to penny pinch their way to a bare minimalist lifestyle to help them see and appreciate the world.

You can get daily dosages of travel tips and motivation by “Liking” Economical Excrusionists on Facebook or follow her on twitter @EconExcursion.

Other articles written by LeAnna that may interest you:

Travel Hacking for Beginners: http://www.economicalexcursionists.com/travel-hacking-beginners-guide/

15 Ways to Pinch Pennies for Future Travel: http://www.economicalexcursionists.com/save-for-a-vacation/#.VdB0ivmqqko

If you would like to learn more about traveling for FREE through Travel Hacking (using points for free flights and hotels), check out the Free E-Course offered by the Economical Excursionist.

Photography: Day at an Austrian Zoo

April 25, 2015 by Julie Leave a Comment

In 2009 we spent Spring break in Austria visiting a friend of mine. She tooks us all over. The first place we went to a zoo. It was a lot of fun and it was great to see a different type of zoo then we were used to.

Our Honeymoon 12 Years Later

August 5, 2014 by Julie 2 Comments

I thought it would be fun to tell you about my honeymoon, 12 years after the fact. I might not remember everything about that week but I do remember enough.

We got married on August 3rd, 2002 in Santa Rosa, CA. The reception ended about 4 or 5 in the afternoon and after that we drove to San Francisco where we were going to spend the first night. We paid a lot for that hotel room but this was a once in a life thing. The room was tiny. I was kind of shocked but it worked well. We were starving, especially me. I didn’t eat anything at the reception. I should have as the food was really good. We decided to eat at Bubba Gumps. That was where we had our first meal as Husband and Wife.

The next day we drove down to San Luis Obispo for our 2nd night at the Madonna Inn. What a fun hotel! Our room was blue with a circle bed. I had heard a lot of stories of the place but it was the first time I had been there. I don’t remember too much about the area other than finding a buffet to eat at.

The next morning we drove to Long Beach to park the car. We got on a ship and headed for Catalina Island where we would spend the rest of our honeymoon. We thought a lot about where to go. We thought about Hawaii but being on a budget it just wouldn’t have worked. Catalina is an Island off the cost of Southern California and is the next best thing.

We checked into our bed and breakfast and thought it was too cute. Our room even had a book with all the other people who had stayed there. We had to add our names of course.

We spent four nights on the island and it was so much fun. My bridesmaids had gotten together to buy us a few fun packages. I can’t quite remember all of them but one was a kayak trip which was so much fun we went back and did it again. We went out on it and found a small little beach. We had bought these amazing sandwiches, put them in a waterproof case and had a picnic on this little beach. It was the best. We also saw a movie at the old casino turned movie theator, I think it was the movie Signs. We also spent time at the beach and ate ate ate. I recently found an Instagram account for a Catalina Food Tour. I told Ben we should look into that next time and he told me that we already did our own tour and that was true. When you are there for that many meals, you get to try a lot of different places.

What I love about Catalina is just the laid back vacation like atmosphere. It was nice. It was such a great week to bond as husband and wife. We did not live together before we got married so staying together like that was new. I started to see Ben as my husband, not my boyfriend anymore. It was the time we needed to bond as a couple.

After those four nights we headed back to our car then drove back to Santa Rosa to really start our lives together. We returned home to a living room full of presents, a fridge full of cake and flowers and a bed filled with jelly beans courtesy of the wedding party.

Looking back that trip seems like such a long time ago. Getting married was such a long time ago. I was only 23! Now I am looking towards 36. Big difference.

We were able to go back to Catalina for our 7th anniversary that hit over R&R. That was an amazing trip as well but so very different from our honeymoon. It was also a little strange since Ben had been gone for 8 months before R&R. We knew each other but also needed to get back to being “us” again. It was also a time to regroup and bond but for a different reason.

I am hoping we can go back for another anniversary in the future. Maybe next year?

Another Beautiful Day at Knott’s Berry Farm

September 28, 2012 by Julie 2 Comments

Growing up in Southern California I have such fond memories of going to Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland as a child. That is why I love taking my boys. Now growing up we usually went to Disneyland during the year and not at all during the summer. We would have yearly passes and most of the summer was blocked for us anyways. So as an adult I refuse to pay all that money to go to Disneyland in July. So this summer, since we were in CA in July we decided to go to Knott’s Berry Farm. It is a cheaper option and not as many people. They also had a Military discount too. I also wanted to mention that I just went to their site and read this…

Knott’s annual tribute to our Military, past and present, starts November 1st. FREE admission for Veterans or current serving military personnel and one guest with proper I.D. presented at turnstile. (DD214, Veterans Administration Hospital ID or Active Military Service ID.) Plus purchase up to six additional tickets for just $19 each! Ends November 21.

We were able to meet up with one of my best friends and two of her kids. We spent the morning with them and then had lunch and stayed until about 7 that night. The boys had such a great time, even little Joshua. He was pretty done by the end of the day though.

My boys on the Log Ride, one of our favorite rides

We got to see the Snoopy show

The kids were amazed that the jailer knew their names

Most of our kids

The boys loved this ride, I felt like I was going to barf but it was worth it

No room for Mommy on that ride

My cool toddler

The bigger boys on a kids roller coaster

Paradise Springs at Gaylord Texan

July 5, 2011 by Julie 24 Comments

I love to travel! Sadly I haven’t been able to for a while and probably have to wait a while more to be able to do it again. So I decided to look for some guest posters to talk about great places to travel. Heather from Dallas Single Mom is going to be talking about the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, TX. It looks like such a fun place to visit! Thanks so much Heather 🙂

Paradise is coming to Grapevine, TX. Grapevine, Texas is located right between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth and minutes from DFW airport in the middle of North Texas. In beautiful Grapevine is a hodge podge of many family friendly resorts and activities. The Travel Channel has profiled a special resort and called it the 2011 Best Family Getaway in Texas.

Grapevine’s Gaylor Texan is an entertainment resort that has just recently opened a brand new indoor and outdoor water park called Paradise Springs! This water park opened this past Memorial Day weekend which kicked off the summer season of splashing fun for DFW families. Featuring 10 acres of outdoor pool adventures and a lazy river complex, Paradise Springs boasts pools, outdoor recreation, and and outdoor pool bar with large projection screen movies for dive in movies. This new outdoor pool is also a part of the Gaylord’s 8th annual SummerFest with pool activities, culinary programs, firework shows, live entertainment and much more for all ages.

We are extremely excited to add this new amenity to our resort property,” said John Imaizumi, Senior Vice President and General Manager. “It is a spectacular pool with great features for both our leisure and group guests.

Paradise Springs at Gaylord Texa n treats resort guests to a 600-foot-long winding lazy river with entertaining water features throughout and a 6,000-square-foot family lagoon with a walk-in beach, two horseshoe-shaped hot pools, a 27-foot water slide, a designated toddler pool, and water basketball. For those craving outdoor adventure between dips in the pool, the unique game pavilion offers a large campfire pit, bocce ball, croquet, tossers, and shuffleboard. Sun bathing is available on any of the pool’s 1,270 seats including chaise loungers, beach chairs, and family-style rounds. Those wishing to upgrade their pool experience will enjoy three sets of private cabanas available to rent daily, some of which will have their own flat screen televisions and fire pits for roasting marshmallows. Yummy treats will be served up by Gaylord Texan’s executive resort chef, Ty Thoren, and his culinary team with fresh and creative menu offerings for the full-service pool bar and grill, a quick bites concession stand, and poolside menus.

SummerFest 2011 activities will feature a variety of pool events, culinary programs, firework shows, and strolling entertainment. Guests will also be delighted by the resort’s two new restaurants, Zeppole Coastal Italian and Riverwalk Cantina; live music at the Glass Cactus nightclub; the 25,000-square-foot Relache Spa; unique retail shopping; and luxury accommodations in 1,511 guestrooms.

For more information on Gaylord Texan’s Paradise Springs pool, SummerFest 2011 activities, or special room packages for those wishing to “stay & play” this summer season, please visit http://www.gaylordtexan.com or call (817) 778-1000.

The Gaylord Texan resort is located at 1501 Gaylord Trail, Grapevine, TX 76051-1945

*All photos are from gaylordtexan.com
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Blogger Bio – Heather Buen is the official Examiner.com writer for all culture and events activities for the Dallas-Fort Worth area. To read about more Dallas events, please visit her Examiner page! Heather also has a personal blog where she offers advice and tips for single mothers at Dallas Single Mom!

Garmisch in Germany

March 3, 2010 by Julie Leave a Comment

A Trip to Ancient Ephesus

February 11, 2010 by Julie Leave a Comment

Ben got home from his deployment in November. During the post-deployment block leave, we went on a Mediterranean Cruise. I have been slowly blogging about all the ports 🙂

The next stop on our cruise was Turkey!

I loved it! I think visiting the ruins in Ephesus was one of my most favorite parts of the cruise. I had never been to a place that you could call “Biblical” before and it was just amazing!

Ephesus is one of the 7 churches mentioned in the book of Revelation. Paul also lived in Ephesus. I just tried to imagine all that when I was there.