Right place, Right time, Right mindset

The day after Christmas is typically one of the slowest days in the office. Most of the day was spent reading obscure news stories, talking over pods, and doing anything to pass the time until the end of the day. This day was no different, until at about mid-day someone posted on Facebook that Delta airlines had floored their prices and it was most likely due to a glitch so action had to be taken immediately. Without thinking, I was booking a once-in-a-lifetime fare to Hawaii. Having friends out there, I knew at the very least it would be a great time to catch up with them, so it was icing on the cake when a guest room was offered. The trip still is going to cost me close to $1,000 but in perspective, that amount would have barely gotten me on the plane. $1,000 is a lot for what is going on in my life, but when is the next time I'll be able to go Hawaii for this cheap? How often does life pass us these opportunities? Well, with the right mindset, these opportunities can be taken as well. The Hawaii trip was a crazy series of events, but I would like to share how I travel. First of all, to participate in "guerilla travel" a fund must be established. I keep mine at about $1,000. Now, there are those who think keeping a grand aside when there are debts to be paid is absurd, but there is FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and the fact is the youngest you will ever be is right now. My fund will not get me a dream vacation, that is for another section, but when an excellent airfare is found, that $1,000 will get me started, if not get me through the whole trip. With some money aside, we play the waiting game. If a computer glitch occurs again, then the timing is obvious. Other times things are not so obvious. Using rumors and thorough research, I take not of how fares seem to be fluctuating and I make an educated guess at the most appropriate time to buy. Indicators might be a noticeable drop in prices, and booking no less than six weeks out for the most part. Rumors are that the best time to buy is on the Tuesday six weeks out from travel. My biggest piece of advice: don't be married to where you want to go. If you dream of places to go for years, then my philosophy will not help you. I want to see the world and I have minimal preference to where I go first. I will go where my money will take me, but I'll research a few different options for trips and explore several different areas: 1) How much will my time on land cost me? How much will a tour cost (if I am going that route)? Hotel? I also go on to the Government travel site to see per diem for the area to judge my approximate costs. Note: I use Contiki for tours, and there are sometimes deals on the site. This holds weight in my decision. This also ties in with my not being committed to a place. 2) What will my mode of transportation be once arriving? What are my living arrangements like and am I comfortable with them? 3) What will my airfare be? Note: This is third because in the end the time in the air is the least. Something to note is that my standards are low with most of the trip, specifically internationally. I enjoy hostels and being paired with people during tours. To me the living arrangements are so at the bottom of my list of major things to consider but safety must be considered. I recommend Hostel World when looking for a good place to stay abroad. When it comes to some vacations, my budget gets higher. I try to go away every other spring to a crazy place. I have aspirations as to where I would like to go, but I make sure I am not disappointed if another trip is more affordable. After all, I want to see as much of the world as I can.

Disney with Dietary Difficulties

We all have that reason we need to getaway. 

After weeks of tossing back and forth the idea of doing a 5k in Disney, I got a text saying "I signed up for the race and you should too". Having run 5Ks before and looking toward the 10k or even 10 mile goal, paying airfare to go to a 5k seemed silly, but sometimes you need that girls vacation and this was that time. 

Between planning and going, the government furlough happened almost ending this trip before it began. Luckily, the promise of back pay came with enough time to commit to going. 

As we arrived at Disney at the Shades of Green resort, anticipation built about how awesome of a trip this was going to be. The group decided this was the night to get dolled up and have a night on the Boardwalk. This is where the trip got interesting, and would stay hilarious. 

Traveling all day none of us even thought to eat much beyond a salad between flights. We started to think about getting out when the thought occurred "Can we check the menu?" The Disney parks app made this easy but we couldn't clearly see if a restaurant would cater to our dietary needs, with a vegan and a gluten free. We left without a plan for shuttle purposes. 

Three walks up and down the Boardwalk reading the menus we didn't know what to do. As a gluten free member of society I am cool with excluding parts of a meal and living like that, but the vegan was more difficult (in her defense sometimes my needs were difficult to satisfy). We finally decided the least evil place was Cat Cora's place. As we checked in with the hostess, we were asked about food issues and those issues were relayed to the waitress. As the waitress was getting our drink order, the vegan and myself were analyzing the menu with replacements and "Gee I hope they will do that". The waitress returned and told us the chef would be to the table shortly. The chef came out and gave us so many options. It was unbelievable, I've never felt so cared for in a business for my allergy. 

But that was only the beginning. Every place we ate at addressed our specified needs to the letter, and would make custom meals for us. It got to the point that the one person without any dietary concerns was feeling left out! 

One meal gave me some grief and ironically it was the meal in Animal Kingdom where there was an "allergy cart" nearby. 

Disney was a great time and to not be left out for once felt great. The one bad reaction could have been left out, but it's (sadly) become commonplace and one bad time over a week was not bad odds. 

The moral of the story is that if there are needs, make them known and Disney will make your visit most magical. I never thought of my allergy as a "make or break" of a good time, but as I succumbed and was unable to enjoy my final afternoon in the park, I realized how important it is to make your needs known. 

2013 on to 2014

I owe my readers some time. 

2013 was a great year, and an even better year for my travel habit. The year started off with a quick trip to Orlando, then a two week adventure in Spain. This was followed by a second trip to Orlando that allowed me to go to the Wizarding Wold of Harry Potter, then an impromptu trip to San Antonio and Austin for the Fourth of July. In August I ended up spending two weeks in Albany, Georgia where I got to hear Mr. Jimmy Carter preach Sunday school. In November I made the hat trick with trips to Orlando but this time it was strictly for pleasure and two friends and I went to all four parks and experienced RunDisney. Finally the year drew to a close with an impending purchase of a house. 

But that's not going to slow me down!

Ok maybe it will. But, in the last year I've learned invaluable lessons on finding your best deal in unlikely places and at the perfect times. For example, a hotel room split three ways, four days at parks, and airfare to Orlando barely broke $700. 

This year is two days deep and so far a trip to Hawaii has been planned and paid for while a trip to San Francisco has been discussed. Certainly other opportunities will cross my path. 

Til then...