| |
How to Bring Home Memories Without Busting the Zipper on Your Bag or Your Budget By Paula Farris Vacations are expensive! Even low budget trips can run into several hundreds of dollars, or more depending on the size of your family. Perhaps you want to splurge on a few things--eat in a real restaurant, get a motel by the beach, purchase a few souvenirs. Is there a way to bring home your memories without busting your bags and your budget? Here are a few ideas to help you do just that:
Save mementos like placemats and business cards from restaurants and hotels, maps of theme parks, brochures from the hotel lobby, etc. If the daily toiletries that are left in your room are accompanied by a doily or napkin that are imprinted with the company’s logo save one or two of them. These little extras can be added to a scrapbook after you get home.
Some places offer mouse pads with a picture of the establishment or their company logo. These are usually free or very inexpensive.
Christmas Tree Ornaments are usually inexpensive and are festive reminders of other festive times in your family’s experiences.
Talk to your children before you leave home about souvenirs and your budget and luggage constraints. Allow them a small amount of spending money to spend however they want, but remind them about your discussion. They may decide to spend the money on fun things and just keep the free stuff they acquire as souvenirs.
Consider purchasing a large decorative item for your home as a souvenir for the whole family. With this kind of memento you have to consider how you are going to get it home. You may want to ship it to your house if there is someone there to bring it inside or the home of a friend or neighbor. Be sure to pack it properly so it doesn’t arrive damaged.
Don’t forget to take lots of pictures. If every family member doesn’t own their own camera purchase disposable cameras for everyone. Don’t forget Mom and Dad. It is interesting to see the trip from each person’s perspective. A little instruction in framing photos inside the viewfinder will save disappointment when the film is developed, or use digital cameras so you can see the picture before you decide you want to keep it.
For panoramic scenes postcards may work better than trying to get the perfect photograph. They are usually very inexpensive so it is affordable to purchase one of every place you visit. As an added bonus buy several and write notes to yourselves about the things you are doing, seeing and experiencing, then mail them to yourself. You will have a stack of memories waiting to help you relive your journey when you arrive home.
Keep a travel journal for each day of your trip. Write down where you went, where you stayed, what you ate, what you purchased, sights you saw and anything else you want to remember about the day. Each family member can add to one journal or you can each have your own. This will be a priceless memory for many years to come.
If you do decide to buy a trinket to remind you of your trip, try to find something that represents the area you are visiting. A handmade necklace bought from the Navajo vendors at the bottom of Canyon de Chelly or a gold plated aspen leaf bought at the gift shop at the top of Pike’s Peak will mean more to you several years from now than an over priced plastic cup purchased at a theme park.
There are many ways to remember your family vacations. Having a tangible reminder can be fun, but having a trinket that doesn't even survive the trip home can make your trip less enjoyable. Use these tips to help you to bring home great vacation memories.
Family vacations are a great way to provide valuable bonding time for your family, but sometimes Mom and Dad may want (or need) to take a trip alone. Leaving your children at home can be just as stressful as bringing them with you without careful planning. This article will give you some ideas on making this kind of trip more enjoyable for the whole family.
Keenan under the quaternary arch we made at the OMSI in Portland--this was taken 2 seconds before the arch collapsed!
StressFreeFamilyTravel.com 1849 N. Wilbur Circle Mesa, AZ 85201 Paula @ StressFreeFamilyTravel.com |
