should hubby and i take a road trip for our one- year anniversary of being married?
i know that this may sound like an easy question but really it isn't for many reasons. i decided to make a list- well because i love lists and possibly it will be easier to understand for you then me babbling on and on and on and on..... okay here goes
PROS OF TAKING A ROAD TRIP
1. We desperately need a trip- things have been waaaaaay too hectic in our lives this year and we really haven't been able to spend uninterrupted quality time together as much as we would like. i believe this trip would definately do our relationship some good and give us the time together that we need and deserve
2. We would probably have the money for it- i assume that after renting a car (which hubby found out would be about $220 dollars for unlimited miles for one week), getting a hotel room (which my mom and aunt said they may be able to pay for as a present for my b-day which is in july), food, gas (which they say should be about $3.50 cents or more by summer)and miscellaneous expenses that may arise we are looking about between $600 and $800 dollars for this trip- realistically speaking. We could swing it only because d and i will be working full time this summer.
3. We vowed when we got married that we would take a trip every summer because traveling and spending at least one week a year- COMPLETELY ALONE- was very important to us.
4. We will someday in the near future start trying to have kids- i don't want to pass these opportunities to travel up now because we may not get them again for awhile.
CONS OF TAKING A ROAD TRIP
1. We will have the money but should we really spend it on a road trip? We do have other bills to pay- is it irresponsible to take a trip when we have other obligations? I think that we may be able to do both- pay off all our outstanding debt as well as take a trip- but what if we can't? should we still take the trip?
2. I would have to take a week off from both of my jobs- i don't have PTO or vacation pay so i would be loosing a weeks pay. D has vacation time so that should be fine.
3. D is going to be having his plumbing apprenticeship interview on April 14th (which we are very excited about!) after that interview he gets placed on the May list and then is taken off the list and put in a apprenticeship based on his interview and test scores ( his test scores not only met the standards but exceeded them by a very very large margin) so my question is- what if he doesn't have to wait long for an apprenticeship? what if he gets called sometimes this summer- will his new job let him have a week long vacation? i guess it won't be too bad if we had to cancel because we would just be renting a car- so we could cancel that and cancel the hotel- but if there were penalties that would suck! D seems to think that if he is upfront with his employer right away he will be able to still take the week off- i am not so sure- but that could just be me being pessimistic- "Hi my name is Negative Nancy!"
So those are my pros/cons- i'm not really sure what to do! part of me wants to be responsible and not take a trip but most of me wants to say screw it and take the trip.
Also if we do go on a trip- where should we go? again because i love lists and pictures to brighten my blog i have decided to show you lovely blog readers some of the places D and i are contemplating road tripping to.....
1. The Beautiful South Dakota- i have never been but D has and he says it is absolutely gorgeous!
2. Maine- i have always wanted to go to Maine- ever since i was little- i even wanted to live there for a while before i decided to go to College ( which i never regretted!)
3. San Fransisco and or Napa Valley- D and i considered going here for our honeymoon but decided on Vegas instead. We absolutely love wine, good food, and beautiful sites- so i believe this could be a great option- but also very expensive.
4. Boston- D really wanted to go to Boston i'm not sure if i'm sold but it does sound really beautiful.
So those are the places we have been pondering over- we haven't checked out any prices yet as far as activities in those areas, hotels or bed and breakfasts- so i'm not sure which is the most cost efficient- if any of them are at all.
If anyone has any suggestions i am definately open to them! Places to go, how to go on a road trip with a tight budget, and of course whether or not we should even take a road trip- i love honest opinions and i know all of my blog readers will be honest with me- i can take it!
well hubby just got home and is anxiously awaiting for me to get off my blog and watch the new season of Top Chef with him- i have to say the competition looks fierce this year.... i can't wait to see it- now every time D and i go to a restaurant we are so critical of the food- just call us wanabe Tom Colicchio's!
7 comments:
My vote is, if you get all your debt paid off and taking the trip won't put you into new debt, then take the trip, but modify it. I would do a four day weekend to maybe door county or something where you aren't spending as much time traveling and can maximize your relaxation and quality time. It will be easier to get that time off for D with a new job (only two or three days surrounding a weekend) and you won't loose as much pay either. Plus you will get your vacation. Put it on a holiday weekend and you could get an extra day out of it.
As awesome as it is to be at the point where you are paid up on your debts - there will be new ones coming - house, children, insurance, school loans, christmas, friend's weddings, etc. So having fun, but being somewhat conservative about it is what I would do. You could even save like you are taking the big trip, then just put the difference in savings!
I say GO!
Really, you can save and save and save for something in the future. But, what good is that if you're not living your life now? Yes, looking ahead is important, but so is living your life. It's too short to pass up opportunities. I LIVE for vacations and I work very hard to make that happen.
I agree with Erin 100%. You won't always be in this position. Someday, you'll have kids and you'll have other responsibilities and you may not have this opportunity.
Finally, if you are driving, some of the places out west are going to be far and will mean a lot of driving. There are so many great places in this country that I would love to see, so keep me posted on where you guys decide to go!
We are totally in the same boat! We are for sure going SOMEWHERE though b/c I have PTO and already got approved to be off. But where is the question.
Napa or Boston were our initial choices but now I'm all about the sun and beaches. So I can't help too much except to say GO and DO IT. We need a push every now and then to lighten up with saving money and enjoy our kid-free lives. So I'm telling you to go and you better listen.
well it seems like i should definately go somewhere so now it's just a matter of where! i can't wait!
i think i have to listen to julia! i promise i'll go on a trip!!!! :0)
thanks ladies!
I think you should definitely take a trip. Even the east coast locations you have are pretty far away, to drive to Boston is about 18 hours from here.
I couldn't believe how beautiful South Dakota was, and that really isn't a bad drive- we drove from Milwaukee to Rapid City in one day. It took the entire day, but we stopped in LaCrosse and at the Corn Palace (Corn Palace isn't worth the time - spend that time in the Badlands).
I have more information about the stretch of 90 through South Dakota than I'll ever need - let me know if you have any questions.
I vote go too! You'll never have to guess what it woulda been like to get away while you had the chance (before kids and jobs you can't leave, etc.).
The east coast is beautiful (what few places I've seen) -- that's my suggestion. :)
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