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| The night before we came home we ate outdoors at Guadalajara Grill. It was a beautiful warm Tucson evening. |
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| We spent the night in Prescott. We had never come home that way. We were pleasantly surprised. (Court House Square) |
So I asked our granddaughter. That child just can not figure out how we can afford to do what we do. She knows how much it costs. We travel routinely to places like Santa Fe and Mexico. What she doesn't realize is that we have planned and invested slowly in our travel over time. We knew that we wanted to travel when we retired.
1- For example, we own a timeshare that does not require us to pay anything until we actually use it. Connected to that timeshare is a membership to an exchange membership that was purchased with the timeshare. It allows us to find condos at rates that are very affordable and in areas that are desirable. We spent a week in a condo in Santa Fe for around $600.
2-We have a very small park model in Arizona so we take advantage of those places that are close to our second home. The park model space rent costs us $400 a month. We are great day trippers and love a staycation better than most people. In fact, when we were working, we did not take big trips at all. We were more the weekend trip kind of people. Time was very tight for us.
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| Our trip from Prescott to Las Vegas let us do one last trip under the bridge that spans the Colorado over Hoover Dam. I have followed the construction of the bridge from the beginning. |
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| We stayed in Las Vegas for $69 a night. The old resort was directly across from the Hard Rock Hotel and two block from Planet Hollywood. |
5-On our trip home this year we stopped at some of the places we have learned to love or have missed on past trips. We are thinking of leaving a car in Arizona and flying back and forth. The pictures tell that story.
Travel is in our blood. We count our blessing because we have figured out a way to do a lot more than we ever imagined. It is not free but we can afford it even though we always spend less than we are making. I think that is the trick now and always has been.
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| The Aria is a new resort with shopping, gambling and beautiful unique decor. |
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| We just lean on the railing and people watch. What a wonderful parade passes as we look on. Cheap entertainment! |
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| Food, wine, cheap food and an open window that lets in the warm air... what more could I want. |
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| We always visit the Belagio to see what they have on display in the atrium. This year it was a gorgeous butterfly garden. |
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| Home! |
Welcome home!
ReplyDeleteWe are also thinking about leaving a car in Tucson and flying down.
Nice return route this year!
I honestly think this was the easiest and most fun we have ever had traveling home. I will tell about a stay in a community in northern Utah that we enjoyed soon.
DeleteLovely photos of places you visited. I don't know how old your granddaughter is but to me the underlying key to what you are able to do is that you have clearly prioritized what is important to you and spent your money accordingly. Or put another way, you know what truly makes you happy. If you can help her learn to figure that out in her own life she will be so far ahead of most people in being able to create a customized happy adult life for herself.
ReplyDeleteI think you are absolutely right. Hopefully, she is watching and learning. I love the way she budgets her money when I take her shopping. She is always looking for the biggest bang for her buck. It is a very good beginning for a lifetime of happiness without worry. Oh, she is 16 (almost 17).
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