If I could have a shirt made it would say, "I don't wanna adult today." Somebody please make me a t-shirt. I'll take a coffee mug, travel cup, hat, tote bag, and keychain too!
We have so many responsibilities to tend to in life. When do we tend to ourselves? Most of us will say we can't find the time. How is that healthy for you or the people around you? Do you know that stress harbors disease? Studies have shown that stress suppresses the immune system leaving our bodies wide open for things like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, the common cold or flu, and many other infections.
Life is about BALANCE. When you get bogged down with work and family, paying bills and maintaining relationships, you need to carve out time for yourself and help your family find ways to do the same; sometimes together...sometimes apart.
Each month, this Balance Your Life blog will go over 1 or more topics offering ways to de-stress and to truly Balance Your Life through:
▪️ Traveling,
▪️ Family Activities, and
▪️ Hobbies
My favorite Balance Your Life topic is TRAVELING!!
Pre-COVID19, I made a point to travel up to 3 times per year, with at least one of those times being out of the country. When my daughter was 7, I vowed to never travel without her and people often asked me how I was able to afford it. Trust me...I may not be monetarily rich but I am rich in mind, spirit, and pre-planning! I PRE-PLAN LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS! Pre-planning is the only way I'm able to travel and take my mini me with me without breaking the bank. Here are a few tips on how I do it.
✅ Book vacations in advance.
️▪️ Traveling is extremely affordable when done in advance.
▪️ Booking early stops you from building unnecessary credit card debt.
▪️ Don’t pay for the entire trip on a credit card unless you're earning points and are able to pay it off before the interest hits. More on that in the Free Your Finances blog.
▪️ I use the subscription service NextVacay.com and the websites/apps Skyscanner and Secret Flying to project my trips for the following year.
---It’s how I scored nonstop, roundtrip tickets to Iceland for only $250! You read that right. NONSTOP! ROUNDTRIP! $250! HELLO! I booked the flights 9 months in advance and a hotel that allowed me to pay upon arrival, which meant I didn't have to spend any money upfront on rooms.
▪️ Travel during off-peak seasons. Get your off-season travel calendar here:
▪️ Go places off the beaten path.
---I’m a Resort junkie!! But staying with the locals is usually cheaper and gives you a totally different perspective for the country you’re in.
▪️ Rediscover your own city with a staycation.
---Make a point to visit historical places right where you live! Try Groupon or LivingSocial for discounts and coupons in your very own city.
▪️ Go one city over and see what it has to explore.
---We once drove 4 hours to Houston and spent 2 days having the best time exploring local museums for super cheap!
---I got 1 night free from reward points and made sure to book a hotel with free breakfast.
---I found tickets on Groupon to the Houston Museum of Natural Science that has 16 permanent exhibits. We were there all day! Here's some of what we explored:
---Day 1, we walked through a live butterfly exhibit with hundreds of butterflies flying all
around us. We drilled thru the Earth's core inside of an interactive drill. We saw real mummies in the Hall of Ancient Egypt. We learned about energy production using windmills to power a city. We traveled through time in the Americas. We saw animals from Africa and so much more. This one location was an 8 hour day!
---Day 2, we visited NASA's Johnson Space Center where we got to explore Mission Control and Apollo 13. Afterward, we played catch at a local park, ran up on a kite festival unexpectedly, and just relaxed watching people and enjoying the weather.
All in all, it was a great mini vacay and much needed escape. It was fun, educational, and cheap! I'm always down for cheap!
Whether you're exploring the city you're in, the next city over, or traveling out of the country, traveling is a great way to de-stress. It takes your mind off your responsibilities just for a moment and allows you time to breathe before getting back to it.
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