Monthly Musings: Vacation Edition!

Oh I am so excited to be joining in with Patty and Holly today for their Monthly Musings posts because this month we're talking all about vacations.  I LOVE to travel, dream of travel, plan trips, and read about other's adventure too so I am all about today's post!


 


1.  My husband and I are heading to New Hampshire in June and we have a family vacation to the Smoky Mountains planned for July... and we've recently begun tossing around the idea of visiting Disney in late August (though I'm really not sure about the heat with that one!) but I just can not think of any other time of year that my two boys schedules will align and we have tickets to use from 2020. 

 We'll be staying at the Riverwalk again in New Hampshire



This is the house we rented in Tennessee 



2. Packing tips?? I'm not sure I have any... though I do like to roll my clothes to cut down on wrinkles and help me fit more. 

3. I just began using packing cubes a year ago and I am a huge fan of them; especially for longer trips!  They really to seem to help me fit more and keep things organized. My entire 7 day wardrobe fit into a carry on for our beach trip last summer using packing cubes. 


4. I don't have a favorite travel outfit but tend to wear comfortable clothes like flip flops, tee shirts, yoga pants or wide leg linen pants.  

5. I don't have a favorite travel destination; we've been many places and I find something to like about them all. I did write up a post about our 10 Favorite Family Vacation Destinations here.







6.  Honesty, I can't remember the last time we've flown... must have been in 2019 when we went to Colorado/Wyoming/South Dakota/ etc.  If we can drive I tend to pick driving since I don't enjoy being at the mercy of airlines and car rental agencies. 

7. I like either the beach or the mountains for vacation-- I'm pretty happy exploring new places and we seem to equally divide our time between mountain and beach vacations.  You can read about all the trips we've taken through the years in this post.  Though, honestly, based on most of our photos and memories I've got say amusement parks are high up there on our family vacation lists!!

hiking at Niagara falls

Tampa bay


Carolina beach

New Hampshire 

Isle of Palms (just outside Charleston, SC)

I love the Maine Coast! 

Hiking in Pennsylvania

8. I am definitely a little bit of both on this one too; some vacations are all about the sight seeing and others are all about relaxation.  Most vacation I try to mix a little of both in there with  a few days of being on the go and then a day or two to relax around the beach or hotel and then another day or two to explore. 

9. Never camping!  Unless we get our own RV we are hotel or house rental people all the day.  With so many of us it's much easier to rent a house for our family vacations but when my husband and I head away for a long weekend we always opt for a hotel.  

10. I am definitely an overpacker.  I plan on one outfit for each day and then as I pack up my suitcase and see I have more room I tend to throw in a few extra favorite tops.  

Linking up with:





Comments

  1. NatashaApril 28, 2022 at 6:29 AM

    You've been to so many States I want to visit -- basically all of the New England states! Sadly, our family doesn't really love amusement parks so we haven't been to many :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 28, 2022 at 5:09 PM

      Living in New England is is so easy to visit them all; I can be in any of them within 3 hours tops.

      Delete
  2. HollyApril 28, 2022 at 7:37 AM

    Love seeing all of your pics! Some on our bucket list here too especially Mount Rushmore!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 28, 2022 at 5:09 PM

      Thanks! That was a fun trip; honestly Mt. Rushmore wasn't even a highlight for my boys (despite going there just to see it!). We had waaay more fun at Custer State park nearby.

      Delete
  3. Memphis BridgesApril 28, 2022 at 8:02 AM

    That house looks fabulous for the Smokys and we love amusement parks too. It seems like it has been a while since we have done that though. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 28, 2022 at 5:10 PM

      It's been a few years since we've been to an amusement park too but for awhile there it seemed like that's all we were doing.

      Delete
  4. Michele MorinApril 28, 2022 at 8:29 AM

    Travel with kids is just the best! So glad you venture into Northern New England!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 28, 2022 at 5:11 PM

      Oh definitely! I joke all the time that I'd love to live in Maine or New Hampshire if only I didn't have to leave the house all winter long.

      Delete
  5. Tamar SBApril 28, 2022 at 9:10 AM

    I am so ready for vacation!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dara @ Not In JerseyApril 28, 2022 at 9:38 AM

    That house looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 28, 2022 at 5:11 PM

      We needed something to accommodate us all; my family, my mother in law, my sister and her boys... I think we found a good one!

      Delete
  7. TorontoSAMApril 28, 2022 at 10:50 AM

    You seem to be centrally located so driving would make more sense most of the time. I do like to fly but having your own car with you is a bonus!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 28, 2022 at 5:12 PM

      We live in Ct; so not all that centrally located but we do tend to mostly stick to the east coast for travel.

      Delete
  8. Lindsay's Sweet WorldApril 28, 2022 at 12:10 PM

    I'm totally with you never camping... anything but that! Haha. I hope y'all are able to get in your Disney trip this year! August is definitely the hottest month of the entire year down here, though, so just be really prepared for crazy hot temps and soooo much humidity. August is my least favorite month of the whole year here in Georgia for that very reason.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 28, 2022 at 5:13 PM

      We used to hit up Disney the week after labor day so I can't imagine the last week or so of August will be hugely different heat-wise. I camped a lot as a kid and I hated every minute of it. We tried camping in our own yard one night and even that was not fun at all... it's so much work!

      Delete
  9. Good Better Best FoodApril 28, 2022 at 1:10 PM

    That house in the Smoky Mountains looks amazing. You are going to have to post about that trip when you get back. Thanks for joining us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 28, 2022 at 5:14 PM

      Oh, definitely! I already have a whole week's worth of posts set aside.

      Delete
  10. Julie's Creative LifestyleApril 28, 2022 at 2:38 PM

    I enjoyed reading this post about travel. My daughter has taken a few vacations with just packing a carry-on bag and I want to try to do the same. I tend to be an over packer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 28, 2022 at 5:15 PM

      We almost always just use one carry-on and try to make sure we have access to washers/dryers while on vacation.

      Delete
  11. Tanya April 28, 2022 at 3:31 PM

    The Tennessee house looks incredible! I'm with you on staying in hotels too. You have lots of exciting travel to look forward to!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Soma @ inkTorrents.comApril 29, 2022 at 3:59 AM

    Love seeing the photos. Maine coast does look amazing. Have a great time and looking forward to seeing new photos from your trips.

    -Soma

    ReplyDelete
  13. DawnApril 29, 2022 at 7:29 AM

    I always enjoy vacation posts. It is fun to get ideas. I haven't tried packing cubes yet.
    Blessings, Dawn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne April 29, 2022 at 9:59 AM

      I do too! I love reading about other's travels.

      Delete

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