To go or not to go on vacation?

Yesterday, my hot date babbled all through dinner about what he and his cousin Nina would do when he got to Maryland. What toys they would play with and where they would go. It was really cute.

We are headed to the East Coast in a few days to see family and it is a wonderful time for my son and us as a family. My sister and I traveled home to the East Coast without our mom (who was single) every summer, starting at age 3 and 4. The last trip she and I made together as siblings was 16 and 17. I continued to go alone and sometimes on business every year until I was 29. And this will be the third time we have traveled with Mitchell.

So you will know my father was from NJ and my mom is from NY. My grandparents lived a 45 minute car ride from each other. My Uncle Kenny’s house in Columbia, MD was home base (that’s what we named it) and different relatives would come and get us for a few weeks at a time. Oh, we had some amazing times, running all over Columbia, in NY with grandma, Aunt Farley and Aunt Helen and Uncle Mitchell. We literally ran up and down the East Coast for the summer….NJ, NY, MD, VA

As a single mom, how do I afford a vacation? Most people think a vacation is a place like Disneyland where you go and stay in a hotel and ride rides and your parents spent tons of money on you. Nope, nope and nope. That is not how I have ever viewed a vacation. To me a vacation is time away from your house in another city and/or state. So in my eyes I’ve been vacationing since the age of 4. LOL, I am the dreamer in the family.

But seriously, here is what I do:


My mother's side of the family in Maryland



1.      I make vacations a priority. I invite my sister and mother each year. My mom is always ready and my sister has her moments.

2.      My whole year is planned around large chunks of money since I consult.

3.      I work a large consulting job in the summer/fall and that money is for birthday party/Thanksgiving/Christmas.

4.      As a single mom I normally get a tax refund and that is vacation money. I don’t touch it until its time to leave.

5.      I keep my car in working order because we always drive.

6.      We stay with family so there are no hotel costs.

7.      We map out our route and times and budget well for food and gas.

8.      I plan all vacations well in advance.

9.      I allow Mitchell to help with planning if he likes. This year he will help me clean and pack the trunk. (I will let you know how that goes.)