A Dream Vacation........

With dream-worthy preparation

Locations
Everyone talks about meeting Mickey and Minnie in Florida and winning big in Las Vegas. Personally, if you've pulled the lever on one slot machine you've pulled them all.

People are always looking for excitement. However, I, and many others, want to see and do things like: the view from a Redwood, stick my feet in the Atlantic, get lost in Manhattan, or even do the impossible and be in two places at once. Heck, why not visit the border of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Any odd place is a vacation because it is out of the ordinary. Hey, to a busy mother of four a candy bar and a book before a soccer tournament can be a vacation. What I'm trying to say is that you don't need to spend a ton of money or dive into a tourist trap to have a memorable vacation.

Packing
For the sake of writing let's assume our vacation is going to be going to an actual place. Never, ever remember everything. You have 51 other weeks in the year to be completely prepared. Leave behind socks or soap or something. Just grab any needed medication. One place I would never want to vacation is in the emergency room.

It'll be fun to have to find a store along the road with a few colorful locals to buy a stick of deoderant. Life is all about relationships ; so go out and make a couple of strange acquaintances.

Always pack more food than you need. You never know when you may choose to get lost for a couple of hours. After being stranded in between two cornfields for 45 minutes you'll be glad you had two bags of licorice instead of one. Also, it's okay to pack a couple of apples in with the haord of chips and candy. Healthy food is a great way to make yourself feel fresh. Most of all, be prepared to eat at local retaurants. You can't live on beef jerky. Nothing is more fun than going into an airconditioned restaurant on a 95 degree day.

Pack the night before. Put a movie in and relax while you do your laundry and make a list of any essentials. There is no reason to start packing two weeks in advance. What will you wear while you're still at home? The most that will happen is that you'll get stressed out. Vacations are for fun....not stress. Just remember to bring a garbage bag for dirty laundry or else it may end up all over the car or worse...the road.

Music

The only thing that should be done ahead of time, besides deciding where you actually want to go, is a travel-mix of songs. Make sure to have all of your old favorites. Any song that brings good thoughts has earned a spot on the mix. However, don't be afraid to add new songs or artists you've never heard of. Vacations are all about making memories, and think of the good, or possibly bad memories, that could become associated with these new songs. A few songs that deserve a place on any road trip CD are:

• English Girls by Ryan Adams
• Steal Kisses by Ben Harper
• Welcome to My Party by Rusted Root
• Under Pressure by David Bowie
• Everywhere by Johnny Cash

Transportation

Planes are always fun, but when relaxation and excitement is the point of your vacation you just have to drive. Just make sure you have a reliable, highlighted map that you can veer from but then find your way again easily. Roll your windows down and let the foreign air whip through the car. Just watch out in forrested areas for falling bird poop....that will ruin a memorable moment.

Since a person cannot drive across an ocean, a plane must be taken to most foreign countries (unless you only want to travel to Canada and Mexico, but that would get old after a while). Plane rides can be extremely fun if you remember to grab some gum to help with popping ears and a carry-on packed with magazines you never have time to read and a book that you would have read if only you didn't have to clean your fish tank, run to the gym, and make sure your bills got mailed on time.

Money

Money should be paid attention to but it shouldn't be the basis of a vacation. Once on the road create somekind of loose budget that can be changed on a whim. Count your money and split it up into four piles on a piece of paper: food, gas, fun, lodging. Make sure to save up for a couple of months so that you don't blow your savings account on a vaction....that would not be relaxing at all.

Don't be afraid to make small, stupid purchases. It's the big, expensive ones that you have to worry about. Remember that this is a vacation, so don't worry about wasting money on stuff you'll never use again. It is afterall an escape from the normal.

Most of all....

Have fun and relax......

If you want a little help with preparation....might as well take the easy way out.