Budget Family Lifestyle Design
June 23, 2008 | 1 Comment
With gas prices high and recent bigger trips, we decided to explore a little closer to home last month. We renewed our zoo family membership, which we have used to explore zoos all over the US. It is one of the best values you can imagin, since you pay one low rate and can get into over 130 zoos for a year.
Here is the list as of June 2008:
We joined in Cleveland, but you should be able to join at any of these zoos.
The kids have a great time and the workout we get from walking around the zoos is great. If you need some adventure on the cheap, a zoo membership is the way to go.
Get Paid to Travel
May 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I recently went to Myrtle Beach. I made several thousand dollars, we enjoyed a great hotel, the beach and all expenses paid. The absolutely best way to travel is when someone else is paying you to do it.
You may think you have to work in a travel company or be a big shot, but I assure you that anyone can develop this kind of lifestyle.
In my case, I spoke at a conference. I know enough about the web that non-technical people find my advice very valuable and will pay me to speak. Since my family helps me with these articles about Family Lifestyle Design, I can take them along as we experiment in ways to live a more adventurous life.
Here are some ideas you could do to get paid to travel.
- Put on a workshop
- Put together a tour group.
- Scout for clients for where you work.
- Write articles.
- Speak
- Courier
- Seasonal Job
If you are earning some money from the web and can have flexibility, there are a lot of ways to work from exotic locations.
Kalahari - Sandusky Ohio
February 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Kalahari Indoor Waterpark – Sandusky, Ohio
In February, we decided to make our family adventure the Kalahari Indoor Waterpark in Sandusky Ohio. Kalahari’s website boasts that it is America’s largest indoor water park. In February, nothing seems more like a welcome adventure than to go run around in your swimsuit and act like it is summer on water slides.
We decided to stay in a hotel room. The package included the room, tokens, the water park and some discounts for under $300. We were able to spend most of the two days in the water park, which would have cost more if we bought straight admission to the park for two days.
Whether you have a 2 year old or a 10 year old, Kalahari has a lot to do for all ages. We spent a lot of time together in the wave pool. Our younger daughter would then go with one of us over to the toddler area while the other half of the family would explore some of the many water slides.
The pool area was well kept, busy but not packed, and really fun for the kids. If you are thinking about swimming some laps while the kids play, don’t get your hopes up. The park has not place you can actually swim more than a few feet. But there is a fitness room in the hotel, so go run and then play in the water.
Best of Kalahari
- We were there nearly 24 hours and did not have time to do everything.
- Life guards were quick to jump in and help someone that was struggling.
- Could almost feel like we were in Mexico with the margaritas by the pool.
Worst of Kalahari
- We took beach towels and did not need to. We failed to take sandals and should have.
- Hotel room smelled like bacon from the people before us. (There is a microwave in the room) Our vegetarian daughter found that repulsive.
- Line at the counter to cash in your tickets from the games was disorganized and understaffed. We wasted at least a ½ hour trying to cash in those tickets for some candy. Not how I like to spend my time.
- While we got into our rooms early, we did hear other people complaining about taking a while to get the rooms.
Ideally, you will be able to go during the week when you can save some money on Kalahari. They have discount packages during the week. http://www.kalahariresorts.com/hub/
If you have a comment on your experience with Kalahari, please leave it in the comments section to help others decide if they should visit.
We found many positive and negative comments at Kalahari Wisconsin and Kalahari Sandusky.
Overall, we did find Kalahari a bit pricy, especially if we were to just go for the day. While we had no major negative experiences, the reviews on the links above show that many people have. Had we not gotten into our room early (luck) then it would have been impossible to start swimming as early as we did. We’d have needed to rent several lockers to put our stuff in. My solution to this is to leave everything in the car if you are checking in early. Have your swimsuits on under your clothes, leave your coat & baggage in the car and go back for it once you have your room. Then you should just need one locker ($5 + $5 key deposit) to stash everything in and swim until your room is ready.
We tentatively recommend Kalahari to charge your summer-time battery in the winter. Just be ready for some bumps in the road and plan ahead for them.
Downhill Skiing Tips for your First Time
February 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Getting out and doing downhill skiing can quickly change you and your kids from waiting for winter to end to waiting for more snow to fall.
This year we took the challenge and bought a package for skiing. It contains 6 weeks of lessons and passes, plus three free passes to use whenever we want.
After the first trip, our 10 year old daughter was ready to quit. Luckily, we’d made the financial commitment and we were going back even if it killed us.
Now, 6 trips later, it is her favorite sport and we are thinking we should have bought a bigger package. To help you get through that first ski trip, here are some tips we learned the hard way.
- Boots go on and off much easier if you fully loosen them. I mean take off the binding so it is flapping around. We struggled the first couple of times because we did not know how loose they go.
- The first time skiing stinks. It does for everyone and you just have to go back and try it again. Once you start to get it, you will love it.
- Take lessons. They usually offer fairly inexpensive lessons and they really do help you get the basics down so you can start enjoying it.
- Don’t go someplace where they only have a tow rope. Probably the thing that made our first trip the most miserable was that we had to use the tow rope. It is a cable that has metal bars and you hang on as it drags you up the mountain.
- Make sure your books are tight. If you are not snug in those boots you have much less control.
- Keep turning. If you can keep turning, you will eventually be going up hill and slow down.
- Go regularly when you are learning and you really do pick it up fast. I can say I tried the black diamond once, and paid. But I feel great on the intermediate hills. Our first trip is a distant memory.
- Use Goggles - If it is at all windy and cold, using goggles keeps the ice and snow from blowing in your eyes. We bought a pair for $15 and it was a good investment.
If you are visiting us, I hope you have made a commitement to add more adventure to your life, and downhill skiing is a great and fun adventure.
Adventure is the cornerstone of Lifestlye
February 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Family Travel and Adventure is the cornerstone of making a lifestyle change that frees you up to enjoy life. This category has articles about where to go with kids, how to take more trips and how to enjoy locations with the whole family.