L and I snuck up to one of our favorite places earlier this month to enjoy New England's gorgeous fall foliage and festivities. It probably comes as no surprise that that place was the infamous Okemo. Okemo is like a second home for my entire family which always makes every trip up there extra special. The last time we were there was in February for a fun ski week with family!
We swung by Market Basket and picked up every fall themed food that we laid our eyes on! Pumpkin spice life, pumpkin bars, cider, caramel donuts, apple pie... you name it!
Early Saturday morning we bought tickets to take the sunburst six up to the summit house to get a little fall foliage tour from above. I was hoping that the summit house would be open so that we could indulge in some hot chocolate and a chocolate chip cookie, but I suppose that will have to wait until our next trip up when there is some snow!
We explored a little more and hiked up to the fire tower for some one of a kind views of gorgeous Vermont!
There is something eerie about a snowless ski mountain.
After our lift ride up and down the mountain, we found ourselves at Jackson Gore for their fall into winter festival. They had a band, ski gear sales, beer, and their outdoor adventure courses and the timber ripper was open!
Nothing tops of a trip to Okemo without a visit to the waffle cabin for a sweet and delicious chocolate covered waffle on a chilly fall day! Looking forward to our next trip up when there is some snow!!
Mount Washington, round two! Last year, my mom, dad and I spent the most beautiful day in October hiking up Boot Spurr trail to the summit of Mount Washington over Columbus day weekend. This year, (almost) the whole gang was able to go, so we spent the third weekend in September doing just that! We ended up staying at the Joe Dodge located at Pinkham Notch lot the night before in hopes of getting an earlier start than we did last year. The lodge was very cozy and accommodating for our party of 7, complete with a room full of a games, a library and a little living room. We enjoyed their buffet feast Friday night, and again early Saturday for our breakfast!
We spent a good hour in the visitor's center Friday night staring at the huge 3D map of Mount Washington trying to decide what the best route would be. We eventually decided on the steepest route, Huntington Ravine!
Being the super hikers that we are, we successfully did not bring a map and did feel a little unprepared when hikers hiking the same trail passed us with helmets and ropes? Naturally, we had neither of those.
It was very steep! BUT, it is very "possible" if you are a mediocre hiker. All seven of us survived and we are by no means experts. It was best described to us as "similar to Precipice without the rungs and ladders."
We once again hit the weather jackpot on this one! Known as the most dangerous small mountain because of the drastic weather changes, we scored a beautiful clear day with comfortable temperatures. A little chilly at the summit (as expected), but nothing a fleece and rain jacket couldn't handle.
Staring at Wildcat mountain the entire hike up wasn't too bad either! The pictures from that linked post give you a good idea as to what we climbed this trip up.
We successfully made it to the summit 5 hours later, noshed on our amazing lunches that The cafeteria at the visior's center prepared for us, and then hiked Lion's Head down. All in all a great time! AND this time, we got back just before the sun went down, unlike last time! #greatsuccess
...and because making little vlogs of our adventures is my new favorite thing, I leave you with 6 exciting minutes from our hike!
With the traveling season upon us, I wanted to share a handful of great hacks that help us to save a couple dollars when on the road (or in the air). Traveling expenses can add up quickly, so I hope these tips lend a hand when booking your next trip! For those of you who want to manage your money all year round, Personal Capital's financial tools are a great way to help with that! L and I travel consistently throughout the year, many of our trips being trips out to Ohio to visit his family, and others being to Myrtle Beach, skiing in Vermont, and other short trips around New England. Throughout the past couple of years, I think that it is safe to say that we have slowly figured out what works and doesn't work for us.
TRAVEL REWARDS CARD
A travel rewards credit card is a great way to put your everyday charges towards points that can be used for flight miles and accommodations. Each card offers a unique collection of benefits, however it is rare to find one card that suits everyone. Every traveler is looking for a different travel experience making it simple to narrow down the rewards card that works best for you!
FLIGHT FLEXIBILITY
We have had the most luck booking our flights midweek, usually on Wednesdays. While it is rare that airlines get cheaper the closer you are to your departure date, air flights do drop drastically some days so it is possible, and if you like to gamble you might luck out! For us, it is most beneficial and cost saving to book our flights as far out in advance as possible, and to also fly midweek.
DON'T PAY TO CHECK A BAG
Checking a bag can easily add an additional $25 to $50 onto any trip! Not many airlines allow one free checked bag anymore, so be aware of that charge! If you're able to, stick to your travel sized toiletries and pack everything into a carry on! This will also save you time when checking in, AND you won't have to wait for baggage claim. I also live in fear of my checked luggage getting lost, so that's another thing I don't have to worry about!
TRAVEL DURING THE OFF SEASON
We LOVE to travel during the off season! Prices are bound to be lower, destinations are much less crowded, and you have a better opportunity to meet and get to know the locals. Feeling rushed, crowded and robbed blind are never good feelings... so travel during the off season!
STAY AT SMALLER, PRIVATELY OWNED HOTELS
I do like staying at chains because I know what to expect, however they are always top dollar. Venture outside of your comfort zone and check out small, privately owned hotels, boutiques and bed and breakfast's. Not only will they more than likely be a little bit easier on your wallet, they usually provide a more interactive and personable experience for their guests.
NEGOTIATE YOUR ROOM RATE WHEN YOU ARRIVE
Yes. This works. Go in knowing that you are the paying customer and there are other options. I'm not saying to ask for an unreasonable amount off, but do ask what the best price available is, and compare what they are offering to what a third party may offer (Trivago, Travelocity, etc.). They will more than likely adjust the price a little bit which is certainly better than nothing!
DON'T FORGET ABOUT MEMBER DISCOUNTS
When you go to check into a hotel or buy a travel ticket, always ask if they offer any member discounts (AAA, AARP, etc.). We always forget about this one, but it can almost always save you a dollar or two. Just the other night, L and I got a significant amount off of our stay because I am a member of AAA. Score!
VISIT HIDDEN GEMS
Avoid visiting the popular and very expensive destinations that tend to attract tourists. Try to find the less saturated spots that may be located a little bit farther outside of the city. These places sometimes end up being the best part of the trip!
SIGHTSEEING - IT CAN BE FREE
Every destination usually offers a free cities index which can provide you with an inexpensive day of adventure at local parks, beaches and informative tours. Take a day to explore the areas that you may have looked over in your vacation planning and indulge in some freebies!
PACK A LUNCH
Airports, resorts and other vacation hot spots often hike up their food costs to bleed you dry. A simple lunch out could end up being two or three times the price to catch the unprepared tourist who has limited options. Go to a grocery store at the beginning of your trip and buy sandwich supplies to pack yourself and family some brown bags.
Feeling like we're 16 and in high school again -- exploring beautiful NH together in L's car from high school! Nostalgic!
One of my recent favorite things to do is to record little clips from trips that we take and compile them into a fun little mini video.
I made our first one back in August that recapped our trip to Myrtle Beach, SC and have slowly been adding little videos to my youtube channel since. There's been the Myrtle Beach trip, Macy Cat's Purina Muse ad, and most recently the Sister Dance! Going into our annual ski trip at Okemo Mountain in Ludlow, Vermont I knew that I wanted to put together another video to capture all of the good times and fun memories with the family!
While the quality of these are less than perfect, it's the best I can get out of my handy iPhone 5, and I'm okay with that!
In addition to this video, I wanted to share with you a printable that I designed to help make sure I packed everything for our last ski trip.
Follow this link to google docs to print a copy for yourself (:
I'm thinking about designing an adventure kit for my Etsy shop, this would be included in it as well as other vacation-y printables.
I hope wherever you are you're getting lots of snow and gearing up for a fun and snowy trip!! (:
I can't say enough good things about this incredible company. Scattered primarily along the East Coast with a few stores here and there in the midwest, L. L. Bean is most commonly known for their iconic hunting boots that were created by their founder, Leon Leonwood Bean, over 100 years ago! A recent rise in popularity has put these handmade boots in HIGH demand resulting in backorders that last for months. As they should be, these boots are not only worth the reasonable price tag on them but also the 5+ month wait that they might be on! My mother bought me mine as a Christmas gift a while back a couple Octobers ago, and I received them 5 months later in March. Don't worry though, L.L. Bean kept me updated through email and also hooked me up with a boot for MacyCat... I mean keychain. ;)
If you ever get the chance, I highly suggest you make your way up to Freeport, Maine and explore all of their stores, you will be in L.L. Bean heaven. L and I own a handful of things from them, including our newest additions, a sleeping bag and camp pillow.
Back to the boots! They offer it all! Here are a few listed below with links, there are even more on the L. L. Bean website!
Please know that there are a lot of brands out there that have replicated the duck boot look. Despite the physical similarities, I cannot attest that they have the same premium, long lasting quality that L. L. Bean offers. To make sure you have a product handmade by the team at L.L. Bean look for the "Bean Boots by L.L. Bean" stamp on the back of each boot.
I attached a video below from L.L. Bean's Youtube channel that demonstrates how the boots are made from scratch!
This is a product that I would honestly recommend to ANYONE!
**This is not a sponsored post and I do not work for L. L. Bean. I am just a New England girl who loves and appreciates her beloved bean boots and wants to share the love!
Buckle up friends, this app is a great one to have on hand when trying to navigate just about anywhere! Not only does it correctly navigate you to your destination, it will also reroute you when there is upcoming traffic. The community of users actively alert other drivers of any real-time traffic to help enhance your trip. This could include accidents, road hazards, speed traps, or delays.
Don't ever pay outrageous prices for gas again... but really, don't. GasBuddy helps you locate the most reasonable rates out there so that you can save a buck or two on your trip. You can also earn points that go into a drawing for a free gas card! Bingo, bango, bongo!
I'm a big baby when it comes to public restrooms mainly because of sanitary reasons so when Charmin came out with this genius app, I was completely on board! The green toilet rolls are good ones, while the red toilet rolls are less than stellar experiences. You can also rate your own personal experiences as well to help your fellow SitOrSquatters!
If you ever end up roadside with a mechanical issue, this app will connect you to local mechanics that can assist with any repairs. You are also able to get roadside assistance and track the progress from the app as well!
This is gold when it comes to making quick pitstops on the turnpike and finding decent deals for housing accommodations. It lets you know about upcoming exits and the business's located at and around them.
This app is geared towards AAA members who want to take more advantage of the benefits that they offer. Not only are they great for roadside assistance, they also cater to trip planning when it comes to getting hotel and restaurant discounts.
OpenTable is perfect for discovering new restaurants, checking out their menus, reviews and photos. You're also able to earn reward points that will count towards your next meal!
If finding fun and interesting landmarks are on you itinerary, this app could prove to be very useful. Over millions of interesting and fun points of interest are mapped out and made available to you to navigate to easily. You are also able to save past trips so that you are able to visit again!
This app was designed for all of the history buffs out there! Learn about the history of whatever area you are in and visit historical places at a touch of a button! They are constantly adding new POI to the app as well! It's like National Treasure just without the treasure.
Find what interests you the most and go from there! Field Trip makes it so easy to find fun and unique things by running in the background and alerting you when you are close to them.
I remember geocaching back in the day with coordinates and a Garmin! These days, geocaching is made so much easier with a plethora of different apps. One of my favorite and most user friendly is the Geocaching Intro. It will populate all of the nearby geocache's as well as it's details and recent activity. You are also able to message other players for tips, hints, difficulty and terrain levels!
Parks and other activities are at you fingerprints with the Oh, Ranger app! Put in your location, select your desired activity and browse through the carefully curated list of activities and parks available. If you're traveling with a pet and want to find the closets dog run, or are in desperate need of a round of golf, this will link you to them all.
Pick out your destinations and attractions based on reviews from the infamous TripAdvisor app. I love that they will list the attractions in order providing testimonies and explanations for each stop.
Yelp features such honest reviews from whomever took the time to praise or express their concerns about a company that you may be interested in visiting. Personally, I do end up referencing to them before we try a new restaurant to see what kind of atmosphere and experience we should expect.
Whether or not you opt to use Groupon to get the best deal on your next trip, it's extremely helpful to have their deals right at your fingertips that cater to you where ever you are!
This app is genius when it comes to staying more organized during your travels. Shoeboxed lets you scan in any receipt, and they'll extract the vendor information, amount and date, as well as categorize the receipts accordingly. If you will need to provide an expense report for your travels, that can be created with the original receipt photos as well!
I was introduced to this app by a family member when we were making a long trek cross country and needed a place to rest overnight. Essentially, you are able to buy an unsold room for a very reasonable price. For the most part, they are quality hotels with great customer service! Last time we ended up booking at a Hilton last minute for a steal of a deal with free breakfast vouchers. Heck to the Yea!
Similar to Hotel Tonight, Priceline also negotiates the best deal for you on any reservations. This includes hotels, rental cars and airline flights. Punch in your location and let them do the work!
There are so many versions to this age old game, so I wouldn't just stick to one app, however FindPlate is a technological spin on the infamous car ride game of locating license plates from all fifty states! Android doesn't carry this exact version, but I've linked a similar one above.
When in doubt, Netflix it out. Watching movies or TV is one of the quickest way to pass any type of travel time. That is why it is so important to make sure you have the Netflix app downloaded on your phone or iPad during your travels. It will definitely eat up A LOT of you data so make sure you have any unlimited plan or are connected to wifi network somehow. If you don't want to use Netflix, you can always pre-download movie or shows from iTunes onto your device and watch them later!
I used to be very loyal to iTunes however I've been reaching out to Spotify lately after Apple's most recent update. iTunes has made it much more difficult to navigate and organize your music and it's makes finding a song quite a project. Que, Spotify. It's perfect for traveling, you can create a playlist just like that and add a song so quickly!
Postagram is such a win in my book. All you do is simply take a good shot and turn it into your own personalized post card. You can have them delivered by mail for only $0.99 in the US! That's a great deal these days considering the price of a stamp and a postcard! This is honestly such a genius idea for the creative heart. Also, in addition to the personalized note that you can send with it, the 3" x 3" photo can also pop out of the postcard so that it can be kept forever!
Unfortunately, this app is only available for Apple users, however it's a really fun way to track the landmarks and important stops by state! Pick the state you're interested in, upload a fun picture to fit the frame, resize it, and save it to your drive or upload it to social media! I'm working on putting together a collage of every single state that we have visited and piecing them together, similar to this.
I probably should have listed this one first, but this packing app is perfect for planning out what you need to pack for a trip based upon the activities that you will be doing as well as the upcoming weather! You are then able to check off when an item is packed. This is perfect for packing for a trip, and making sure you pack everything back up on your way home.You will never forget to pack anything again!
Now I must know what your favorite and most useful travel apps are!!
Posts on LIFE AS YOU LIVE IT may contain affiliate links. All of these items are ones that I would personally (or already have purchased) purchase for myself. Opinions reflected here remain my own.
