Travel

Who doesn’t love to travel & discover new places? Here are some great articles with tips for different types of travel & inspiration for your next adventure. #gritandgracelife

3 Places to Visit in the Winter and Why

3 Places to Visit in the Winter and Why

If you’re anything like me, when the temperatures start dropping and the holiday season is winding down, you become more of a homebody than you have been for months. “Comfy” and “cozy” become your mantras and you cuddle up with your people and pets, hunkering down to wait for spring. While it is very tempting to go into full-on hermit-mode during these sometimes-all-too-long months, winter is actually an excellent time to pack your bags and go on a trip. Airfares are down, hotels are cheaper, and schools are in session (enough said). Here are 3 places to visit this winter to cure your post-holiday blues: 1. A place to embrace the cold: Washington, D.C. In general, our nation’s capital should be on […]

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How to Enjoy Your Staycation on a Budget

How to Plan a Budget Friendly Staycation to Remember

Motivated by a love for family and a lifestyle of living within their means, my parents planned a stay-at-home vacation before “staycations” were a thing, and it ranks as one of the most memorable vacations I have ever had. I’ve often wondered how they did it. How were they able to create a successful and affordable staycation and convince three children, ages 9, 12, and 13, that it was the best vacation ever? After looking back, I believe I have figured out their secret sauce for planning an enjoyable and budget-friendly staycation. Get Your Head in the Game Before we go any further, ignore that subtle, little voice lingering in the back of your mind. You know the one, it’s a little

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3-Places-to-Visit-in-the-Winter-and-Why

Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Summer Vacation

Who doesn’t love a good ol’ summer vacation? Maybe a road trip, trek to the beach or the mountains, or jaunt to visit grandma and grandpa. Maybe somewhere you’ve never been before or somewhere you go every year when the weather gets warm. As a kid, there is something magical about the day that school lets out and the possibilities for the coming months are endless. As an adult, things usually look a little different and summer vacations come with a bit more planning, scheduling, and budgeting. But, just because you’re breaking away from the routine, you don’t necessarily have to break the bank! Just in time for your summer getaway, here are 3 tips to save you money on your vacation:

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This Grit and Grace Life Podcast

Vacation Ideas: Why We Want to See These Unique Places Now – 042

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Email | TuneIn | RSS | MoreWhat’s your plan for summer vacation? Are you looking for unusual or exotic destinations, or ways to make whatever trip you’re planning a little less painful? This week we discuss them all. From crazy must-see vacation spots across America to Darlene and Julie getting a little carried away as they ponder where they’d want to go, ”if money were no object!” Whether you’re planning a road trip, staycation or dream vacay with your people anytime soon, you’ll love this lighthearted chat. Of course, we can’t leave you without throwing in some practical tips for packing and traveling with less stress while sharing a few funny

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This Is What Happened When I Know God Sent Me a Sign

I Knew to Trust God When He Sent Me This Sign

God has His hands on us, even when we don’t feel it. As I sit here typing in my bed, I have an incredibly swollen back, and I should be on a shuttle to the airport en route to Colombia. The past 48 hours have been incredibly bizarre and humbling, but it showed me why I need to trust God. Let me tell you a story. I left in May for a two-month backpacking trip to Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. About two weeks in, some things happened on the trip while some unrelated things were happening back home, and I felt God telling me to go home. I didn’t really know why, and I didn’t want to. I talked to some

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How to Pack For a Quick Trip (When You Travel Often)

How to Pack For a Quick Trip (When You Travel Often)

The worst part about going out of town can often be packing. I will share a few of my favorite packing tips and then tell you how I create a foolproof capsule wardrobe for any vacation. 1. Know your itinerary. This. Is. Crucial! Figure out what you’ll be doing while you’re away (get as specific as you want) so you know the kind of outfits you have to piece together. Beachy? Go cover-ups, sandals, and sundresses. Work trip and meeting? Bring your professional all-day wear that’s comfortable. 2. Look at the weather. What’s worse than arriving at your tropical getaway only to find there’s a cold front heading in, and you forgot your favorite linen wrap. Ok… there are a lot worse

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Do You Travel for Work? 5 Ways to Be Safe as a Woman

My career in the music business often required days out of town. Because I was the artists’ manager, I juggled a workload in the office as well as hitting the road with the bands. When I wasn’t on a tour bus, I usually traveled solo from airport to rental car to auditorium to hotel and back to the airport the following day to trek to the next destination. I not only traveled with my bands but also attended out of town meetings, working with other business partners to achieve our career goals. As a female traveling by myself, I took a few extra precautions. It’s not that I’m not adventuresome, nor am I unnecessarily paranoid. But I had two daughters and a

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When You Can’t Do an Island Vacation, Bring One to You

When You Can’t Do an Island Vacation, Bring One to You!

As we settle into summer and the tans of spring break have faded, we start longing for our next sandy, sunshiny getaway. While many of us are putting the finishing touches on summer travel plans, some of us may feel trapped by circumstances that limit our vacation time. We yearn for quiet days and salty hair but are ever pressed by to-do lists and tight budgets. I know routine and lack of adventure can easily bog me down, especially when my newsfeed seems to be filled with pictures of extravagant trips that I can’t take. I was lucky to get an unexpected getaway to the Bahamas this spring, but due to family changes, our full time jobs, and time needed to devote

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How-to-Fly-With-an-Infant-10-Helpful-Tips

How to Fly With an Infant: 10 Helpful Tips

My daughter and son-in-law work for a large nonprofit in Haiti but come home every three months on furlough and stay at our home in Florida. Typically while they’re in the U.S., they take a weeklong trip to Texas to work at the organization’s headquarters, and occasionally fly to other states to meet with supporters of their ministry. My grandson was born 14 months ago during a stay at our house, but started traveling with his parents at about eight weeks old. Since then, we’ve all lost count of how many times he’s flown around the country and back and forth to Haiti. My daughter has learned some great tips for traveling with an infant, many due to trial and error. After

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10-Ways-to-Make-the-Most-of-Your-Staycation

10 Ways to Make the Most of Your Staycation

Traveling can take a lot out of you and can even leave you with the need for a vacation to recover from your vacation. It is easy to forget about all of the planning, preparation, and time it takes to get to and from somewhere, especially when everyone you know seems to be posting pictures of their dream vacations on social media. Not to mention that your wallet and energy levels are really the ones often determining your destinations. Contrary to what the exotic travel pictures imply, to achieve optimum refreshment some vacations may best be spent close to home. Consider an official staycation to explore things locally for a fraction of the cost and energy expended. Uncover some of the gems in your own

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