2020 Travel Goals
Here were my travel goals and plans as of September. A few things have changed in the past few months to where we might be able to add a few trips and vacations this year if I am careful with saving.
Winter break
The boys have a short winter break in February, 4 1/2 days long. I am hoping to head to Chattanooga for a couple days with our family. As usual for a vacation that involves a hotel stay, we will use hotel points we have so our expenses will include lunch and dinner as well as any fun activity we plan to enjoy. I am thinking, the children’s museum, the Tennessee aquarium and the incline railroad. I only plan for us to spend 2 nights there.
Spring break
After our stop in St. Louis, Missouri last summer, the boys and I decided it would be awesome to spend more time there to take advantage of all the fun activities the city offers. Hopefully, one of my college friends and her boys will be able to join us for a day. Once again we will use our hotel points for our stay so lodging and breakfast will be taken care of. I hope to find some dinner places where children can eat free so at least 2 children’s meals will be free. St Louis offers some amazing free activities such as the zoo, the botanical gardens and a couple museums. There is a Goodwill outlet that might be fun to shop at. We do want to visit the city museum and the arch which are not free.
Summer break
- Washington DC trip : once again using hotel points. Visiting family and taking advantage of all of the free activities in DC. Depending on our budget we will either fly or drive
- Missouri/Kansas trip: just me and the boys visiting my friends and their family.
- If I were to come accross some cheap tickets to the Republic of Georgia, we might take another trip there for two weeks. So far nothing is happening as far as tickets going down in price
Fall break
New Orleans is the plan! It will have been two years since our last visit and we really enjoyed that visit so we want to return. Once again, hotel points to the rescue. This time though we will not stay at the Waldorf Astoria, that was just a once in a lifetime experience for the boys, lol!
Thanksgiving break
Annual beach trip with family
Christmas break
Toying with the idea of a trip to the Republic of Georgia if it doesn’t happen in the summer and if tickets were to be on sale for a December trip.
Now all of these trip do seem like a lot but remember that for all of these trips but one, lodging is free! I have a fairly tight budget during the year that allows me to put aside money for vacations and we often try to find free or budget friendly activities on our vacations . The main cost for most of the vacations is transportation and food. This year I will try to be creative with finding and planning where we will eat to not overspend in that category.
A bientôt!
Please take a minute to subscribe to the blog to receive an email letting you know when a new post goes live. I usually post Monday, Wednesday and Friday but sometimes have a bonus post during the week. You can also follow me on instagram @chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
I link up with these fabulous blog link ups!
26 Comments
Jennifer
These all sound fun! I have no plans yet for this year!
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
mimifce
We will see which plans come to fruition. Having plans help me save even if we have to tweak or change or omit some of these.
Anna Marcus
I like how you planned your yearly holidays and allow yourself plenty of time to get ready and organise everything. I’ve noticed that you are planning to visit Republic of Georgia. We were there in the summer of 2019, just a few days in Tbilisi and our hotel was right across Narikala fortress. Here is the link to the post about our stay, hope you might find some interesting info https://lookingfabulousat50.blogspot.com/2019/11/tbilisi-highlights.html. Please feel fress to send me an e-mail me if you need to ask me for something else 🙂
mimifce
I will definitely go read it! We actually have gone twice (you can search my blog for my posts) and have family and friends there. It is a wonderful country!
jodie filogomo
How wonderful that you can go these places with free lodging especially. That makes it so perfect.
XOXO
Jodie
mimifce
It definitely makes it more affordable for our family!
Anika
I love all the plans you have for the year already, that’s awesome! Definitely makes me want to update my goals list.
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
mimifce
Planning helps me stay on task with saving and controlling all those extra purchases like more clothes that are not necessary.
Claudia
WOW, you definitely have great Travel plans for this year. I agree with you that with a plan and structure it is easier to save and the goal makes you even enjoy the trip long before you start the journey. I also love the opportunities you have in Washington DC, always happy to go back. Looking forward to your future travel posts.
Love, Claudia
mimifce
With planning it is definitely easier to make it happen. There are still other factores that will make them possible or not but here is to hoping they all come to fruition!
Mica
Looks like you have a very fun year of travel planned ahead! it’s nice you will be able to go to so many places 🙂
Hope that your week is going well and you have a fun weekend ahead of you 🙂
mimifce
Need to get a few games ready for my son’s birthday: we invited 2 neighbor friends for cake and dragon games for the following Saturday! Hoping to get another bike ride in since it should be sunny. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Jill
All of your travel plans sound wonderful! So great that you have enough points for all of those hotel stays! I’ve always wanted to go to New Orleans!
Jill – Doused in Pink
mimifce
We went to New Orleans 18 months ago and it was my first. I really enjoyed the city so decided it was time to go back.
Lacey
WOW, just wow! What an amazing year. It sounds like a blast! My husband travels for work for a full 6 months each year. So, we try not to travel. Come summer I will drive to where ever hes been stationed. He is an insurance adjuster, so we never have any idea where he will be put. Our family likes to joke about all of us being house cats, LOL! We hate leaving and really love when he’s home. So, Im super stoked that I happened upon your blog. Now I get to see all the things!
Love, thexglitterbox
@thexglitterbox
http://thexglitterbox.com/
mimifce
You need to look back at some of my posts from last year: we travel a lot too so have a number of posts about places we’ve been. Sometimes it is just nearby but we did go to Europe and Missouri too. I understand how you feel: my husband loves when he can sleep in his own bed while the boys love staying in hotels.
Shauna
Wow this list is impressive! You’ve inspired me to make my travel goals now for this year too. I love D.C. and would love to go back! So much to see and do.
Shauna
http://www.lipglossandlace.net
mimifce
Yes! It has been a while since I went to DC and the kids have never been: looking forward to introducing them!
Jayne
Thanks for sharing. I’ve been meaning to get to the TN Aquarium this year with my kiddos. I love that you are able to get free lodging. I’ve never done hotel points…how does it work? Do you have a credit card that you use and then get points? or is it an hotel reward program?
mimifce
My husband travels for work and spends probably 3 nights a week on average at hotels. He uses that hotel credit card and reward system when booking his hotel which gaves him a lot of reward nights and hotel points: the hotel points can be rewarded for stays and upgrades so anytime we travel as a family and are able to book a Hilton, we do because he collects so many points.
Shelbee on the Edge
You have chosen some really great places for traveling, Mireille! My husband was just visiting friends in Chattanooga right before Christmas and he loved it. So much so that we are planning a move in the next 5 years or so somewhere in that area. I am planning a trip to Asheville over winter break while my kids visit with Gramma. And Washington, DC is our destination for spring break. Thanks for sharing and linking up!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
mimifce
Chattanooga is a little less than 2 hours from our house. My brother lives up there and likes it. We have visited a few several times (we even had the zoo past for there one year) and there are many fun things to do. I am looking forward to seeing what you all do in DC! Asheville is pretty too! Sounds like some nice trips for you all too!
Anna Shirley
You have already planned for the whole year for your travel! You are awesome. I didn’t plan anything yet, as we know when are school holidays, but we have no idea when my hubby will be available. Then we decide last minute based on flight ticket prices and booking deals. It is more stressful this way, of course. I think you have a lot of fun ahead of you. I’m looking forward to reading your blog post about these trips.
Anna
http://www.glamadventure.com
mimifce
Thanks, Anna! It was interesting, yesterday, I was looking at that first little trip which is really close by in Chattanooga and I had to rethink which activities to do there: the aquarium is expensive enough that the rest of our activities will have to be free! Traveling with 4 kids requires to make good decisions about what to do! I don’t mind spending more when it is a trip abroad but here in the US, I become quite thrifty!
Grace
I tried to comment but it says it was blocked because it was suspected to be a bot… I wonder if you can see the comment anyway on the back end?
Miles of smiles,
Grace
gracefulrags.com
mimifce
Very weird! I see your comment! And I not you are not a bot =)