This will be my last travel post about our trip to Europe. I have enjoyed reliving our adventures through writing and recording our trip. Before leaving the north of France, we decided to visit Fontainebleau, a castle that began in the medieval times (nothing much is left from that era, just a small donjon stairwell) through the 19th century. It bcomes a large palace especially during the 2nd part of the reign of Francois 1er (1494-1547). Napoleon 1st will also spend time there in the 1800s. Since my husband and I had never visited the inside of the palace and the day was forecasted to be rainy, we drove to…

We’ve been home for almost a week now and are still talking about how much we enjoyed our time in Spain! Girona In Girona, we ate lunch in a large beautiful park accross from where we parked. Parking was most often paying parking but usually just 1 or 2 euros for a couple of hours. Since we were driving a large, large van it was much easier to park in outdoor lots than parallel park most of the time. A note to large families when traveling: call the car rental company to make sure the car/vehicle you are renting is a true 7 seater. We arrived at the airport to…

This second post focuses on the beautiful flowers and scenery we saw at the botanical gardens. All of the pictures were taken by my oldest son. We walked through the gardens for about 1 hour and a half starting with the rose garden. It probably was a week past its peak so some of the roses were past their prime. We then walked to the Japenese gardens. I love the water features: I just wanted to take of my shoes and waddle in! Look at this succulent: Wish I had a green thumb! We ended with the cactus. For some reason I find cacti fascinating! Hope you enjoyed this foray…

Some international trips are more expensive than others. When we visit the republic of Georgia we have a lot less that we need to save for so when planning this trip to France I needed to take several things into account, the first one being that France is a lot more expensive than Georgia. Rental car Last time we visited France we were able to borrow our friend’s car. This time we are traveling from Spain to the North of France so we are renting a car for 2 weeks. I went online and searched car rentals and selected the cheapest one. I ended up paying almost a hundred dollars…

As I have mentioned before, I grew up in France and have always loved to travel and discover new places.  I lived 30 minutes from the Spanish border so that was always an easy destination and we visited Rome once as children. I also lived 2 years in Mexico City when I was a high schooler and have lived in several states in the US. While it is harder on your budget to travel as a family, it is still possible! Here are the steps I follow to find a good deal on airplane flights and have a reasonable budget for the trip. Choose your destination I typically choose a…

Last fall, our family decided to spend a long weekend in New Orleans. My husband travels there for work a few times a year  and raves about the food and the architecture each time he comes back. So we decided to take advantage of a long weekend break in October to visit. We used our Hilton Honors points and treated ourselves to a fancy hotel, the Waldorf Astoria! We took advantage of the one sunny afternoon to enjoy some pool fun. As it turned out, our visit coincided with the beignet festival which made our trip even more fun. The event was free but you had to purchase the different…

When choosing a destination for your vacation, take into account the length of your stay, the location and your budget! You have several options: Stay with friends Stay in a hotel Renting a house/condo on a site such as vrbo or Airbnb Camp/rv When staying with friends, make sure to bring your hosts a gift and if you have a large family like mine, help out with groceries! Saving money on hotels If you have a credit card associated with a hotel institution like IHG or Hilton Honors, redeem points for free hotel rooms. You may need to change your plans if you realize that your original idea is too…

When we go on vacation to the beach, the grocery store options are limited or not in close proximity. We would rather spend money on a fun excursion than on paying twice the amount on our groceries for the week. Plan Plan most of your meals: what will you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Which items are pricier and which items do you already have in your pantry http://passionatepennypincher.com/2017/03/free-editable-menu-plan-grocery-list/ Bring Bring your staples and more expensive items from home: I usually do a quick run at Aldi for items I know will be cheaper there and I also buy items so as steaks or what we plan to grill…

When we travel abroad, we often spend time with friends which really helps our food budget. We do try to help with groceries since we have a large family. Some thinking ahead does help with not blowing your vacation budget on food. breakfast Choose a hotel or a B & B that includes free breakfast. If renting a house or apartment or if your hotel does not include breakfast, go to a local bakery or grocery store and purchase some bread, jam fruit and pastries. Most hotels even abroad will have a small fridge lunch Limit restaurant visits. Instead buy local “fast food” or have a picnic lunch Dinner If…

Whether you are planning a trip to Disney, New York, France or a road trip, you need to prepare yourself financially. Here are some things to take into consideration: Gas, car rental, highway tolls (if traveling to France for e.g.) Food (restaurants, grocery store) Plane tickets (if flying) Lodging (hotel, bed and breakfast, rentals like vrbo or Airbnb) Here are the steps that I follow. Estimate the cost/amount for each category. Depending on the overall cost of your trip, you may want to start saving 6 months, a year or even two years before your trip. For our family of 6, I typically start saving for a trip abroad 12…