I’m sitting in bed on the morning of mother’s day and I’ve
done it!!! What you say? Well I have always wanted to be “that” mom
that wakes up at the crack of dawn ready to start her day with lists and
solitude. That’s a Proverbs 31 Woman if
I’m not mistaken (and unfortunately very much NOT me…). It’s a beautiful view from where I sit. I can see palm trees strategically placed
amongst the buildings and in the background is the distinctive mountain range
that tells me we have landed in Phoenix.
Everything still has the glow of a new morning sun. Funny thing is… my first glance at Phoenix
was up close last night. I peeked out
the curtains to see where we were and was greeted by the image of the top of
another roof. They are always pretty
filled with air conditioners and junk and as much as I appreciate an air
conditioner or five when the weather is going to be 103 F today it made me
question whether management wanted to remind us our rooms were purchased on
Priceline. But this morning my view
changed. Sitting just ten steps back on
the bed all I can see the beauty of the palms trees and mountains. Funny how perspective can change everything!
Big T and Little T have headed out on the hotel shuttle to
get the car rental shuttle so we can pick up our minivan for the week. Big T inquired at the front desk about how
much the buffet breakfast was and they told him $15 per person… but then
proceeded to give us six vouchers for free breakfast! What a surprise blessing that was! Thank you Radisson Phoenix Airport! I was picturing myself scrounging up a
semi-healthy breakfast at the local gas station for the morning. Maybe that’s what happens when you wake up at
dawn? Who knows; I might just make this
a habit. It was relatively easy this
morning and I’m sure it had nothing to do with the three-hour time change…six
o’clock here – nine o’clock in Canada! J
A few travel tips so
far…
It doesn’t hurt to
ask questions. We took United Air on Aero plan miles. When we booked our seats I could only get two
seats together in three different rows.
The website said it could be adjusted at the airport. Before we got on the four-hour flight I
thought I would just ask. The person at
the counter proceeded to upgrade our seats to the front of the plane and gave
us two rows of three. He explained that
the cost was usually an extra $60 per person but he was waiving that. We ended up in the section with slightly more
legroom and only a few rows back from the front. It was a nice perk!
Hotwire and Priceline
can save you a lot of money! We
would never be able to travel like we do without the help of these two
websites. Through Hotwire you
essentially you book a hotel at a certain star rating. They give you the price of the hotel and the
amenities but you don’t find out the name until you pay. Through Priceline you “Name your own price”
with the same parameters. You will get a
slightly better rate through Priceline but they only guarantee accommodations
for two. So with a family I would
recommend Hotwire. Best bet for a family
is booking in a large city with lots of options and then selecting a place with
a pool and free breakfast. They are
usually around a 2.5* and will get you a good comfortable hotel. If you just have to know what you are booking
check out Betterbidding.com as they have ways to help decipher the code of what
hotel is what – they are often right!
Car rentals are
pretty competitive – keep checking
back. We have learned that the
prices change and they are not always best on the discount places like Hotwire
and Priceline. You are wise to make sure
whatever you book is refundable and keep some of the places with the best
prices bookmarked to check on. Your
best deal is on a 7-day rental as the price for the extra days is generally not
pro-rated.
Look at hotel deals
with Park n’ Fly options. Our flight
didn’t leave until Saturday afternoon so we could have waited and driven down
on Saturday. I looked at the cost of
park’n’fly vs. the hotel deals and it was only $15 more to book the hotel with
parking included. We decided to make the
three hour trek to Detroit Friday night and stay over at Springhill Suites for
the extra cost. It even included
breakfast in the morning and made for a more relaxing start to the day.
Bring your own meal
on the plane. We were going to be
flying over supper time and meals weren’t included on the flight so I decided
to bring ours with us. We visited Sam’s
Club and picked up some warm buns for sandwiches as well as some individual containers
of Hummus and a bag of baby carrots and pita chips. (Oh and some fresh-baked cookies for the
sweet teeth in my family!) You need to remember the liquids rules on
flights. We bring our own water bottles
and empty them at security and re-fill them on the other side. That means you wont be able to buy your own
juices etc. for meals. That would also
apply to yogurts etc. so remember that when purchasing your food ahead of
time. Our hummus was a great treat and
worked because the containers were only 2 ounces each.
