Live from the Lido Deck : A Family Cruise Review

When it comes to vacation, our loyalties are firmly fixed on the Alabama Gulf Coast - I've written about that here and here.  But ... for the longest time, LtDan has wanted to go on a cruise.  Honestly, cruising has never appealed to me, but when LtDan finally put his foot down and proclaimed this is the year we do a cruise, and he found an unbelievable deal on the Carnival Triumph for the whole family, well ... how could I say no?  I was excited about being on the sea, and excited to go to Mexico, and for sure happy to have nearly a whole week with the kids just having fun, but I still wasn't sure if I would really like it or not.

 A lot of the uncertainty stemmed from all the what ifs.  You know the ones.  What if our house burns down or is burgled while we're gone?  What if our car is stolen while we're on the boat?    What if we have an accident or someone gets injured?  What if our clothes aren't fancy enough?  What if we get seasick?  What if there are obnoxious drunk people everywhere? What if there's an excess of scantily clad wanton women parading in front of my boys?  (I know, I know - they're no longer "boys" - more on that later.)   What if someone steals our wallets and ID's?  What if the peddlers in the marketplace won't leave us alone?  What if we're abducted in Mexico?

Those what ifs.

I'm happy to say that none of the scary what ifs happened.  We did have not one, but TWO exciting incidents involving wallets (and ID's) left behind; one in our own car before we even made it to the boat, and one left in a taxi in Cozumel!  LtDan saved the day in the first incident and quickly took a taxi back to our hotel to retrieve the first forgotten wallet.  Ben was the hero in Cozumel when he employed his Olympic speed power sprint and caught up to the taxi just as it was leaving the parking lot.  He had to run into the street with it and bang on the side of the van to get the driver to stop.  Oh.  My. Goodness.  I'll be thanking the Lord for his kindness to us on that one forever and ever.

So again, not one of the bad things happened ... Hallelujah and Amen.


Here are our take-aways and a review of a Family Cruise to Mexico:

Take the Loop Around Downtown Houston

If you're driving to catch a ship out of Galveston and your route takes you through Houston, make sure you take the loop around downtown ... the traffic is probably not worse than any other big city traffic, but wow, if you're on vacation you deserve a break from it.  We went through downtown Houston on the way to Galveston on Friday evening but opted to take the loop (which is a tollroad) around it when we drove home.  So.  Much.  Better.  The nice thing about that was if you have a toll tag for the DFW area, it works in Houston, too - no stopping to dump coins at tollbooths.

Overnight in Galveston / Park the Car Free

Our cruise left on Saturday, and most Texas people I talked to just drive down to Galveston the day of the cruise, but that made me nervous.  I can't imagine how much more stressful the downtown Houston traffic would have been if we'd have been trying to make a boarding time (sorry, Houston people, I'm sure your city is lovely).  Anyway, we spent the night at the Holiday Inn Resort in Galveston because they offer free shuttle service to the Cruise Terminal and free parking while you're gone.  It was affordable and nice enough, and knowing where we'd leave the car was one less unknown to worry about.

YES:  Get a Valet to Help With All Your Luggage

We're a family of six, and we had five bags and six (heavy) carryons.  The Luggage Valets both when we checked in and when we came back were life savers.  Not only was it great to have help with all the bags, it was peace of mind to know they knew what to do even if we didn't.  The internet says standard tip rate is $1 to $2 a bag (or more if they're excessively heavy) and it was worth every penny of our generous tip to have someone knowledgeable help us negotiate bag check-in on the way out and customs on the way back in.

Birth Certificate & Drivers License Was Fine for ID

Please do not take my word for it and do your own research, but in February of 2016, original Birth Certificates and Drivers Licenses were fine as ID for cruise travel to Mexico.  I was nervous about this, and honestly I will probably just get everyone a passport if we take another cruise, but for this trip, I was really happy that for cruise travel to Mexico, no one hassled us at all for just using birth certificates and drivers licenses.  Again, if you're traveling, please do your own research on this - I  believe criteria will be changing soon, even for cruise travel to Mexico.

Clothes

Planning fashionable cruise wardrobes for all six of us was a little daunting, but I just approached it as though we were going to the beach for a week and packed accordingly.  Like everything else these days, we saw pretty much the whole spectrum of clothing, from very very casual to dressy.  The dressy was only on the evening designated for elegant dining, and even then, there was plenty of casual attire mixed in.  I'm sure it varies from cruise to cruise, but we fit right in with our casual and dressed-up-but-not-too-much wardrobes.  My greatest regret:  not taking a hoodie to wear whilst sitting in a deck chair, sipping on something lovely and reading to my heart's content!  Although we had sunny days, the wind made it chilly.  So, if you're thinking of cruising in the off season, don't forget your favorite cool weather outerwear!

To Balcony, Or Not to Balcony?

LtDan and I booked a room on the back of the boat with a balcony - truly dead center of the boat - it was lovely!  The balcony was large enough for three chairs and a small table.  I was glad we opted for the balcony for our first cruise - I couldn't fathom not being able to step outside or at least open a window.  But really we didn't sit on the balcony much, because it was much more fun to sit on the deck with other people. You can find a place that's relatively quiet, or stake a claim to deck chairs on the Lido Deck around the pool (yes, LoveBoat fans ... the LIDO DECK :).  I'm curious to see what a stateroom on the side of the ship would be like, because those rooms on our ship had balconies, too.  We didn't indulge our kids with balconies - they had interior rooms with no windows.  At first, it seems claustrophobic, until you realize how little time you're really spending in there.  I'm not ruling out getting a balcony if we cruised again, but it's not as big a deal as I thought it would be.

What About Sea Sickness?

We had very pleasant and calm weather, except for our last night at sea when we came through some (very mild) stormy weather.  On the calm days, sometimes you feel just the slightest movement of the ocean - nothing at all to make you unsteady, and you really have to be looking for it to notice.  The night there was stormy weather (and again - it was VERY mild), we were just conscious of an occasional roll.  Even that was nothing to make you unsteady on your feet - it was just enough to make you notice, and to me, it was actually pleasant :o)  The day after we got home, every once in a while when I was sitting very still, I would feel that sway-ish feeling, which I adore.  It's like a free souvenir so you don't forget that you were on the ocean.

Activities

Oh the on board activities!  Things kicked off with line dancing on the Lido Deck and went from there.  There was bingo, an Oscar Watching Party, plenty of duty free shopping (jewelry and paintings were the big feature on this cruise), a full service spa, a gym, Dive-In Movies, Piano Bar performances, a Comedy Club, Karaoke, a casino, full cast live production shows, a danceclub, and I'm sure I've forgotten a few hundred other things.  There were lots of activities for youngsters as well, and they celebrated Dr. Suess all week long - it was pretty cute.  Every evening, our porter left a schedule of activities in our room for the next day, so we could plan accordingly.

My favorite activities were the Dive-In Movies.  We sat in deck chairs, huddled up in blankets (provided by the cruise line) and watched Jurassic World projected on a big screen above the swimming pool.  I think there were current-run movies every night, and popcorn was also provided!

Excursions

Our ports of call were Progresso and Cozumel.  Before you leave, the cruise line sends many helpful emails to let you know about all the things you can do when in port.  Actually, for someone like me who's afraid of missing out on any of the fun, it made me feel a little panic-y to make the right choices and fast.  But really, at least in the off-season and on this cruise, there wasn't as much urgency as I let myself believe.  We could have waited until we were on the cruise and booked from there, even though the emails made it seem like we needed to do it in advance (please do note, however:  we were cruising at the end of February - I'm sure in peak season it's a different game).  We stayed on board the ship in Progresso and enjoyed a quiet day while most folks went ashore.  In Cozumel, we got our own taxi to the market and had a grand day of shopping, bargaining, serenades, and eating the hands down best fajitas EVER.  There may or may not have been Tequila involved.

Communications

Our greatest challenge was without a doubt communication.  Our AT&T phone network wasn't reliable enough to be sure everyone was getting our "This is Where I Am" or "WHERE ARE YOU????" texts in a timely manner.  And unfortunately, one of our phones just flat out died the day we boarded the ship.  These were huge challenges for a family of extremely independent types who are nonetheless very dependent on technology.

Next time, we'll:

• officiate our family emergency procedures if someone can't be located
• figure out some low-tech way of tracking everyone.  Some people brought their own walkie-talkies, and they were actually available for purchase from the gift shop.  Some people used dry erase boards or sticky notes on their cabin doors.
• know you can ask Guest Services whether someone has gotten off or on the ship (because you punch in your door keycard when you come and go).  In one case, the info we got was accurate, in the other case, it wasn't.  But it's at least a place to start if you're looking for someone.

Disembarking

When you think of a cruise, you imagine sailing away from port, but what about coming home?  Never thought about that at all, myself.  How exactly do you get over 2000 people off a ship in an organized fashion?  Fortunately, the cruise line has that all figured out, and just like with boarding, you're given a set time to get off the ship.  If you're checking bags to be taken off the ship by the cruise line, you'll pack them up, tag them, and put them outside your cabin by 11pm the night before.  Then, when your time to disembark comes, you'll make your way down the gangplank and into the baggage claim area.  I imagined mass chaos, but it was remarkably organized and our bags were right there when we got off the ship - no waiting.  We got a porter (there's a line for this, and you're assigned an official porter - this is so worth it!) then we made our way to customs and immigration.  The birth certificates and Drivers Licenses came back out and it took a very few minutes to pass through.

Family Friendly Helpful Hints

• Consider not only the dates and destinations but also what the ship offers.  Our kids were expecting a giant swimming pool, but the pools on this particular ship were adequate but pretty small compared to what they were expecting.
• Make it a priority to make friends and establish your group the first day if you can.  Go to the meet and greets.  The kids should sign up for the Kids Club.
• Do all the onboard activities you can.
• Make friends with the crew - they're there to help you have fun and are great sources of info.
• If there's nothing going on activity wise, don't stay in your room - go up on deck and hang out!
• Don't forget to take pictures!
• If you're going shopping, make your budget and then plan to spend it in about $10 increments.  It's a good idea to have small bills with you for the marketplace.
• If you're going to Mexico, don't forget that haggling over the price is expected  
• Leave your laptop at home - you're not going to touch it.  All you need is a good book :o)

Something for Everyone

There were six of us, and what made the cruise such a blast was that we all called out something different as our favorite thing.  We loved:

• playing basketball on the deck and working out at the gym
• sitting on the deck doing nothing (guess who that was :o)
• dancing the night away at the nightclub 
• filling up on unlimited food food food
• getting to know the amazing entertainment and wait staffs
• enjoying the sense of community

When we debriefed with the family about the whole experience, I think everyone agreed that the sense of community was everyone's #1.  Nathan put it best:  Everyone you meet is having this shared experience, so you can strike up a conversation anywhere, anytime - compare notes on the food, the excursions, the best deck chairs, whatever - you have an easy conversation opener with every single person you meet, and everyone's happy to talk about how much fun they're having.

This trip was a transitional experience for us ... we were traveling with two adult "kids" (21 and 22) and two teenagers (16 and 17).  Okay, really the transition wasn't so much for us as it was for me.  I still feel like it's my business to know what my kids are doing and when they're coming and going, but they are diplomatically and ever so gently helping me understand the apron strings are no longer necessary.  Is it okay for my adult "children" to go play basketball on the upper deck at midnight?  Well, Mom, yes.  Yes it is.  There comes a time when you have to just let your kids be who you've raised them to be.  It's hard, and it feels treacherous.  But you know what?  When you've been pouring your heart and soul into training them for twenty plus years ... they can be trusted to make you proud :o)

Our big question was how would going on a family cruise compare with a family beach vacation?  From a Mom perspective, I have to say going on a cruise was more of a real vacation.  When we stay at the beach, I still straighten up our condo, plan meals and do laundry daily.  On the cruise, someone else did the daily room refresh (and towel origami!), handled everything related to eating, and although no one did laundry, it's an option if you want to pay for the service.  If you have kids who are old enough to be somewhat independent, going on a cruise offers Mom more of a real break from the everyday.

At this point, it feels crazily disloyal to our beloved Gulf Coast annual vacation to even consider that going on a cruise could replace it.  But after such a great cruise experience, I can say we're a little more open minded to the idea.  One of the BEST things about going to the same place every year is that you get into the vacation groove really quickly, and the first part of your vacation isn't spent figuring things out.  So I think at this point, before I can say for sure whether or not I'd opt for a cruise instead of our annual Alabama beach vacation, I'm going to have to do more research.  You can find me on the Lido Deck, hanging out with Julie.

I'm sharing this post with the Grace at Home Linky Party at Imparting Grace ... 

click here to join the fun!

What I Read on My Summer Vacation

We'll start school mid-September, in case you're wondering.

We're actually just finishing last year's schoolwork, thanks for asking.

We made it through Algebra II - yahoo!!

One of my students is completely DONE with school work and earned a nice little break, one of my students is wrapping up a few loose ends, and I'm gearing up for the new school year with a 10th and an 11th grader.  That's completely unreal.  Our eldest is working this semester and applying for EMT school, and our second son is working and loving his college classes.  It was such a blast to have him come home from his first day of classes to say, "I LOVE my classes!"  YAY.  

So it's time to start school.  You can read about how I feel about that }here{.  I haven't had a prophetic dream about starting school this year because my head and my heart are still full to bursting with vacation.  I suppose that's when you know you did it right.

We scheduled summer vacation for the last possible week, just before college classes began here.  It was fun to look forward to sunshine on warm Gulf waters all summer, and it helped that so many of my friends went to the beach in Alabama so I could enjoy their vacations vicariously on Facebook.  I'm a big believer in vicarious vacations.  Take me!  Take me!!

I had all of our clothes packed two days before we left.  Six people, eight days - do the math, this is no small thing!  We came home to a clean house with all but a few items of clothing clean.  This was our most efficient vacation prep ever, and Past Me gets a big gold star for all the effort it took to make coming home a pleasure.  This is something I've been working on for YEARS, and I can say it's totally worth all the work up front.  Of course I can say that, now that I'm home reaping the benefit.

I love to anticipate vacation and all its fun, and I also really look forward to all the idle time to fill with reading.  I choose at least two books to read on vacation, something light and something thought provoking.  I think about it all summer.  That's kind of geeky, but I know my fellow book lovers will understand.  Time in the car, time on the balcony, time on the beach - a book lover's dream!  My favorite reading vacation was the one where we went to the beach in early May, and it was chilly enough to sit on the balcony wrapped in a blanket and read all afternoon.   

Before I started reading my vacation books this year, I had to finish The Geography of You and Me, because I have book rules.   I chose this book from the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide.  Click }here{ to check it out ... so many great books!  The Geography of You and Me is a sweet book about first love and does a delicious job of describing the ups and downs of being young, in love, star crossed, and at the mercy of life events.  It's Young Adult fiction, but well written.  

For thought provoking reading, I chose Brene Brown's Men, Women and Worthiness : The Experience of Shame and the Power of Being Enough. Actually, this one is a listen through Audible.com - if you aren't a member, your first listen is free!  This is a 2 hour program and every minute is packed with wisdom.  I've heard about Brene Brown for some time and was curious about what she had to say, and honestly, I wondered if any of it applied to me.  The answer was yes, very definitely, everything she said applied to me.  She begins with explaining the difference between shame and guilt: shame is about you - shame for who you are; guilt is about behavior - guilt for something you did.   Guilt can be helpful in changing your behavior, shame has no constructive purpose.  The difference is subtle, but consider it and you'll realize the implications are vast.  Listening helped me understand some things about myself that I've been trying to puzzle out for years.  Understanding the difference between guilt and shame can have a tremendous impact on how you parent, and how you approach all relationships, really.  I also appreciated the insightful discussion about what men and women experience shame about - quite the difference there, as you might expect.  I haven't finished contemplating this wisdom, and I look forward to reading more from Brene Brown.

Next up was book 1 in the Survivalist Series, Going Home, by A. American.  I didn't plan to read this one, but my brother-in-law had just read it and strongly recommended it.  Going Home begins with an "event" that shuts down everything electrical.  Everything.  No electricity, no cars, and everything goes dark.  It's not completely clear what's happened, and it seems that a sun flare may have had something to do with it, but there's also evolving suspicion that the government may have played a role.  The story follows Morgan Carter, who is 250 miles from his home in Florida when everything shuts down.  His road home is a long and dangerous journey and will have you thinking about planting a garden, digging a well and getting some chickens.  And if you're on a road trip, it will have you thinking about the miles from home not in hours but how long will it take us to walk it?

Finally, I started The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo, on the drive home, since I'd heard that when you read it, you'll immediately want to change your life and tidy up, and I wanted to apply the energy to home and not a vacation condo.  I haven't finished the book yet, but Kondo's premise is that you start not with tidying up, but with cleaning out - in one fell swoop.  As in pull everything out, sort through and throw things away that don't bring you joy, and then find a place for everything that made the cut.  It makes complete sense and the idea appeals to me tremendously.  I'm not sure I can employ the big clean out in one fell swoop in a household of six people who aren't really motivated to clear out their junk, but there are rooms in our house that desperately need magic, and this book just may be exactly what we need.  I'll let you know when it happens.

September is sneaking up on us.  There's a faint tint of yellow in the color of the leaves.  As much as I loved summer and the beach, I'm ready for all things fall - it's my favorite time of the year, I may have mentioned that once.  Same as I enjoyed the beach vacations of my Facebook friends, now I'm enjoying everyone's back to school pictures.  Just let me get one more peek of the beach before I sharpen the pencils.  

thanks to my sister-in-law for her gorgeous beach pictures!

Mercy Hunting : Vacation Style

We've been on vacation.  Beloved, wonderful vacation.  Beloved, wonderful, takes a lot of work to get to, we've been counting down for 364 days vacation.  God's mercies are new every morning, but surely on vacation they're doubled and maybe even tripled.

We've done this vacation with little ones.  We've done this vacation with tweens and teens.  Now, we're doing this vacation with a passel of kids and their cousin who are old enough, really, to execute this vacation on their own.  Funny thought, that.  Not, of course, that I refrain from reminding them to put on sun screen, don't swim out too far, or to be careful crossing the street.  It's really hard to turn down the Mom machine.

I've shared ideas about how to have a successful family vacation }here{, and one of those ideas is to keep a (loose) daily schedule.  We've vacationed in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama, for years, and I realized about half way through the week that maybe it's time to adjust my expectations on the kids.  They're teenagers and twenty-somethings now - no one is bounding out of bed at the crack of dawn ready to play in the surf.  Reality is that they're staying up really late and sleeping late and doing the beach somewhere in between.  It's their vacation too :o)

We took a risk and opted to stay in a different condo this year to make sleeping arrangements a little more convenient.  I love love loved our old condo, but the new one had a bed for everyone and it's hard to argue against that.  The new condo had a beachy decor motif, an absolute must as far as I'm concerned.  The colors were on the sophisticated side of happy and definitely on my favorite color palate.  The master bedroom was the most dreamy color of blue with white furniture.  

Part of our crew made a massively successful fishing expedition with Summer Hunter Charters (click }here{ to go to their website), wherein the they left a bag of fish with the deckhand, brought three bags of fish to the restaurant to be cooked (we love Mikee's!), and we still took four boxes of leftovers back to the condo!  The fishermen fished and the rest of us enjoyed the beach and did our best to dodge the jelly fish.  (Thanks to Sam for the fishing trip pics!)

My sister-in-law and I spent a lovely morning shopping, all the way from Orange Beach to Loxley and back.  It's so much fun to imagine decorating a beach house or condo in all beach theme decor.  And we couldn't resist a stop in at the Burris Farm Market, too!

We also found the two beach houses that were featured this season on HGTV's Beach Flip (click }here{ for a link to the show).  We just drove by, we didn't knock on the door, but it was tempting!

Our Mercy Hunting nets are full.  We had a fantastic time sitting on the beach, playing in the waves (except for those pesky jellyfish - oh, the pain!) visiting our favorite restaurants (Lamberts, Home of Throwed Rolls, you MUST eat there!), drinking coffee on the balcony, listening to the loudest thunder we've ever heard in our lives, grilling by the pool, squeezing in multiple naps, reading, and just sitting blissed out on the sand.

The countdown clock resets ... 364 days to go!  

If you're interested in visiting Gulf Shores or Orange Beach, Alabama,  

Brett Robinson Vacation Rentals is a great resource.  Check their website }here{ for property listings.

I'm not affiliated with Brett Robinson, and haven't been compensated for mentioning their name here; 

we've used their services with great results for many years and I do recommend them.

If you visit our favorite vacation destination, share the joy - let me know!

{12 in 12} Tips for a Great Family Vacation

Back in the over-confident days of January, I was certain I could get 12 projects done in 2012.  One project a month.  No problem.  While most of those projects are still waiting to be given any thought at all  started  completed ...  I was pretty sure I could manage the August project just fine:  

VACATION

It's a big project to tackle, I know, but we have experience with this one, and I'm determined!!!!

Here are some of our tried and true tips for having a great family vacation:

Go to the same place every year.

Once I thought an annual vacation in the same spot would be the most boring thing ever, 

but especially with a young family, it's a great idea.  

We've vacationed at the beach in Alabama for 20 years now.

Going back to the Gulf Coast feels like going home, and because we're so familiar with it, we don't spend those first few days of vacation trying to figure everything out.  The familiarity removes some stress.
It's vacation stress, which is an oxymoron, but still.

 In Alabama, we know what to expect and we already know the things we love to do.  We've never had a bad time, even the first year, when Hurricane Andrew cut our stay short, so it's reasonably "risk-free."  Nostalgia and great memories are waiting for us, and because we know the drill, 

the relaxing begins more quickly ... that's a great thing!!!

Stay in the same place every year.

Not only do we go to the same place on the beach, we stay in the same condo.  So when I say vacation feels like going home, I really mean it feels like going home.  It took us a while to find the unit we loved, but once we found the one that fit us just right, it's a repeat every year.

Our booking service, Brett-Robinson, (click }here{ to go to their website) has an online booking service and you can take a virtual tour of the rooms before you book. I've looked at other units, but haven't found one I like any better!  Want to see why I love this place so?

I love the beachy colors and decor of this unit.  The walls are the perfect sunny yellow.  One year we stayed in a condo that was very elegantly decorated but we never got that kick-off-your-flip-flops kind of feeling.  

This condo has a beachy fun tone.

Here's the view from the balcony ...

One of our favorite things about this unit is that the master bedroom has a sliding glass door right onto the balcony ... we  leave it cracked open all the time.  

We go to sleep and wake up listening to the waves.  Pure bliss!

Know what else I love here?  

The shower curtain.  

It makes me happy - I LOVE it.

I also love the painted cabinets in the kitchen.  

Very much a happy place!

Get a great swimsuit that's comfortable.

If your vacation involves water play, especially in the waves, you don't want to worry about staying covered up.  We love to play in the waves, and last year I got board shorts from Board Shorts World ...

(image source)

 It was an excellent investment for totally worry free water play ... more fun than ever!! 

Be sunscreen ninjas.  

We're fair skinned, so our goal is to cross back over the Texas state line at the end of vacation in the same shade in which we left.  Part of going down to the beach includes spending 15 minutes making sure everyone is adequately covered.  It's kind of like packing someone else's parachute.  

We love each other, but at the same time,

 we don't want to spend a week with someone who's inside the misery of sunburn.  

Make everyone get haircuts before you go.

I love to take pictures on vacation, but I have to say that the pictures from the year my children look like 1960's beatnicks are my least favorite.

Even though Nate did rock the surfer dude look :o)

Get a really really cute haircut before you go.

Not only did Abbie get a haircut before vacation this year, she went from super long to cute and short  and donated her long hair to Locks of Love ... 

what fun to take lots of pics with a new style!

Cook.  Or Grill.  Or both - instead of eating out.

Do I have to tell you eating out with a family of six is expensive?
Our condo has a full kitchen with all the cooking paraphernalia you could ever need.
We go to the grocery store at the beginning of the week (it's the happiest grocery store run EVER) and we eat breakfast and lunch in.  It saves us a good bit of money, and makes eating out a little more special.

And LtDan grills dinner by the pool at least once.
Barbeque ... at the pool ... by the beach?  Perfection!

Make a schedule for the day ... and for the week.

We learned that making a vacation schedule helps put everyone at ease when the kids were pretty little.  Because answering "when are we going to the pool?" 84,000 times a day gets tedious, we make a loose daily schedule so everyone knows what to expect.  We do the same thing with the week ... just so everyone can relax and know when their favorite thing is going to happen. 

(image source)

The best part is that once you've decided how the week's going to go, you can put it on auto-pilot and turn off your brain ;o)  The year Lt.Dan and I just weren't up to officiating The Schedule was a somewhat amusing role reversal ... our kids wanted to get everything all lined out  - and they've never let us forget how important a schedule is to a satisfying vacation!

Take a book that's challenging.

I always take a good beach read, but I also like to bring along something that's a challenge or thought provoking on a spiritual or emotional level, or maybe a self-improvement book that will help me jump back into everyday life with greater passion.  It takes the concept of a vacation reset to a deeper level.

(image source)

One of my favorite vacation reads has been Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindberg.  This year, I read The Art of Extreme Self-Care, by Cheryl Richardson, and I started The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Mid-Life, by Marianne Williamson.  I loved Cheryl's concept of the Absolute No List:  I will no longer rush ... I will no longer jump out of bed in the morning before taking time and space to start the day in a serene and relaxed state ... etc.  And here are some empowering words from Marianne:  "It's time to intend to age with joy, deciding that the joy of youth is a good kind of joy, but it's not the only kind.  In fact, there is a joy in knowing that after all these years, we've finally grown up."  

Designate a day to take pictures.  

If it were up to me, I would snap photos every minute, which would drive my family crazy and I would be banished from vacation.  So, we designate a picture day for mom to resemble the most obnoxious paparazzi you can imagine, and then I leave the camera behind and live the moments instead of trying to capture them ... which is really the best vacation tip of all.

What about you?  Do you have some good vacation tips or a favorite place to vacation?

I'm linking this post to Amanda's Weekend Bloggy Reading Party at Serenity Now!