Plenty To Be Thankful For

On November 30, 2015 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel Tips7 Comments

If you’re asking yourself “where do I want to travel next” instead of “where is my next meal coming from”, then, like us, you have an awful lot to be thankful about. Neither of our families travelled much when we were younger, which is probably the main reason that sharing travel experiences with our children was so important to us when the kids were younger. Now that we’re older and are fortunate enough to be in a position to travel, we often think back to the days when we struggled to take time off, let alone go anyplace for vacation. We’ve come a long way from the days when we worried about getting food on the table, but we’re well aware that life can change in a heartbeat, so we never want to forget how far we’ve come.

With the hectic day-to-day life as well as planning another trip, it is easy to forget how blessed we are to have the opportunity to see the places that we have. We often see other posts from sites that we enjoy and think to ourselves, “wow, I wish we could go there”. It is easy to get caught up in travel envy instead of simply being thankful for the experiences that you have been able to have. More importantly, for the opportunity to share those experiences with the ones that you love.

We recently purchased a digital picture frame where we’ve loaded pictures from places that we’ve travelled, concerts that we’ve been to, and special occasions and holidays with family. It was really eye-opening to see all of those memories in a single place. It really gave us the opportunity to look back and think about how fortunate we truly have been. And that only includes the places we’ve seen since we entered the digital age, there are still photo albums filled with pictures yet to be scanned and added to the library.

Hopefully we’ll do a better job throughout the year of being thankful for our opportunities. It is easy to be thankful during the holiday season when it is forefront on people’s minds, but it is something that we want to remember the whole year-long. Hopefully next year will provide as many travel opportunities for you as we hope to have for ourselves. We truly are a lucky couple.

Give and You Will Receive

On November 20, 2015November 20, 2015 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel Tips2 Comments

It definitely isn’t true all of the time, but generally speaking, if you’re willing to give, you will get just as much in return. This is true whether it is just about being nice to the people around you or whether it comes to tipping the staff who waits on you. We’re probably guilty of over tipping at times, but we try to get to know the people who take care of us, especially if we’re going to be in a place for several days or weeks, and we tend to truly care about them by the time we leave.

When we’re at a resort, we will leave a tip for the housekeeping crew that comes to clean our room. We do it because that we know the resorts don’t pay them too much money to begin with, but also because they will usually make an extra effort and do something special in our room. On our trip to Cabo, we once again left a nominal tip every day, 20 pesos, which is about a 1 US dollar. Every day, when we returned to our room, we were greeted with another swan or other creation made from the towels and bed linens.

The same is true when it came to the waiter who took care of us at the pool every day. First and foremost, we took time to talk with him, learn a little about him, and yes we tipped him at the end of the day as well. In return, Castillo was always taking caring of us, bringing us whatever we needed, finding us wherever we might be in the pool area to make sure we were taken care of.

First and foremost, don’t give with the expectation of getting something in return. If you do, you will likely end up disappointed. However, if you give of yourself, treat others as you’d like to be treated, and genuinely show compassion to your fellow life travelers, you will find happiness wherever you go. It doesn’t take any effort to show compassion and treat those around you with the respect that they deserve.

Airport Parking is Outrageous!

On November 16, 2015 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado, Travel Tips4 Comments

We’re not sure if it is just because we live in Colorado where there isn’t a good public transportation system. Or whether it is because everyone is spread so far out that they have to drive to the airport, but the parking prices to leave your car at the airport for seven days is astronomical. We’ve found a trick to save ourselves a little money and make flying out of Denver a little easier. Instead of parking our car at the airport, we spend the night prior to our flight at one of the airport hotels. Many of the hotels offer seven days of free parking if you spend a night. Sometimes they charge an additional $10 for the parking, but some, like the Embassy Suites, do not.

A one night stay at the hotel is much cheaper than what the airport charges for parking. In addition, if you do a little research, you can find a hotel that offers some additional perks, such as free breakfast or a manager’s reception. One of the reasons that we chose the Embassy Suites was that they offered both. Not just a continental breakfast, but a full hot breakfast including omelets and French toast made to order. To make things even better, their manager’s reception includes a complimentary full bar, house brands only, but at that price, who cares. They also provide a variety of snack food and their restaurant appetizers are half price.

The other benefit of staying at the hotel is convenience. For example, our flight to Cabo left Denver International Airport at 8:26 a.m. For us to drive from Colorado Springs and get to the airport at the recommended two hours in advance, we’d be leaving our home at 5:00 a.m., meaning we’d have to wake up by around 4:00 a.m. Not a fun way to start a vacation. By staying at the hotel, we get complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport, allowing us to be dropped off at the terminal and not lug our suitcases from the parking lot.

Taking a taxi or some form of public transportation is probably the most ideal solution rather than parking a car at the airport, but, depending on the price of a taxi or parking at the airport, you may want to consider looking for a hotel at the airport and spending the night there instead. For the convenience, cost, and piece of mind, we find it an excellent solution. If anything, we just consider it an opportunity to start our vacation a day early and relax and let the hotel staff pamper us a little prior to our trip.