Who’s Ready to Travel?

“A vacation helps to relieve stress and boredom, gives us a change of scenery, provides us with adventure, and helps to bring us closer to the people in our lives.” – E.S. Woods

My hubby and I have an ongoing debate in our household about trips and travel. He likes them, I LOVE them. And during a recent conversation he asked me, “why do you love to travel so much.” It got me thinking because it was hard to summarize on the spot this desire to travel and this activity that I spend so much time, money, and energy to chase. After thinking about it, below is my rebuttal, with helpful tips to maximize your trips and your budget!

Why Do We Travel?:
I’ve always been of the mindset that our life is made up of memories and moments. Moments that we are living IN and then memories that we relive each time we think about them. These are what make up your life and for me, I feel the most alive when those moments and memories are adventurous. Yes, I do have many memories and moments of the little things and I appreciate those…as well as I am working to make sure to leave space for those. But as Jack Kerouac says, “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” …or take that trip…or do something beyond the mundane every day life. 

Here are my favorite reasons to travel: 

• Adventure
  • Just like I said above, on vacation you’re experiencing new and exciting things that in itself just creates a sense of adventure and newness…and memories from that. 
• Escape
  • Airplane Mode- ON!
    • For me, I love my job (most days) but man it’s exhausting too. The ability to go camping on a weekend and turn airplane mode on is sooooo helpful for my wellbeing. 
• I’m a Better Mom
  • When you get me away from the laundry piles, the dirty toilets, the constant to-do list at home, I’m way more fun and willing to sit and play barbies and Uno, to swing the kiddos in the hammock 55 times, etc. 
• Memories to Relive
  • Hearing my son ask me almost weekly “when do we get to go back to Hawaii” just makes my heart melt. I’ve created a little travel addicted monster and I love it!  
  • Remembering my daughter’s giggles as she tumbles through a wave on her boogie board. 
  • Even the small things are momentous on a trip. The pizza the size of your face in Boston, the best popsicle my son has ever eaten in Central Park, the roller coaster ride my three year old son braved…and almost fell out of. <—k that memory is a little nerve racking to think about…but you get the picture. 
• Something to Look Forward Too
  • Anticipating a trip is half the fun of a trip. Seriously, there are studies that show people were happier BEFORE the trip then during the trip and I get that because thinking about the trip before and after can have so many emotions that make up the enjoyment of the trip. I planned Patagonia nine months out and that was a lot of months to dream about this amazing place. The trip itself was only twelve days, but I spent nine months living in a virtual trip as I dreamed about what we would do, the views we’d see, etc. 
• Checklists
  • Okay, yes, I said it. There is also a sense of just checking off a place that I love. It’s innate in me so maybe this won’t speak to a lot of you but I love this feeling of seeing new places and checking it off. It makes me feel accomplished, it makes me feel like I’m not missing out on something amazing and epic because if I’ve been there I got to see what it’s like (and know if it’s worth going back too). 
• Relatable
  • I love chatting with someone and finding out they’ve been to the same destination and being able to bond with them over that location. 
• Healthier
  • I’ve read numerous studies about how travelling and going on vacation is better for your physical and mental health!

How to Travel Better:
Now that I have you convinced that you should definitely be using up those PTO days, here are some tips on how to make an epic vacation.  

• Plan, plan, and more planning.
  • If you want to fit it all in and maximize your time while on your trip, then you have to plan it out BEFORE you get there. I love travelling, and I do like planning, some, but it’s also exhausting how much time it takes to plan. So here are some of my go to steps when I’m planning.
    • Instagram
      • I start following accounts that post about that area 
    • YouTube
      • Search your destination and watch videos made on it to show you what to do in those areas
    • Chamber of Commerce
      • Check the destination town’s chamber of commerce calendar for events or call them for tips on top things to do in their area. 
    • Post on your Social Media
      • Ask your friends what they’ve done there
    • Pinterest and Google
      • Search “top activities in _____” 
    • ChatGPT
      • For reals, use it, it’s amazing. 
    • AllTrails
      • I plan majority of my hikes in new areas with this app.
        • The free version works perfect. I pay for the membership for this one reason, I can download the route to my phone so if I’m out of service it still works. This has made me feel way more comfortable going out on hikes in new areas when we don’t have hard/real maps and don’t have service. 
• Build in Rest Time
  • The last day of our Patagonia trip we had an awkward 8 hour day in Santiago (which we already had a 24 hour stint there so we knew we’d probably be fulfilled with what to see and do….not city people :)). But the way the flights worked we were there again for another 8 hour day and sort of at a loss as to what we should do. We did wish we booked ourselves massages for that day as nothing was open when we tried that morning. Eventually we found a hotel with a BEAUTIFUL pool and lounge area that we could get day passes too. It was magical. After 6 days of hard hiking, laying by a pool with friends, food, drinks, and a good book was magical. I would never have planned this but now, I’m going to try to always plan a mini rest day at the end of my trips! 

How to Travel Cheaper:
I get it, travelling is expensive. Just ask my hubby, he’ll have a lot to say on the matter :). But there are ways to travel cheaper and I’m going to share some of my tricks. 

• Scotts Cheap Flights (NOW called Going):
  • I flew to Chile for $385 thanks to Going.
    • In May 2023 I received an email from them stating flights from Boise to Santiago were $785 which was a heck of a deal. Then I did actually apply for the credit card for American Airlines that gave me $400 cashback which brought my ticket to $385!! 
  • So, I highly recommend if you plan to take a trip anytime soon, go sign up for at least their free service. Oh and even if you’re not planning to take a trip, go sign up because it will probably get you to go take a trip when you see how cheap flights can be. Last week, there were roundtrip tickets from San Francisco to Barcelona for $380! 
  • The premium is worth it if you are planning to take a trip as there are way more deals in their premium option. 
  • Use my referral link by clicking HERE to save yourself money if you sign up for premium. 
  • See next section for even more tips with airfare! 
• Save on Food:
  • I’m not a foodie. I like food but it’s not a big deal to me if I don’t eat out much on the trip. When we went to Hawaii in November the first stop we made when we got off the airplane was a Costco run. We bought all the groceries for a 10 day trip and I only ate out once the entire time. We ate breakfast at home, packed lunches and snacks for the entire day for myself and our young kids, and cooked dinners at home too. It saved us money and was healthier. We did enjoy ice cream treats though!
    • Picture above is me with a packed lunch at Silverwood Theme Park. I was trying to save money AND I was on a Whole30 Food Challenge 🙂 
  • Also, if you have young kids I highly recommend the route of packing your own food, especially on the road trip part of a vacation. The last thing a wiggly kiddo should do after sitting in the car on a long drive is sit in a restaurant.
    • We make up salads or sandwiches ahead of time and then find a park when we’re ready to eat. This saves us time, money, and lets the kids run and play while we eat! 
  • Pack breakfast for the first morning so you’re not worried about getting out for food and can have a slower wake-up. This saved us after we had flight delays in NYC that had us arrive at 5:30 AM instead of 8PM the night before. I threw in pancake mix and when Jackson woke up earlier we could feed him while we waited for Charlie to wake up. 
• Save on Activities:
  • Search ahead of time for coupons and deals for your activities you’ll do.
    • A lot of states have things like the Get Out Pass that offers discounts to places. We just bought the Idaho one before going to Roaring Springs and we know it will save us money this year!
      • If you signup use our referral code as it saves you money: day51
    • Groupon
    • Check the Venue’s Calendar
      • I was shocked last year when I learned Silverwood Theme Park offers a ton of random discounts (mother’s day, father’s day, health worker day, etc.) 

How to Take MORE Vacations: 

• The guy that created Going, Scott Keyes also wrote a book that I’m halfway through and loving. These are some of the big takeaways I have right now:
  • Don’t put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to a trip.
    • From sicknesses to weather to various other uncontrollable circumstances that could derail your trip completely to a more likely scenario of the trip just not being what you thought it would be, putting all your eggs in one basket can be a big risk. Why is it a risk? Well, if you blew your budget, PTO, and energy to take this trip and then it ends out being a flop, now you must wait a whole year to go on a trip again. So his idea is to take more trips more often, even if that means they are smaller trips. 
  • Be Flexible with Destinations:
    • Search for cheap flights before choosing a destination and let the deals dictate your destination. Sidenote- this approach can lead to discovering new and exciting places you might not have considered​.
  • Set up Google Alerts & Going Emails
    • We have fallen in love with Hawaii so I now have an ongoing Google alert for flights from Boise to Hawaii. I’ve watched it drop to $288 for a November flight! 
    • Keep a list of places you’d love to see someday and then watch the Going emails come in, if the destination pops up, can you make it happen?? (The answer is usually yes :)). 
    • I also recommend signing up for Southwest Airline’s emails, they have a lot of great deals! 
  • Travel During Off-Peak Times
  • Embrace Budget Airlines
    • I’ve been both burned and scored with this method, so be weary but it can work! 
  • Play the Mileage Game
    • Tony flew to Adak, Alaska for free with signing up for Alaska Airlines during a high promo month of miles. 
    • Watch Airlines and their credit card offers to perhaps pull the trigger on when to sign up for them.
  • Consider Alternative Airports:
    • As I write this sentence I’m sitting in a hotel in Price, UT. Why? Well, two reasons:
      • 1. My family and I are going to NYC for a wedding and after the wedding we decided to come to Colorado for a family vacation. So I needed to get our truck to Colorado with our bikes and gear. 
      • 2. We chose Colorado as a trip because the flights from NYC to Boise were EXPENSIVE. But the flights from NYC to Denver were cheap! I wouldn’t recommend driving over 12 hours to an alternate airport each time you want to fly, but a 3 hour drive that saves you hundreds of dollars might be worth it? 

How to Turn 11 PTO Days into 44 Vacation Days: 
Thanks Kim @idahoadventuremom for this super rad hack in the image below. I am going to save and think about this each time my husband requests his PTO days so that we can maximize them! This little outline she has is so helpful and powerful, so use it! Oh and go follow her on Instagram for neat Idaho adventures to do. 

Staycation Calling Your Name?

• I’m just beginning a 3 week vacation that has me going from Colorado to NYC to back to Colorado and many of it’s beautiful mountain towns to Redfish Lake in Idaho. I’m soooooooo excited!!! But I also am slightly sad to leave McCall. It’s GORGEOUS in McCall in the summer. The trails are riding great, the lake is, well cold, but the beach is lovely, and I have all my friends and family here. So sometimes going away isn’t always the right thing and a staycation could be perfect for you.
• If your focus this year is staycations, then I just encourage you to not get distracted and lost in the housework, the job, the same old every day things.
• Be a tourist in your town, follow the tips I recommended above about how to plan an epic vacation and do that in your town.
• Make it a goal to do 5 new things this summer in your town, from eating at new restaurants to visiting new parks, to hiking that trail you’ve always driven past.

Who’s Coming to McCall?
I feel grateful to live in McCall almost daily, yes, even on the 4th of July and I actually love living in a tourist town. Yes, sometimes the tourists drive me nuts, but for the most part, it’s so cool to live somewhere that people LOVE and flock too. It brings an energy to the town that seeps into your own world too. I appreciate and support the tourists. Anyways, if you’re coming to McCall I thought I’d share some of my favorites. 

• Favorite Hike for Kiddos:
  • Twin Lakes (Past Brundage Mountain Resort). Views, tadpoles..or frogs depending on timing, butterflies, and so much more! 
• Favorite Hike for Type-Two-Fun Suffer Fests:
  • Snowslide Lake to Maki Lake 
• Favorite Hike in Ponderosa:
  • Park at Lily Marsh Trailhead, hike up Ridgeline and connect to HuckleBerry Loop and head SW on the loop back to parking. If you have time and energy, side trip up to Osprey Point. 
• Favorite Backpacking Destination:
  • With Kiddos- Grassy Mtn Lakes 
  • Without Kiddos- You have to message me for that information 😉 
• Favorite Music Series:
  • Brundage and Ponderosa Center 
• Favorite Lake Activity:
  • Cliff Jumping on Payette Lake  or Paddleboarding the Meanders. 
• Favorite Indoor Activity:
  • Move Your Body: Cascade Aquatic Center & Manchester Ice Rink
  • Rest Your Body: Library -it’s new and beautiful! Games, Toys, and of course, books. 
• Favorite Foods:
  • SushiBar’s Kobe Beef Bowls with Mixed Rice/Noodles
  • Growler’s Pizza
  • Yes, go to My Father’s Place and Ice Cream Alley, it’s worth the line and the experience 
• Favorite Mountain Bike Trail:
  • With Kids: Rolling Rock at Jug Mountain Ranch
  • Without Kids: Rim Trail  or the new Brundage to Bear Basin (B2BB)
    • By the way, don’t forget to support your local trail organizations! For McCall, I’d love your support for CIMBA who builds and maintains a lot of the McCall trails! Click HERE to give some trail karma. Or click https://www.cimbarides.org/get-involved HERE to become a member. 

I love sharing my favorites in my beautiful town, so please feel free to reach out whenever you’re planning a trip to McCall and need ideas of what to do, see, eat, etc.! 

So, do I have you convinced to go pack your bags and hit the road??? I hope so!!! 

Now, I want to hear from you! I want to have the best rebuttal ever for the next time my husband asks me why do I like to travel so much? So please share with me! 

• What are your top three reasons you like to travel?
• What are some of your favorite travel tips from booking trips, to planning trips, to living the best trips ever while on them? 
• What are some of your favorite things you’ve done post trip, from creating photo books to journaling to video vlogs? 
• What are the top trips on your list right now?
• What have been your favorite trip so far and why? I’d love to hear from you on what places and activities spoke to your soul and lit you up! 

As always, thanks for reading and sharing. I hope this newsletter helps you have some pretty amazing moments and memories while on vacation this year and in future years. 

Livin’ Life,

Kelli