A total American classic, that makes you feel like going somewhere to have a Pina Colada. And, the irony of the lyrics…
“Escape (The Pina Colada Song)”
Download “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” on iTunes
TRAVEL MUSIC TUESDAY–Rupert Holmes
Working For The Weekend?
Is it wrong that in my day-to-day, working full time, I feel like I only live for the weekends? By the time I get up, work until 5 every day, two evenings I go to boot camp after work, get dinner made for anywhere from 2-7 people, fulfill a couple of random cleaning tasks (a load of laundry, unload the dishwasher, vacuum) I feel I’ve just run myself into the ground. I’m exhausted. I can’t wait to get into bed so I can get up and start the same routine over the next day.
As Monday progresses into Friday, I swear my bed time gets earlier and my random cleaning tasks start to dwindle and I get less done. By Thursday night, I’m pretty much worthless and it’s easy for me to crawl in bed before it’s even dark out yet.
Then comes Friday! I always wake up with my feet moving before they even hit the ground. I’m ready to tackle the day and get through it as quickly as possible so I can get home, we can load the car, and head down to our lake condo getaway. We don’t do anything much different at the condo than we do at home. I still have similar tasks, but instead of sitting for 8 fun-filled hours in the office, I get to spend most of those hours at the pool or on the lake. We are in the habit of staying up later at the lake usually because we have friends or family from out of town staying with us, or we visit with our neighbors, so by the time we get home to start the work week over again I’m already starting off at a deficit.
I’m not sure when living for the weekend became the norm, but I yearn for the days of living life for each day. I miss catching up with my circle of friends, having meaningful conversations and lots of laughs. I miss not having the time to experience new things and meeting new people. You can’t fit it all in on the weekend. Or is it enough? When the job gets in the way of life and makes it more mundane, it’s time to re-think priorities.
Cheers to re-thinking! Comment below and let me know what you’ve had to re-think.
Making Travel a Priority
I’ve been asked so many times, how can I afford to travel as frequently as I do? It’s very easy–my husband and I have made travel a priority in our lives, budgets, etc. You only live once and this is a way we prefer to live.
We actually have a running list of where we’d like to go, how long of a trip it should be, and then we work towards making it happen. Some places are great for a long weekend–if we can drive there in a few hours or fly there quickly–like Las Vegas or Memphis, anything concerning the beach and relaxation should be a 1 week trip, and anywhere that will involve a long flight or a lot of exploration–Europe or Greece–will be a 2 week trip.
However, sometimes we have to sprinkle in unplanned trips which can set our list back a little. For instance, my British friends Matt and Emma will be on holiday in Mexico in October. I originally met them in Mexico, so we’ve decided to vacation at the same resort as a reunion of sorts. We weren’t planning to go to Mexico this year–we’ve been there so many times–but I can’t wait to see Matt and Emma!
How do we save for a trip? Easy, we have one bank account set aside, just for trip money AND we put half of every paycheck in there. Sounds like a lot , right? But we consider travel just as important as making the truck payment. We cut all other extraneous costs down to a minimum, so unless it’s a necessity, extra money doesn’t get spent. I never stop to buy a cup of coffee on my way in to work and I rarely eat lunch out. I usually bring a lunch to work with me. We use coupons to help keep the grocery bill down, and use our grocery shopper’s card to rack up our fuel points. We also work from a grocery list and don’t buy a bunch of stuff that’s not on it–this means very little junk food. It also helps that my husband is a bargain shopper–we rarely buy new clothes unless they are on sale. I’m not so good at catching clothes on sale, but I’m getting better at it. I love the beginning of summer when I get to stock up on sweaters for next year! Any extra money we receive also ends up in this account–bonuses, gifts, etc.
Keep in mind, this isn’t our only savings. We also have another account for saving for emergency or capital expenses. This way, if a big expense comes up, like the time I slid off the road in black ice and needed all 4 tires replaced at the same time, we take it from that account NOT the vacation account. And the first money that comes out of any pay is retirement/401K/mutual funds. We are paying ourselves and our retirement before anything else so that hopefully when we are retired, we have enough money to travel to our hearts content!
We will also bargain shop for the trip. I will do frequent comparisons of prices through Apple Vacations, Funjet, and Cheap Caribbean. Doing a search on Expedia will alert me to which airlines fly to our destination and what the flight schedules look like. Based on those results, I will then price bundled trips through the airlines. Typically, during these searches I can also determine if there are any sales on certain resorts or airlines which can also help us save money on the trip cost. I love a good fill-the-rooms sale!
Overall, if you are planning your budget wisely and sticking to it (it does take diligence and discipline), it’s pretty easy to save for vacationing.
TRAVEL MUSIC TUESDAY–Gary Allan
“Nothin’ On But the Radio”
Download “Nothin’ On But the Radio” on iTunes
Quick Cheers to Postcards From TLC
This post won’t be about anything travel related. It’s more of a quick cheers to progress and a thank you to all who have contributed.
Postcards From TLC has just hit some major milestones! Every year, I set new goals for my blog and then I check in on my progress a couple of times each month. So far, for 2018 I’ve already hit most (not all) of my goals, but it’s only August. It looks like I may have to raise the bar a bit higher and re-set some goals soon!
It may not seem like much to you, but I just gained my 1000th follower on FaceBook. If you are a blogger, you can relate to the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into promoting. But, if you are not a blogger, trust me, a lot of time and energy went in to getting those followers. Promoting a blog is quite important and social media is a top way of doing it. The number of followers you gain helps determine what advertising opportunities you may have and how successful you may be at monetizing your blog. While monetizing my blog has never been a top priority, it is nice to earn a little return on my efforts.
When I first started Postcards From TLC over a year ago (read my first post here), I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought it just might be a fun hobby to allow myself to share some of my writing. If you would have told me then that I would soon be sharing my posts with a thousand people I would have thought you were nuts. (In actuality, tallying numbers from all social media outlets we’re at the 3,000 mark.) This seems so unreal, but is a very rewarding feeling.
I remember how difficult it was to gain my first real follower who wasn’t my husband or one of my relatives–thank you so much Melanie Irish! You really gave me hope when you clicked that follow button. I also remember gaining number 1000 on FaceBook–thanks to Michelle DeHaven! I can track each person on each social media platform to see when you clicked on follow. All I can say is thank you to each and everyone of you for helping to turn my fun hobby into something more insightful than that! I’m so grateful to have the followers I have and I will strive to gain more. In retrospect, I will also reciprocate to other blogs as much as possible. I will follow, click your ads, buy your products, and in general attempt to support as many of you as possible. Feel free to share my posts where ever you access them, and maybe you’ll help me gain a few more too!
♥ Tracey L Clark
TRAVEL MUSIC TUESDAY–UB40
“Red Red Wine”
Here’s a reggae song for Mary Davidson!
Download “Red Red Wine” on iTunes
Why You MUST Buy Travel Insurance
What if something happened to you while you were traveling in a foreign country? What if you needed medical care? What would you do?
Would your medical insurance cover you? Most likely not. Most health insurance from the US does not provide coverage outside of the continental US. Or, they may say they do, but have you ever tried to find a network provider for your plan in Timbuktu? It’s very likely there isn’t one.
So, if you have an illness or injury, are you prepared to cover the cost out of your pocket? As in up front, in order to get treated? What if you were in a bus accident, rendered a little loopy from a head injury, in a country that may not have many English speakers? Would you be able to make the necessary arrangements to get your injury paid for in advance and treated?
Since our domestic insurance doesn’t work in foreign countries, most hospitals would require you pay for your treatment in full, sometimes before they will even give you so much as an aspirin. Most of them will require cash, a few will take credit cards. But considering how quickly medical costs can add up, do you really carry enough cash on vacation or have enough available credit on your Mastercard to cover a sizeable claim?
Then, when you do get home, do you really have the time to wait to “maybe” get reimbursed by your insurance only to find out it all applies as non-network benefits, meaning reduced reimbursement? Of course, hopefully you remembered to ask for an itemized bill translated into English when you paid your claim or that could add more time to your reimbursement.
This is where travel insurance could be one of the best decisions you may ever make. Most policies can:
- provide help for you to find quality care, anywhere in the world
- cover your treatment costs–most begin payment after you pay the deductible
- help transport you (and even family members) home as soon as you are stabilized
Some policies even build in some non-medical benefits such as:
- assistance recovering stolen passports or other documents
- help coordinating emergency funds transfers
- legal referrals
- coverage for lost or delayed baggage
- even reimbursement for trip cancellation or interruption
While I don’t usually consider the non-medical benefits when purchasing trip insurance(I want it to cover the big ticket items and get me home in an emergency) it is nice to know that the non-medical perks are there.
Most policies can be purchased for the price of a tank of gas for your car. When pricing policies, here are the ones I like:
ALLIANZ–plan came in the priciest, but it was for the Premier plan which also includes trip cancellation and trip interruption. They have a pretty rich travel plan that recently priced a $1,000,000 policy at $130 for a 1 week trip to Mexico.
GEOBLUE–a subsidiary of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. They offer various coverages such as vacation, long-term multi-trip, and expatriation. They do require that you also already have a primary health plan, but it does not need to be an Anthem plan. Their coverage was also for $1,000,000 in medical for $25 for the same 1 week trip to Mexico.
WORLD NOMADS–their plan came in a little higher for the same Mexico vacation at $69 for a $100,000 plan. However, WORLD NOMADS also offers the flexibility of extending your coverage while you’re already using it.
You enroll for any of these plans easily online, choosing your deductible and amount of coverage. All of these carriers also have an option for long-term coverage, up to 90 days continuous, that can run through a full year at a time.
Considering the costs of a serious, high-dollar claim, these premiums add value. Even if you never use the insurance while abroad, you’ve still purchased some valuable peace of mind.
TRAVEL MUSIC TUESDAY–Whitesnake
“Here I Go Again”
Download “Here I Go Again” on iTunes
Tragedy in Huatulco, Mexico
Well, not really a tragedy, but definitely a small scare. After our mountain excursion, which included a hike to the Llano Grande waterfall, I got to experience Mexican Medico care. I remember on the ride back to the resort having an achy feeling on my face right on my jawline. I didn’t really think much of it–I figured my face was just breaking out from using so much sunblock.
We returned to the resort after the excursion, had a little dinner, walked around and caught some of the show, and headed to bed. I woke around 2am to an excruciating pain on my jawline. When I reached up to touch my face, I realized something was bad wrong. In the dark of our room, I could feel a knot on my jaw that was burning hot and about the size of a hard-boiled egg. I quietly laid in bed until about 5am, but when I realized the knot was getting bigger and probably wasn’t going to go away without some antibiotics, I woke hubby. I wouldn’t let him turn on the lights to look at the presumably freaky-looking growth on my face. Instead, I told him he was going to have to get me to a doctor–and soon!
We knew there was a Medico on resort, and called reception to find out where he was located and what his hours were. Apparently the reception agent though my 6 am call was serious enough and he patched me on through to the Medico, whom I obviously woke up. He said he would be on resort by 9 am and could see me then. I was in so much pain by then, we were waiting at his office an hour early.
The doctor was dressed in a pink shirt, white pants, pink shoes, and had two assistants whose combined age probably wasn’t even 40 years old. (Really, they looked like tweens.) He took a look at my face and said he believed I had been bitten by “something” and said he would need to give me a shot in the cheek (he clarified the shot would be in the big cheek, not the little cheek) and write me two prescriptions, which I could then fill conveniently right in his office. He said it would require $450 USD in order to get treatment.
I’ve always been in the habit of charging resort services to our room and presumed I could do that with the medico fees. Nope! No credit cards either. He said $450, cash, US dinero. I was rooting through my small purse (which is only big enough to carry a little cash and a cell phone) trying to count up the cash I had on hand. The tweens, who were now on either side of me intently looking down into my purse as I was sorting the cash, now felt like thugs. I was sure if I balked at giving them every last dollar I had in my little purse, they would take it anyway. We had only brought about half of the requested amount up from the room with us (thinking certainly it wouldn’t cost THAT much), but the good doctor said he would be leaving the office soon and we could put the rest in an envelope and slip it under his door before noon that day.
After my shot, and two filled prescriptions for medications I’ve never heard of, we left the Medico’s office. We returned before noon and slipped the rest of the money under his office door. It really felt like we were committing some type of crime instead of paying the doctor’s bill. Thankfully, within a couple of days, the swelling was subsiding and I was starting to feel better.
I .
This was one of the incidents that made me see the value in travel insurance (See blog post Why You MUST Buy Travel Insurance) . While this small claim probably wouldn’t have even met the deductible I likely would have chosen on a plan, and I still would have had to pay cash up front, what if it had been worse or cost even more? Or, what if I didn’t have the cash on hand? I don’t even want to think about that.
TRAVEL MUSIC TUESDAY–Neil Diamond
“America”
Download “America” on iTunes