What do you do for a last minute trip?

We dont usually have them but sometimes to occur.

We found out on Tuesday that we had to be in Atlantic City for Friday AM! Talk about last minute. We had to rearrange out schedules for work and school then we had to locate a place to stay, it was an overnight stay since we needed to be there for 8AM. Atlantic City is a 3 hour drive for us so we had no choice to drive down Thursday night and stay over.

Lucky for us the event blocked out rooms for us. We were able to get a room at the Trump Plaza for $45 for the one night. The hotel was nice but the beds were really small. There were 3 of us and two beds, I dont think they were full size beds. We couldnt move at all otherwise we would have kicked each other around. The room had a view of the ocean but it was dark when we arrived and dark when we checked out so we didnt see much.

Our event was at the Atlantic City Convention center... that place charges $15 to park so we walked over from the hotel. It was crazy since that day was VERY windy! We were freezing but saved money. Parking at the hotel was $5 for the day so we just left our car there from the day before.

We have another trip up to Binghamton NY coming up. We have to be there for 8AM so this another last minute trip we will be booking a hotel room. The drive is about 2 hours but it would mean I would have to leave my area at around 5:30am. Thats just too early for me lol.

Then again, I could save the $50 or so bucks and just stop being lazy! But what if it snows? That would cause delays.

Oh Im not great at last minute trips.

When do you start packing?

I guess its a personal thing.

I know many people that pack a week before the trip and I know some, like myself, that pack the day before sometimes the morning of.

Why?

I dunno. When I pack ahead of time I always seem to forget something. When I pack the day before I have everything! We have even started leaving our travel bag filled with a toothbrush, paste, deodorant, mini hair brush and q-tips.

It is rather strange.

There are a few things that people forget... here is a short list:

Q-Tips

Tweezers (for the ladies)

Hair Brush

Deodorant

Toothbrush and paste

Eyeglass cleaner cloth

Lotion

Lucky for you there is always a market of some sort to purchase those things you forget. I locate a common market that the locals would shop at. I refuse to buy something at 5 times the price because of where I am!

The Best and least expensive Souvenirs!

We travel a lot and most of the time we want some sort of souvenir to remember the trip. Sometimes you can find a shirt or sweater, maybe even a bag with a logo or a photo that is something special.

Do you buy things for friends and family on your vacation? We stopped doing that a long time ago. It was either 'what do we get them?' or they become jealous of our trips. We have purchased things and given them as Christmas gifts but its not a priority for us. We also found it can bring us down on the trips so we stopped.

My newest obsession is collecting PENNIES! Yes pennies!

Everywhere we have been on vacation I have found these really neat machines that crush your penny with an image! Majority of machines have 4 image choices - what a great way to remember your trip! You can find websites with locations of these machines but whats the fun in that. Theme parks have them, any tourist place will have them, and sometimes you can find them in museums, even restaurants! Some of these places even sell books to hold your pennies in. I have been to a few places that have quarter and even nickel machines!

People sell them on ebay! Dont do it... get them yourself. There are also methods to getting the perfect stamp. Dont make yourself crazy. Its true a shiny penny may look better then a dull penny. But remember that experiment in school you did with the vinegar and the pennies? Easy to clean them!

I have a tray full right on my dresser cause I cant find my 'book' lol. Its fun to look at them once in a while and remember that trip to Disney or to Hanama bay in Hawaii, or to the NY Museum of Science.

We make it a game with our youngest. We will visit a location and purposely search for a machine. Who ever finds it gets to pick the image they want on the penny. This past November while in Disneyland we found a place right on main street that had a dozen various machines. Some where pennies, some quarters and some nickels. It was like being in a candy store trying to figure out which designs we want to take home.

Be sure to being a lot of coins!

I think its a better souvenir for the kids. They will appreciate it more cause it will remind them of the trip they took. They will also be able to carry it around in their pocket with ease.

Next time your out there search for one of these machines!