This is the first in a series of posts about my family trip to Walt Disney World that will be running periodically over the next few weeks. It’s full of tips, fun and lots of stress. Also, the proverbial Disney magic.

Our hosts.

Like many families that visit Walt Disney World (WDW), we planned it for years. Okay, months. We had books. Lots of books.  We visited websites. Daily. We had countdown apps on our phones and desktops.  We set aside a fund to pay for the trip. We thought we had it all figured out. Top of the world, Mickey!

Here’s what we learned — we didn’t allow for everything. Shortly after we made all of the major purchases required for a trip of this magnitude my wife and I lost our biggest account at work, roughly 80% of our household income (that’s what this is about). It was, obviously, unexpected. Did I mention that the major purchases we made were non-refundable?

We had airline tickets, park tickets and a hotel room bought and paid for, all without a paycheck in sight. The money that we had saved toward the trip now had to go toward bills. Suddenly, our air of anticipation was replaced with the foreboding of fear.  For the record, the anticipation was a lot more fun.

Luckily, we had already taken some steps to ensure that our trip was relatively sound, financially speaking. Relative being that we were planning a cross-country family vacation for four to Walt Disney World, quite possibly a once in a lifetime trip, and some corners couldn’t be cut.

How we did it: Read More »

Grand Central Station - New York, NY

I recently wrote about how I managed to vacation in New York City for just $60 a day, including all meals and entertainment.  A big part of my cost saving strategy was to use public transportation and walking as much as possible.  I spent a week touring Manhattan and paid for a cab only once for the ride out to Newark to catch my flight home.  I went everywhere else by train or foot at all hours of the day and night.

Taking advantage of mass transit when you visit cities that are smart enough to have it available is a great way to save money, but it can also be intimidating.  How will you know what bus to get on?  Are there signs telling you which trains go where?  Who will tell you when it’s time to get off at your stop?  These tips will help take some of the mystery (and terror) out of navigating public transportation in a new city.

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Portland Maine

The Amtrak Downeaster Rail begins in Portland, Maine and ends in Boston, Massachusetts. In between there are stops in Old Orchard Beach ME, Saco ME, Wells ME, Dover NH, Durham NH, Exeter NH, Haverhill MA, and Woburn MA. This is a FANTASTIC vacationer’s option, for those who seek a broader New England experience without having to navigate from town to town. It’s easy to stay parked in Portland, hop on the train, hop off at any town in between to enjoy their entertainments, and meander all the way down to Boston. Spend the night in Boston in order to enjoy all of its attractions, then hop back on the train the next day to head back up to Portland.

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One of the great things about living in California is our proximity to both the mountains and the beaches. In fact, just last month I mentioned our plans to hit a local beach to a friend of mine, which prompted him to relate to me his family’s plans to head up to Lake Tahoe that same weekend for some spring skiing. Only in California, baby.

Anyway, the girl had wanted to do a beach trip with her friends for quite some time, so on the recent Spring Break holiday we loaded up five girls and made the short jaunt to Stinson Beach.

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