Vacations are something I look forward too along with millions of people. Hearing the word vacation alone may make some people take a step back because they may feel like it isn’t possible because of cost. All you need to know are a few tips I’ve taken on how you can go on a fun, relaxing and amazing vacation.
- BUDGET
This is definitely my first tip when it comes to taking a trip. That goes for if you are going alone or with others. Save as much as you can from your paychecks and set that aside. Be mindful of how much you have in your account and set an amount you would like to spend in total including airplane, transportation and hotel costs. It’s not just that but think about whether you will be spending extra on food, excursions, souvenirs, etc ..
2. SELECT A GOOD TRAVEL TIME
By this I mean be mindful of the times you are going. This alone will help you reduce your trip which means saving money. Who doesn’t love saving money? For example, if traveling during holiday periods trips are prone to cost a bit more such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring break (depending on the location you desire to attend) ad more you guys get the point.
3. RESEARCH & PLAN!
Research where you would like to take your trip according to the budget you have set for yourself. If traveling to another state airline and hotel tickets will be much more cheaper than if you were planing to take an international flight. If you’re staying stateside majority of hotels offer complimentary breakfast and some even serving lunch, this is great to keep in mind and will save you even more money that you would have spent if no food was to be served. Now for a trip out of the country look for a hotel/resort that is ALL INCLUSIVE. I can guarantee you this is by far the best option because food you will not have to worry about and even activities that are in the resort themselves. Keep in mind the excursions if any that you want to complete. Look on different sites to plan your trip, compare prices and see which will give you the best deal. Personally, I like using and comparing Expedia and Orbitz. Many times depending if you are a member you get percentages off, and depending on the hotel there are percentages that are included so be mindful of that.
Save your money for traveling. Go see something different. Instead of going on shopping sprees put that aside for spending money on a trip.
As of last week December 5th I turned the sweet ol’ 24 years. The fact that I’m 24 even thinking about it is crazy, because I still get asked for my ID for like everything, like I am getting old & time is flying. For crying out loud my little brother looks older than me. I feel like I was just in high school yesterday, now I’m just a college graduate, like what ? Now I keep thinking “Wow, I’m almost 25, meaning I’m literally almost 30, which is close to 50, which is basically 75” I need to relax on that though and enjoy 24, ha! I compiled a list of things I learned throughout my years. Although my husband laughed at my list, it’s all actually true
After that point by no means did I ever stop using heat etc. I just stopped with the perms. I was still hitting the salon every two weeks for a wash & set. After a few months of being on a hair treatment I instantly started seeing changed in my hair as far as thickness. The curl patterns were barely there but I was still happy with the changes my hair was doing. By this point I wasn’t even thinking about restoring my curls, I just wanted my hair to not feel lifeless anymore and at least have some bounce to it when it was straightened, but it even lacked that as well. Let’s just say my hair was a hot mess but not as bad as before. Instead of being bone straight when it got wet it started getting puffier and puffier practically being a mix of an afro / straight ends. (Yeah, not cute what so ever.)
By the end of 2015/ early 2016 I moved out. I went from being in New York where there are Dominican hair salons at every corner to Kansas where it was impossible to find one (let’s just say I still haven’t found one). This alone meant big changes for my hair, I would always get it done every two weeks and now that I moved to Kansas and I had to just suck it up and do it myself. At first this was a huge head ache because I have a lot of hair and didn’t know what to do with it after I finished washing it. So I would go to Walmart spend money on Shea moisture (because I thought this was the only thing that worked for my hair type), and would let it air dry and slick it up. Four months in (April to be exact) I was frustrated and wanted my hair done, so I did some research and stumbled upon one hair place near by. I went in got my hair done by a young Caucasian female (whom was the sweetest and we talked non stop). Let me say I was NERVOUS, SHOOK, CONFUSED that she wanted to do my hair, she then assured me she had done my hair type in Atlanta for some years which calmed me down a bit. Once finished it didn’t look too bad but it was still puffy and I wasn’t thrilled but wasn’t disappointed either (sign). Then it was time to pay. They charged me $85!!!!! Holy crap I died a little inside paid and never went back. In New York I only paid $20 and it was done great. This is where I sucked it up again, and continued to do it myself and do nonsense to my hair.
Time passed on and I decided I need to straighten my hair, because I was tired of how the roots were curly and the rest was bone straight when it air dried. So in October of 2016 I bought a flat iron. And went for it (first time me using a flat iron on myself). This was the final product, not to shabby but boy my ends needed to be cut ASAP. But I knew I would be going to New York soon and would do it there.
