by Hope
I have to admit, I’m pretty jealous of Beks travels. Just hitting the road is one of my most prevalent dreams…
It’s one that will have to wait until Gymnast graduates, at least for a long term trip. BUT…
We are taking a short road trip this next week. It’s the kids fall break. We were originally going to the GA National Fair, but it’s been cancelled due to COVID. See the image below for what they announced they are doing instead…just announced this week.
I’m not inclined to drive all those hours just for super expensive junk food.
Alternate Plan
When it first got cancelled, I began searching some alternate fun thing we could do over a 4 day weekend. Finally, I settled on Destin, FL. I booked the hotel back then (what almost 2 months ago,) and I’m glad I did because they have now doubled in price.
It’s a 6 hour drive. We’ve got the hotel for 2 nights. And just planning on beach/pool time, no great entertainment costs.
As I really begin to plan for leaving next week, I started thinking that we should take our food. We will have a microwave and refrigerator in the room. And when you are on vacation snack foods are the food of choice, right?
So I’m making a menu of foods we can take with us to save on eating out…maybe plan for one meal out per day. Here’s what I’ve got so far:
- Avocado bread
- Rethinking this because of how easily avocado goes bad
- Bell peppers w/cream cheese + everything but the bagel seasoning
- We will wash & pre-cut the peppers so we don’t have to take a sharp knife
- Peanut butter + jelly sandwiches
- Microwave popcorn
- Fruit cups
- Parmesan crisps
- Assortment of chips (small bags)
- Apples, bananas, grapes and clementines
- Summer sausage, sliced cheese + crackers
- Will pre-cut the sausage so we don’t have to take a sharp knife
I forgot to mention, our hotel provides breakfast, so that’s one meal taken care of each day. We will only be gone 3-4 days so I think this is plenty. I was trying to get away without taking a cooler, but I think a small one will work and we’ll take a case of water bottles along with our refillable ones.
I’d love your suggestions for easy to travel with food.
But Maybe…
As I was writing this post and searching for the information to share on the state fair, I stumbled on this…The GA State Fair is still operating this year. We’ve never been to this one. Hmm…
Not quite a road trip, but we do love the state fair. I’m going to get with the kids and see which they would prefer. My guess is the cost would be about the same.
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 3 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
I’d call the hotel to double check that they are actually still providing breakfast. Even though it’s listed on most hotel websites, due to COVID restrictions, there are a BUNCH that do not provide breakfast. That might be a deciding factor for you if they don’t.
I would boil and peel a dozen eggs and put them in a ziplock bag. They travel well and are a good low carb snack. Super cheap.
I bought a jar of mixed nuts and a Sam’s Choice dark chocolate bar (at WalMart), chopped up the bar and mixed with the nuts for a good low carb snack. You can get snack bags and portion it out or just put it all in a bigger zip bag.
Kroger has little packages of almond butter for around 1.00. Another good low carb and filling snack.
Great ideas, thank you!
Yes, this hotel chain has changed what/how they offer breakfast, but they are still providing it.
I sure miss pre-COVID hotel stays though.
When I had to go to a week long training for work, I had breakfast at the hotel, but I also grabbed some items for after class. I took a muffin, a fruit, and a hard boiled egg every day. I added the egg to my salad for thr next day’s lunch.
Yes, we do that as well. And this particular hotel chain typically has fruit available any time of day…at least most of them.
The fair was cancelled so that people would not travel and congregate during a pandemic. You driving 6 hours away, staying in a hotel, and eating out “maybe once per day” only makes all of this worse.
IMO an outdoor vacation with just the family is a very different than a crowded fair.
Trust me, you have nothing to be jealous of in a Karen like Beks. You be you! You be awesome!
I’m not sure what the “karen” reference is, but you are right…I can only do me and do it to the best of my ability. Thanks for the cheerleading!
If FL is reopened, I don’t see why not. Absolutely go and have fun! Beach and pool are outside and weather is great.
Maybe pack a small cooler for meat and cheese and you can do lettuce or tortilla roll ups and yogurt as well.
Why not pack a knife and just make a cardboard sheath for it and put it with your paper plates and stuff. Will come in handy for cutting fruit, etc. you’re driving right? Should be fine.
Good idea.
And yes, I thought the beach being outside was the perfect compromise for a quick getaway during this scary time.
FL has reopened because of politics, not science. This doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to do something safely, but the fact that’s FL has reopened shouldn’t be taken as a blanket indicator that it’s safe to travel there.
Are you not concerned about the virus? That’s not meant to be malicious, I just don’t understand. Florida and Georgia both have high levels of Covid. It’s as if there are multiple USAs only technically part of the same country. In my state (NJ) everything has been cancelled; our numbers are pretty good but have been rising recently. I would not go to a large gathering of any kind.
As for the poster with the very nasty comment about Beks: what the heck?? “Karens”, as I understand it, are entitled and racist women. I have not seen this ever in any of Beks posts. You should be ashamed.
Yes, we tend to steer clear of large gatherings for the most part as well. Although, this was the case before COVID as I’m a complete introvert.
We are cautious with sanitizer and masks and distancing, but we haven’t stopped living. And pretty much nothing is shut down here anymore; although a few fast food restaurants have not opened their dining rooms including Princess workplace.
Nothing is shut down anymore doesn’t mean it’s safe to do it, it means money hungry governors want the tax revenue. You will do what you want though, so good luck. At least the beach is outdoors. I would advise takeout instead of eating in restaurants.
I agree with SMS what’s with calling Beks a Karen?