2009 Travel & Vacation Plans

My job asks for our vacation dates very far in advance. The dates are not set in stone but it forces me to think about my vacation days and how I will utilize them in relation to things I have to do/cover at my job.

For the most part I have the first half of 2009 figured out in terms of travel. But I always leave room for flexibility.

January 2009
My best friend is flying from Chicago and we are driving down to DC for the inauguration. We are staying with my sister, outside of Baltimore. I can't wait to be apart of history.

February 2009
I have two weddings to attend, luckily one is in New Jersey. The other is in Atlanta but because February is a crazy time at work between fashion weeks and award shows so I'm literally going to fly in and out of Atlanta in less than 24 hours just to attend this wedding.

March 2009
For my birthday I'm going to Orlando for ESPN the Weekend at Disney World. Sports, Disney World, a warm location. What more could I ask for?

April 2009
I will be attending a wedding in Houston.

May 2009
In November 2007 (yes 2007) I attended a timeshare presentation and got a free 3 day/2 night trip. It was always in the back of my mind that I had this trip and that I needed to use it within 18 months. So one day I called to see when it expired and when I could book a trip. The day it expires is the day I'm checking in to my vacation in St. Thomas. I extended the trip to 5 days/4 nights, from Thursday May 14 to Monday May 18. I can't wait to go.

June 2009
My Mom turns 70. I want to have a party for her but my brother wants to take her on a vacation. I'm hoping that maybe we can do both. My Mom has never been on a plane before and my brother feels that because we travel the most we are the most equipped to travel for the first time with Mom. I haven't talked to her about it yet but I hope she can be convinced.

July 2009
I usually go away for the 4th of July. Right now the leading candidate is Essence Music Festival with my best friend.

August 2009
As of this blog I'm planning to attend the NABJ convention in Tampa. But I HAVE to find a roommate because I know how tight money is going to be in 2009. Also the annual ATL girls trip has been moved to August to coincide with my best friend's birthday. We haven't picked a location yet.

September 2009 - December 2009
So far I don't have anything planned in terms of travel for the 4th quarter of the year but it's still early, still plenty of time to plan something.

I know what you are thinking, we are in a recession, how the hell are you planning to travel so much? One word, PLANNING. If you plan far enough in advance you can save a lot of money. I'm using a lot of miles I have accumulated. I have a hookup on timeshares so I don't spend as much as I would if I stayed in hotels. And if I charge my trips now I can pay them off through the course of the year. So despite my self imposed Vegas ban, I'm still looking forward to the trips I got planned in 2009.

Do you have any travel/vacation plans for 2009? What was the best trip you took in 2008? What was the worst trip you took in 2008?