Planning the US Trip

Washington D.C., November 2006

Our latest obsession is planning our U.S. Trip. Even if we have not really set the dates yet, just thinking about the places we will visit excites us and pushes us to reach our goal of saving enough so we can really enjoy our trip. One of the most valuable things we have learned is that planning way in advance actually becomes more cost efficient for us. We can already book plane and train tickets from here. When we travelled to Europe in 2004, we travelled First Class but paid Second Class via Eurail. During my U.S. trip last year, I spent about P100,000 excluding airfare--- I used airmiles =) This amount included 3 nights of hotel stay in New York, meals, train tickets to Washington D.C. and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, shopping at outlet shops in Woodbury, New York and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. But since I only visited three states, all in the east coast, a more conservative estimate of the amount that we would have to spend while we are there would be close to P200,000 each if we want to go to other places as well.

And one of the greatest pleasures of travelling would be seeing family and friends. Planning early would also allow us to contact all the people we want to see during our trip.

We will definitely go to New York. My husband has not been there and he insists that this is a must. Of course we will go there. One of my best friends live there now, and the reason why I was in the US last year was to attend her wedding. We will also be in New Jersey to visit relatives. Washington D.C. is also on the top of the list. Everything about D.C. was beautiful. I enjoyed my stay there... just walking around the city was so breathtaking. One of my closest friends also live there now, we will definitely catch up.

Other places we are thinking of visiting are San Francisco,Los Angeles, Ohio, Dallas and Houston, simply because we have family and friends to visit in these places!