Gonna travel

While I was shoveling snow this afternoon, I got to thinking about 2011.  I just made a pact to myself to be out of the Albany area for every holiday next year.  I had already planned to go to Portland for Thanksgiving and Christmas so I just need to figure out what to do for Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Labor Day.

My brother's "ceremony" is going down on June 4 which is the Saturday after Memorial Day so I'll be out on the West Coast then.  He wants to do something before the ceremony so maybe we'll go down to Black Butte.  I might also drive down to Crater Lake since I haven't been there yet.  I'd also like to go to Las Vegas and the Bay Area.  Hmmm...maybe I'll go to Vegas for a few days in June and then hit the Bay Area in July or around Labor Day.  I don't think I want to be in Vegas in July.  Or I could go to DC in July.  I guess it depends on my cousin's deployment schedule since I'd like to visit him and his family and finally see DC proper.

I think planning now will help me properly budget out my vacation days and will let me know about how much money to save up.  I know lodging will be covered for about one-third of my vacation days so I just need to posse up some scratch for the other two-thirds.

I also had plans to hit the Caribbean, but the summer is hurricane season and I'm not sure I can afford to go during the peak season in the winter/spring.