Thrifty in White

Mule Tours, Sin City, and Millions of Pictures of Indian Pueblos

That's right, kidlets, the honeymoon is officially planned and it couldn't be more perfect if the heavens above planned it for us (unless the heavens above also paid for it, which would be pretty tough to beat). Remember our planning drama and too many possible ideas in our heads? It's all out the window in favor of...

...our ALL-AMERICAN ROAD TRIP! (Matching fanny packs and binoculars hanging around our necks are not optional; they're necessary.)

The first stop on the Tuesday morning following the wedding will be Vegas:

 

Photo source

 

Neither of us have ever been to Vegas, so it's likely we will eat, dance and gamble our way through two sleepless nights in Sin City, eventually succumbing to sensory overload or a drained bank account. Let's just seriously hope it's not the latter. All-you-can-eat buffets and bedazzled showgirls and magicians, here we come!

Next, we'll leave Vegas an an ungodly hour on Thursday morning to rent a car and drive 45 minutes to see the Hoover Dam:

 

Photo source

 

This is where the fanny packs and binoculars will really come in handy...and the chewing gum. Can't really forget about that, just in case. 

When the tour is over that afternoon, we'll hop back in the rental car and drive four hours to the Grand Canyon:

 

Photo source

 

I could pee my pants right now just looking at the pictures of the Grand Canyon online, so I can hardly imagine how I'll feel when we're right there. And thanks to old movies and TV shows that took place around the Grand Canyon, we're going to go on a mule tour, because it's embedded in my brain that no Canyon trip is complete without one.

Then we'll hop in the rental car again (but slowly, because we'll obviously be sore from riding mules all day) and drive to New Mexico:

 

Photo source

 

We'll explore and travel from Albuquerque and Santa Fe until we drop...or until we have to fly out on Monday or Tuesday. I'm anticipating Native American culture and history, fantastic jewelry and artists' markets, and plenty of delish Southwestern food. My prediction: Dustin will have to drag me to the airport kicking and screaming, and I will cry.

And before we know it, we'll be back in good ol' Illinois:

 

Photo source

 

Who needs a gorgeous, peaceful, all-inclusive beach getaway when you could spend tons of hours exploring, driving and living out of a suitcase with the one you love?

--

If you were going on a road trip, what would be on your must-see list? Or would you rather chew your own arm off than spend hours in a car during your honeymoon? And if you've been to (or live in!) any of these places, you MUST spill your guts about the best sights...bonus points if it includes stopping to see a giant ball of twine or visiting places that require a fanny pack!

 

Stay thrifty,
Hollie

Follow us on Twitter: @ThriftyinWhite
And we're finally on Facebook!

Some Pre-Wedding Honeymooning? Or Maybe Not?

Even though lots of our wedding details are, ahem, up in the air (to say the very least), there is one thing we thought we had nailed down: The glorious honeymoon.

Dustin and I had it in our heads that we wanted to spend a few weeks traveling around the lovely United States on a road trip of sorts. Europe would be terrific, but why go out of the country when there is so much deliciousness in our continental backyard?

He constantly talked about Yellowstone National Park and nature (which I was shockingly excited about), and I have been living my whole life wanting to visit the southwest, specifically New Mexico. And I also have been sort of dying to make a stop at a sustainable community, or go to Burning Man, or sit on some rocks on the Pacific coast and gaze stoically into the water as the sun sets and dolphins and whales jump under rainbows. And then the cast of "The OC" throws us a beach bonfire and we snuggle up in sweatshirts and quilts and listen to some hippie playing acoustic guitar until the sun comes up.

In short, Dustin and I wanted adventure and exploration, not relaxation and all-inclusiveness. And what better way to travel the US than in a rented RV or trailer?!

 

 


This unreal Airstream-themed engagement photo set is by the crazy-talented Leslee Mitchell.
My reaction = OMG.
 
 

It also fills the need of a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, AND has the wheels to get us everywhere. Unfortunately, Dustin had to get all logical (...typical) and bring up the fact that the cost of gas will outweigh any savings. And renting the RV itself will be pricey.

Translation: We would have to wait a few months after the wedding to go on the honeymoon. Whatever.

But then some new developments happened in recent weeks: First, we found out that a group of our best friends are hankering to go on a BFF getaway cruise in late February/early March-ish to somewhere warm with tropical drinks in coconuts. Clearly, we don't want to be the odd ducks out, and clearly we don't want to miss out on the shenanigans that are sure to happen.

However, if we were to go on this trip with the friends, it would likely count as the honeymoon. Before the wedding.

And then on top of that, Dustin just called me literally 10 minutes ago and told me he found a no-expiration Las Vegas hotel special, and for $99 he got a weekend suite, a Visa gift card, and some gambling chips, which I am sure to love because I pretend to know roulette. And what does my typically analytical, perpetually researching, look-before-he-leaps groom-to-be do?

He buys the special. Surprise! Looks like we're going to Vegas at some point.

So the question is, when to go on the honeymoon? And even more importantly, where to honeymoon? My ideal scenario: Go on the BFF getaway cruise in March, get married in June, head to Vegas for a long weekend after, and then do our adventurous road trip the following year.

Sure, it's a lot to think about, but let me tell you that just one short week ago I was damning our mortgage, complaining that we don't travel enough, and swearing that my womb will remain barren until we go on some trips and not waste our younger years.

And now look: We have ourselves three possible trips to plan in the coming months. Praise the Law of Attraction or attribute it to the borderline-New-Age chanting I've been doing since my little I-want-to-vacation-or-die sob fest, whatever. Something worked.

Would you dare go on a pre-wedding honeymoon just three months before your wedding? Or is the whole purpose of honeymoon a post-wedding ritual I shouldn't mess with? If I indeed do the friends cruise in March-ish, do you think a post-wedding getaway is absolutely necessary, even if it's just for a few days?

Pardon me, I have some trips to plan. Egads.

 

Stay Thrifty!
Hollie
 

 
Follow us on Twitter: @ThriftyinWhite
And we're finally on Facebook!