Trip Planning

It dawned on me today that I have been taking you back in time on trips. I am going to save some of those (because they still have good tips) so that I can walk you real time through planning. I feel like I may have more tips if I do this in real time instead of trying to remember. I have one trip almost planned so I am going to focus on Costa Rica.

We are headed there this summer. When I talk about how I plan my trips, this one was a little different. I had a BOGO for a Delta flight that was only good for the US, Mexico and the Caribbean. This ticket was issued in August 2025 and is set to expire in August 2026, so I needed to use it. I chose Costa Rica because it is somewhere that has been on our list to go and I was recently speaking with someone who had been there. I booked it while we were on a ski weekend in WVA and saw a good price. Big mistake. Tip: Know what you want to do at the destination before booking a plane ticket so you are going into the right airport. Now that I am researching, I found a hotel I would really like to stay at but it is a 5 hour drive from the airport I land in. My tickets are non-refundable (as that is how Delta books the BOGO tickets). Now I have to decide, another ticket to get closer to said location or find another location. I asked the person that had recently been there for the best beach (as we want this to be a relaxing beach trip) and found out that the beach she shared would be accessed by the airport that we are flying into. Therefore, I decided to let that hotel go (however, if I ever go back to Costa Rica that is where I will stay). And that was the end of my snow days, nothing booked. This happens. Do not get discouraged and more importantly Tip Do not book in a rush. When I have done that, it does not turn out well. There is always next weekend to plan!