We’re a married, age-gap couple with a passion for exploring the U.S., one road trip at a time! Our travels focus on national parks, scenic drives, and hidden gems, with detailed itineraries to help you plan your own adventures. While we cover destinations across the country, we have a special love for Southern California, Las Vegas, Florida, and our current home base—Dayton, Ohio.With a background in hospitality and tourism management (B.A. & M.S.) and experience in hotels, theme parks, guided vacation sales, and special events, we bring both industry expertise and firsthand travel experience to our content.Follow along as we uncover the best weekend getaways, off-the-beaten-path spots, and foodie finds across the U.S.!
Discount Travel Secret: Let’s get “locked in” for Fall travel 🍂✈️
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Happy Saturday! Hi Reader, Have you seen all the TikTok videos about “The Great Lock-In”? Basically, people are treating these last four months of the year as their time to really lock in on goals, bucket lists, and plans. And I am HERE for it! So I thought why not do the same thing for travel? Here’s how I’m using September to get “locked in” for Fall travel and activities and save money while I’m at it: 🍂 Week 1: Clear the summer clutter I’m putting away all my Summer stuff, and making my Fall bucket list. Think pumpkin patches, road trips, maybe a new recipe or two. I also jot down places I’d love to go between now and November. 🍂 Week 2: Do the fun research This is where I start Googling local events like “Fall festivals near me.” I also save links to any travel deals I see, so I’m not scrambling later. (Pro tip: check if any of your loyalty rewards points can cover hotels or flights. Free travel = best travel.) 🍂 Week 3: Pick the best ideas and book stuff I don’t overdo it. I pick one or two trips or events I really want to do and set a budget. Haunted houses and concerts? I grab those tickets now because prices only go up. 🍂 Week 4: Get everything ready I’ll throw together a little “travel kit” so I’m not spending money on overpriced snacks or water bottles. I’ll also map out a couple of free or cheap local things, like hikes or pumpkin patches, so even my weekends at home feel fun. By the end of the month, my Fall calendar feels exciting (and affordable), and I don’t get stuck paying double just because I waited. So, wanna join “the great lock-in” with me? Let’s see how much fun we can squeeze out of this Fall without draining the bank account. 🍁 See you next week, Eva and JP 💎 P.S. Ready to plan your next trip? Find some of our favorite travel-related resources below. ✔ Find the cheapest rental car rate |
Discovering Hidden Gems
We’re a married, age-gap couple with a passion for exploring the U.S., one road trip at a time! Our travels focus on national parks, scenic drives, and hidden gems, with detailed itineraries to help you plan your own adventures. While we cover destinations across the country, we have a special love for Southern California, Las Vegas, Florida, and our current home base—Dayton, Ohio.With a background in hospitality and tourism management (B.A. & M.S.) and experience in hotels, theme parks, guided vacation sales, and special events, we bring both industry expertise and firsthand travel experience to our content.Follow along as we uncover the best weekend getaways, off-the-beaten-path spots, and foodie finds across the U.S.!
Discount Travel Secrets Hi Reader, This week I just want to share some brand new blog posts that have been published since my last newsletter. I realized I had never written reviews for some of the places I stayed in on my most recent trip to Florida back in July. So I started with those first: Orbit One Vacation Villas Review - literally right outside of Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, the curb appeal is not the greatest, but it has been recently renovated and has a mid century modern +...
Happy Saturday! Hi Reader, Labor Day weekend often feels like the last big chance to soak up summer, but you do not have to spend a fortune or even leave town to enjoy it. With a little creativity, you can turn the holiday into a staycation packed with fun, free, and affordable activities. Here are a few ideas you can try, and some examples from my own backyard. 🎶 Local Festivals, Parades, and Fairs Many towns host special events over the holiday weekend. If you are not sure where to start,...
Happy Saturday! Hi Reader, I want to start today's email with some updates from some stuff going on over here at Discovering Hidden Gems. 1️⃣ For starters, we are in the process of merging our Timeshares, Resorts, and More review blog with Discovering Hidden Gems. So basically, the 60 or so hotel and resort reviews we have on that site will all be moved over to this blog and interconnected with all the relevant content we already have. That project should be done in about a week, so check out...