Category Archives: travel

Traveling on the Cheap, a Post for Military Families

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They used to call ’em MAC Flights. I have no idea what MAC stood for but I heard horror stories of waiting for hours on end or even days to get a flight only to get shafted by someone of higher rank. Now they call ’em AMC flights, Air Mobile Command, or Space-A flights. No matter what you call them, these are the cheap seats!

Space-A travel is a way for those associated with the Military to get a cheap seat on flights that have the primary mission of serving the armed forces and troop movement. If there’s space left after the plane is loaded, why, a crafty military wife can get herself a seat on said plane! I can’t tell from the website whether the flight is free or whether there is a cost, but I know the flights are dirt cheap or free. I sent them an email and am waiting to hear back about cost.

To learn more, go to the AMC Website and have a browse around. Be sure to read about the different categories and determine if you are eligible and in what category you would fall. Then check to see if any flights meet your needs. Then contact them to see what’s next.

If you’ve ever been on an AMC flight I would really appreciate feedback! Please comment here or meet us on facebook at Classy Sites on Facebook.

Everything is Bigger in Texas, Caddo Mills KOA

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If you live in Texas, you are probably used to the pterodactyl sized dragon flies, huge and beautifully maincured front yards, the rolling hills of cattle ranches, and mosquito swarms that look big enough to carry off one of your Texas sized grown men. But even those of us raised in the south, well, when misplaced for awhile, we forget. I’ve been living in California for almost 8 years and those horse fly bites were fading memories. I was rudely reminded a couple of days ago at the North Dallas KOA, when one of those monstrosities chewed on the back of my leg. OUCH! Those things HURT!

One other big thing my family found in Texas that was much more pleasant and worth the occasional pterodactyl bite, was the Texas sized salt water pool at that same KOA. My skin is very sensitive and chlorine causes miserably dry skin, but somehow the chlorine that is generated from a salt water pool is much more gentle – for me, at least. What a treat for us and another military family we know who live only an hour and a half away. They just moved from Camp Pendleton a few months back and we were thrilled to have a place for our families to play together. After the sun faded and our bellies were begging for a Texas sized meal, we walked over to our Texas sized camping area, where we cooked brats and dogs and watched the sun set over the pond.

While in Texas in the summer, one should look into buying a Texas sized water chest that I found at the Texas sized Walmart just over 8 miles away. We were going through more bottled water than we could stand to recycle, so we decided to find a way to keep hydrated. Four stainless steel water bottles now adorn our truck, replacing cheap plastic bottles. For us it’s a great trade-off since now we have something we will use over and over again, and we are also drinking a lot more water to boot. There’s something about that cold ice water pouring out of the cooler that just helps you drink the water more frequently.

This KOA, officially called Dallas NE (North East, I think)/Caddo Mills was the best one we’ve been to yet, and we’ve been to a few. The Texas sized pool, as mentioned earlier, was beautifully kept, and was equipped with volleyball and basketball nets, noodles, and beach balls. Coffee in the morning was complimentary, the laundry room open 24/7, and they also had a game room available during business hours. The staff was very friendly and even went out of their way to help me get a huge ice chest out of my truck because hubby’s back was broken. He overdid it playing with the kids in the pool in Abilene. I didn’t even ask, they just did it! If you’re looking for a great overnight stay or even a vacation in Texas, we highly recommend this KOA.

I have one more thumbs up for this particular KOA. They are very friendly, not only to the guests who stay there, but also to their community. So many times I see business owners on the selfish side, not willing to budge or bend for the locals, catering only to their own business’ needs. Not these owners though! The pool is used by the locals as well as KOA guests. The owners have a $5 per person fee, and yesterday I saw one local boy, probably about 14, riding his bike with a towel over his shoulder toward the pool as I drove away to do some quick shopping. Kudos Caddo Mills KOA!

Guinea Pigs and a Road Trip – Ideas and Tips From a Traveling Family

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We are on the road again! A couple months ago as I started planning the next PCS move, I started worrying about my sweet guinea pigs. My first thought was that I’d bless another military family with these wonderful creatures. I mean, they are delicate little critters, right?
But I was having trouble with the idea, since I’m absolutely smitten and my oldest son has a very strong attachment too. He’s created a Guinea Pig Club at school. All members of the club have 1 special guinea pig power and a nickname. My son, as the leader of the club, has all the powers so that he can properly lead the group, and has plans to open another chapter at his new school. Knowing all this, I thought that I should at least consider trying to move WITH the pigs.
I found answers to all my questions on Guinea Lynx. There’s a forum there for guinea pig lovers and although they are a little on the extreme side with their pig lovin’, the information was very helpful. I learned that plenty of people have moved their pigs for thousands of miles without casualties, so I decided to give it a go.
Food: Today is our first day on the road and so far, Chippy Wippy Nippy Gippy (this is one piggy, not four) and Muskrat are doing GREAT. They both seem to be quite comfortable, although they aren’t eating their usual timothy based food pellets. It was recommended that while traveling, you bring lots of water laden goodies like celery, tomatoes, lettuce and the like, but I forgot that today. While at Subway, I managed to sweet talk the sandwich artist into slipping me a few extra slices of tomatoes for my babies into a cookie sleeve. I’ll go out tonight and grab some goodies for them before we hit the road again.
Water Bottle: The water bottle was questionable. I was planning to leave it in the cage for them, hoping that on a straight stretch of road it wouldn’t be too leaky. I think if we were in a car we’d be fine but we are pulling another vehicle and there are more bumps and jerks so the water bottle leaks a good bit. I took it out and placed it in a cup holder. When we stop for gas or food, I’ll put it in the cage for them.
Bedding: Instead of a loose bedding like wood chips or carefresh, which would surely be strewn all about the vehicle by the end of one day of travels, I’m using towels. Even better would be something absorbent like a towel with a piece of fabric that wicks away moisture such as fleece. I’m just using the towel though, and it’s working fine. Bring enough towels so that you can change it out every evening before you go to bed. I’m tossing the dirty ones into a walmart bag which I’ll launder separately next time I go to the laundromat.
Socialization: Against the advice of all those very hard core guinea pig lovers, we are socializing our piggies on the road! My kids love them and our dogs are small and have never shown any aggression. If you have big dogs or terriers, I don’t necessarily recommend this idea, but one of my dogs is a yorkie! He doesn’t show any type of desire to hurt the guinea pigs though, since he’s about the same size as they are I guess! My other dog is a poodle mix and she’s content to sit in the driver’s lap and sleep.
Lots of animal lovers would have their critters more contained, which is surely more safe for them. With the dogs in a crate and the piggies always in their cage, I’m sure there’s less room for dangerous circumstances, but for us, this is really working. I suggest you read a few more articles on the subject though, and make up your own mind.