On September 11th, 2001, my husband was backpacking with friends in the Northern California wilderness. Looking around on a mountaintop at their peaceful surroundings, they commented that the world could be at war and they would never know it. Little did they know, thousands of miles away, the World Trade Center was burning. I wish we could all be on that mountaintop, oblivious to the evil in this world. But the truth is, it happened and we have to try to deal with it and help our kids deal with it the best we can.

Some of my favorite bloggers have written powerful posts in remembrance of 9/11:

In Born on September 11: A Birthday Forever Changed, Parent Dish’s Julia Halewicz explores what it means to have a birthday on 9/11, including a moving story of a little girl who woke up to the sound of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center on her fourth birthday.

Flight Attendant Heather Poole of Gadling’s Galley Gossip, wrote this powerful post about trying to get stories of how 9/11 may have changed people’s lives in a positive way.

MetroDad posted a moving letter to a dear friend he lost in the terrorist attacks.

Take a moment today to remember all those whose lives were tragically cut short eight years ago today and don’t forget to tell your loved ones that they are loved.

To me, vacation is about indulgence, whereas travel is about seeing the world. How many times have you bought something or ordered something more extravagant than you normally would, saying, “Well, we are on vacation.” Staying at a luxury hotel, eating gourmet meals and buying up souvenirs can add up to thousands of dollars in just a few days. I can see why many families can only afford to take one vacation a year.

But it doesn’t have to be that way if you just change your mindset a little. I think especially when you have young children, a luxury vacation just doesn’t make sense. Children aren’t going to care if you eat or sleep at the nicest place in town. Plus, they might throw a fit or decide not to sleep and you’ll probably regret spending the money. Not to mention that part of a vacation is relaxation, which is nearly impossible with children.

If you concentrate instead on showing your children the world, you can turn a budget for one vacation into tons of trips throughout the year. Shop around for cheap destinations, travel during off-peak times and get groceries instead of eating out for every meal. There are a million little ways to save on a vacation and it adds up quick.

When shopping around for hotels, if you find a good rate with a good cancelation policy, book it! If you find a better deal later on, just cancel the booking. Also consider trying Hotwire. They are able to have the very lowest rates by not telling you what hotel you’re getting until after you check out. That way, the hotel can offer a price much, much lower than it’s cheapest advertised price. You can pick the star rating and even the neighborhood. I think it’s kind of a fun adventure to let fate decide your hotel for you. The only downside is that it’s completely nonrefundable. I still think it’s often worth the risk.

Do the math to see if it really makes sense to get a rental car. I find it’s often cheaper to take a shuttle to and from the airport and use a taxi to get around town, especially if the hotel charges for parking. Don’t forget to add in parking fees from the attractions you plan to visit and gas as well.

While things like getting cheap accommodation and flights make a huge difference, remember the small things add up. Before you buy something on your trip, ask yourself if it’s really worth spending the money, lugging it home and taking up space in your house. I think you will find you don’t really want that keychain or mug or snow globe. If your kids want something, try asking them if they would rather buy that now or use the money to do an activity later.

If they’re old enough, I highly recommend giving your kids control over the entire vacation budget, as seen on the Travel Channel’s The Kids Are In Charge: Family Vacation. What an excellent opportunity to teach kids about money, budgeting and planning! If you have three kids and you’re going for three days, you give each kid 1/3 of the money and have them each be in charge of one day. You might be surprised how much more aware they are of how the money is being spent.

I think you will find it even more fun and rewarding when you decide to travel with this mindset. Traveling is a great time to bond with your family and teach them about the world around them. Make the most of it while you can.

Recently, I sat down to write down some goals, like “pay off credit cards,” but I must have been in a particularly inspired mood, because it quickly turned into a bucket list of things to do before I die.

You’ll probably notice, as I did, that many of the items are travel-related. Over half actually. And I didn’t even write down a fraction of all the places I’d like to go. I realized that if doing the things on this list are what’s really important to me, then I needed to readjust my priorities and finances to match. I have also recently taken over the family budget and started “stealing” from everything I can for my travel budget. We are eating out less and looking for deals whenever possible. It’s much easier to do when you know it’s a means to a very rewarding end. Having other financial goals on my list helps me stay motivated to keep a cap on my travel spending in order to realize those too.

It was fun to do and really gave me a nice perspective on what I want to do with my life. You may have noticed this blog is courtesy of #45. It’s amazing what can happen when you write something down.

Here’s my list:

1. Pay off credit cards
2. Pay off car
3. Save emergency fund
4. Own a house
5. Learn to cook well
6. Take and score well on GRE
7. Teach Jack French
8. Take Jack to Beaches resort in Turks & Caicos
9. Go to Manchu Pichu
10. Go to Atlantis
11. Take Jack to swim with dolphins
12. Go back to Paris
13. Go clubbing in Ibiza
14. Go to Spain to see the architecture
15. Get masters degree
16. Take Jack on a cruise
17. Learn to breakdance
18. Visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
19. Read more books
20. Learn more about investing
21. Have plenty of money to send Jack to school, have a beautiful home, a nice wardrobe and travel
22. Take Jack on a trip around the world
23. Have a fantastic backyard with a hot tub
24. Stay at the Woodlyn Park theme hotel in New Zealand
25. Visit Bora Bora
26. Visit the south of France
27. Live in a foreign country (again)
28. Go on a ghost hunting mission
29. Get a book published
30. Take Jack to all the Disney parks
31. Go to Ireland
32. Ride a gondola in Venice
33. Go to Victoria Falls, Iguazu Falls, Niagra Falls
34. See the Northern Lights
35. See the Taj Mahal
36. Read all Pulitzer Prize fiction
37. Volunteer often
38. Spend a week at a 5-star spa with girlfriends
39. Visit the fjords of Norway
40. Learn CPR
41. Learn to make passive income
42. See the pyramids of Egypt
43. Take a speed reading course
44. Get and stay organized
45. Start a blog
46. Visit the Greek islands
47. Take up Tai Chi
48. Get rid of all the clutter
49. Learn a new word everyday
50. Be part of a flash mob
51. See a beluga whale
52. Go on a helicopter ride
53. See the Amazon rainforest
54. Take Jack to Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen

What’s on your list? Check out this great site for inspiration.