One of the nicest things about homeschooling is that we are not tied to an external schedule. We can go on vacation any time we want to. That said, we have made our plans for this year. Our vacation will be at the end of September through early October. It will be all camping in our camper van! We did our own homemade conversion of this passenger van into a very comfortable camper van that sleeps two adults and two children. My husband created many clever contraptions for lighting, privacy, storage, bedding, and climate control that have allowed us to camp VERY comfortably inside this van. No, we can't really cook much inside it, there is no plumbing, and no bathroom, but this is not a big problem. We take advantage of the campground facilities and mainly sleep inside the van.

Since my MIL is in assisted living, and cannot travel to see us, we are trying to visit her as often as we can. We are shooting for once every four months. To do this, we drive to Pensacola, which is 1000 miles round trip from home. Since diesel fuel is so high, we figured we would make our regular trip to see "Mimi", and then instead of driving straight home, we would loop up north and do some things in Georgia. By the time we reach home, the net difference in miles is only about 200 miles, and we have had a vacation to boot!

So here is the plan: Visit MIL in Pensacola, stay in a local KOA Kampground for three nights. Enjoy the KOA amenities when we are not visiting family.

Next, travel to Pine Mountain, Georgia, and stay three nights in F. D. Roosevelt State Park. Visit Callaway Gardens, the Little White House, and spend time enjoying the park.

Next, travel to Cordele, Georgia, and stay three nights in Georgia Vets Memorial State Park. Visit the military museum there, and take a ride on the SAM Shortline RR to Americus and Plains.

Next, travel to Florida and stay one night in Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center State Park.

Finally, return home.

We are pretty excited about this plan, as it will be a nice 10 night vacation and not too expensive. Last year, my husband got burned out on driving, because we attempted to drive the entire Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive in about 12 days, and it was double the overall mileage. It was a great camping trip, but too much driving.

This vacation should be more relaxed.