After being on the road for over 7 weeks with our dog I think I have a pretty good handle on the negative part of traveling with fido. We love our dogs, love them! Treat them like family, give them birthday parties, spoil them rotten, but bringing our dog on our snowbird adventure has been a challenge.

There were things we just didn’t consider when we packed up the van and made the drive to Southern California and back. We thought it would be great to have our dog with us. A little layer of protection for 2 women traveling together, we said. It will be fun, we said. Little did we know the reality of traveling with a 50 pound dog.

7 REASONS TO NEVER TRAVEL WITH A PET

(in no particular order)

1. Finding hotels is a challenge. Some take small dogs, but even fewer take large dogs. It seems like the maximum weight for many places is 20 pounds. Red Roof Inn and Motel 6 are usually the most gracious about bringing your pet. Those are fine for a quick “gotta get some sleep” stays, but for longer durations not as fun.

2. Hotel fees. The hotels I found charge anywhere from $10 to $75 a NIGHT extra for bringing a pet. $10 seems reasonable to me, but $75 is simply insane (that was a posh resort so maybe the customers don’t care).

3. Middle of the night potty breaks. Getting up and dressed at 2 a.m. to take the dog out is not any fun. Walking down long hallways to the elevator, through the lobby, and then out of the hotel in the middle of the night is not my idea of a good night’s rest. I have no idea why our dog thinks she always needs to go out in the middle of the night.

4. You can’t leave your dog unattended in your hotel room. The policy at most hotels is that for the consideration of other guests your dog can not be left in your hotel room while you go out and play.

5. You can’t leave the dog in the car for extended periods. We are traveling through the Southwest. In January and February it’s anywhere from 70-85 degrees. Inside a car, parked in the shade with the windows cracked it’s still hot in the car. You can’t leave your dog in those conditions. In fact, in some cities it’s illegal to do so and can result in a ticket or worse.

6. Museums, attractions, zoos and tours aren’t pet friendly. We learned in #4 and #5 they you can’t leave your pet in the hotel or in the car so it means, as a rule, that you have to skip visiting area attractions. There are so many things I wanted to do and then I realized I couldn’t because we had the dog with us.

7. Doggy day care is expensive. On occasion we would research, call around and find a doggy daycare and drop the dog for a half or full day. We paid anywhere from $11 (half day) to $50 (full day plus overnight). As a one or two time thing it’s not too bad, but after paying it multiple times it really started to add up.

On a quiet little side street off Florida Ave in downtown Hemet is a one block stretch that is home to a  selection of fun stores. I love finding these little intersting retail pockets when visiting a new location. Shopping at big box stores has never been of any interest to me, but take me to an area that has quaint stores and I’ll happy browse and wander around for hours.

If you enjoy boutique shopping as well then you’ll want to head to Harvard Street when you visit Hemet. Here’s what you’ll find:

La Boutique Consignments: Stocked with retro items and clothing there are unique gifts to be found for you or for the ones you love. I browsed in here for quite a while and kept discovering new items. 146 N. Harvard St, Hemet, CA 92543

Victorian Bridal Museum: Housed in the same location as La Boutique Consignments the Victorian Bridal Museum gives you a glance into how wedding dresses have evolved and changed. There are approximately 10 dresses on display and each one is unique and interesting. The display includes a wedding gown from 1885. 146 N. Harvard St., Hemet, CA 92543

Hemet Valley Art Association Gallery: Local artists gather to showcase their current works of art at this Harvard St. art gallery. Photographs, watercolor paintings, jewelry, handcrafted cards and so much more are on displays. Most of the art work is also available for sale making it a nice souvenir from your visit to Hemet. If you are interested in learning a skill classes are offered daily and include drawing, sketching, oil, watercolor, card making, photography and speciality classes like silk scarf painting and shoe sculpture. Learn more by visiting their website or calling (951) 652-4592. 144 N. Harvard St. Hemet, CA 92543

Pets R People 2: A full line pet store that also provides mobile and salon grooming services. 126 N. Harvard St. Hemet, CA 92543

Mark’s Hydroponics And Organic Gardening: A full service hydroponic and organic gardening store, offering advice and solutions for all your gardening needs. Top quality American made products sold here. 114 N Harvard St Hemet, CA 92543‎ (951) 652-5784

When I headed to Toronto last June to attend a travel conference I had no idea that it would result in a 6 week adventure in San Jacinto Valley, California. You can call it fate, serendipity or divine intervention that had the travel rep, Leslie Saint McLellan, for San Jacinto Valley sitting down next to me during a break out session.

Introducing myself to my new table mate was proof that a warm greeting goes a long way. We chatted for 5 or so minutes, exchanged our business cards and then the session started. I wouldn’t see Leslie again for the rest of the conference, but what resulted in our brief conversation is an amazing partnership.

There are two things that I have been focusing on with the blog. One is visiting and promoting small destinations that might not have a large marketing budget, but can provide housing, food, and entertainment. The second thing is building long-term relationships. I don’t want a one-night stand. I’m not that kind of girl. I want a long-term relationship with a destination. Lucky for me I found exactly both in San Jacinto Valley.

Arriving in the valley on January 8th we (Emma & I) spent the next 6 weeks exploring the valley and surrounding communities. We used our time discovering why snowbirds flock to this region and why they continue to return year after year. What I found is that the San Jacinto Valley is a delightful area that is budget friendly and centrally located. A perfect combination for all snowbirds.

As I write this we only have 2 days left in our little slice of paradise. Em & I have had so much fun on our snowbird adventure. We have found arts, culture, soft adventures, lots of nature, beautiful sunsets, wildlife, and so much more in the San Jacinto Valley. However, the one thing that we found, that I wasn’t expecting, was an incredibly warm and open community.

Locals invited us into their home and treated us like family. That is something that we will always appreciate and never forget.

I want to specifically thank the following people for everything they done to make our visit memorable:

• Leslie, tourism rep for San Jacinto Valley; Sharon, city of San Jacinto; Laurie & John, city of Hemet for making this adventure happen.
• Soboba Country Club for a wonderful welcome reception that allowed me to meet so many great people.
• Our neighbor on the hill, Butch, for always making sure we were ok, sharing meals with us, and making sure we had everything we needed.
• The Koka family for extending a dinner invitation and then going all out by cooking us an authentic Indian meal and sending us home with leftovers that we ate for days afterwards. Also, for staying in touch with kind texts and Facebook messages.
• The McComas family for teaching us Mexican Train Dominos, offering up their hot tub and asking us to help cheer on the girls water polo team. Sarah you are more than welcome to blow up my Facebook stream anytime you like and I look forward to meeting up with you in St. Louis, Chicago or Branson.
• Michael Karr from Golden Village Palms RV Resort who took the time to make sure we were invited to a number of events and would call to see how we were enjoying our visit.
• Lynn Peterson, Marc Searl, Marshall Hawkins,  Lori VanArsdale, Rose Selgado, Andrew, Bill Marshall, Kathye Henderson, David Baggerly, and Max DeMoss for taking time out of your busy schedule to give us a guided tour or chat with us about your business.

Of course, there are so many others that made this visit such a success. I’m grateful to each and every one of you.

I know there are good things in store for the San Jacinto Valley. My hope is that I’m able to come back again and see the growth and changes that have happened in the area.

Our sincere thanks and gratitude to the San Jacinto Valley for providing us with a perfect and memorable snowbird experience.

Last year I attended the Vera Bradley outlet sale for the first time and fell in love.  It was so much fun! Deep discounts meant that I took home a little more than I anticipated. You can read about my experience here.

This year Visit Fort Wayne is giving you a chance to win a getaway to Fort Wayne for you and three of your girlfriends PLUS a VIP experience at Vera Bradley.  I’ve looked over this prize package and I am so jealous of the winner. The giveaway is being hosted on Facebook and it’s really easy to enter. Click here to go to the giveaway page and cross your fingers! I hope someone I know wins!!!

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Snowbird life in the San Jacinto Valley has been pretty darn good. I think I made one of the best decisions ever when I left the frozen tundra of northern Michigan to drive across the country to snowbird in Southern California.

Being a snowbird has been on my bucket list for years. I mean, really, what’s not to love? A snowbird leaves a very cold and brutal climate for one that is full of sunshine and warm temperatures. I’m hoping to help redefine the definition of a snowbird from a person that is retired and/or a senior citizen to someone, of any age, that is looking to relocate during the cold months. If you are blessed to have a mobile job there is no reason to stay in a cold climate during the winter (well, unless you love that weather).

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