Letter #2 - Budget

Hello all,

Now that the seed has been planted, I would like to share more information on The Great Gerryts Clan Vacation. If you didn't receive or read the first letter, I'm posting my letters as I write them at The Great Gerryts Clan Vacation Blog ( http://gerryts.blogspot.com ). The blog is slowly expanding to host more information, such as some tips for budgeting that I found really helpful.

I am planning the vacation so that it will offer flexibility in order to accommodate different schedules and budgets. As I've said, I'm confident that budget won't be a problem for anyone. If Mary and I can afford it (keeping in mind that we'll be joined by at least the twins), anyone can. And we're not going to have to scrape by to do it; this vacation really will be accessible to everyone.

One of the questions in the survey was, "Is saving $0.50 to $1.00 per day (per person) something you would easily be able to do?" This is actually a statement disguised as a question. Everyone's answer is likely, "Of course it is!" $0.50 to $1.00 a day is a drop in the bucket; a coffee from Tim Horton's costs much more than that. Even for a family with kids, the cost is negligible when considering such a small amount (and a quick note: a family of 5 would only need to save as though they were a family of 4). If you still have doubts about expense, I have posted what I think are some genuinely helpful tips and ideas for everyone on the blog.

On our January vacation, Mary and I paid about $1,000 less than what most people pay for the exact same vacation, and everything was top-notch; we went on a deluxe vacation for the price of a value vacation. This was our reward for hundreds of hours of research, and it was well worth it. I will be applying what I've learned to planning and organizing The Great Gerryts Clan Vacation.

Behind the scenes, I've already put in quite a bit of time into researching this vacation, and I'm continuing to put together what I know is going to be a great experience. I'm currently putting together a DVD that will fully outline the details of the trip. It will be ready by the time I've sent the fourth and final letter next week.

Here are another few hints about the vacation:

1. It isn't camping.
   
2. We're not going to Antarctica.
   
3. You already know that the vacation won't be happening in 2007. Would you believe it won't be happening in 2008 either? More on this in my next letter.
   

Matt