Minication to Lincoln, NH
24 Jan
If you couldn’t tell from the title of my blog, I’m kind of cheap. And being cheap sometimes has its drawbacks. One of them being, I’m always concerned about price when I’m trying to plan a vacation. Which leads to me…rarely going on vacation.
But! This weekend, Adam and I took a “minication” to northern New Hampshire and we did it quite cheaply!
Here’s my tips:
1. Groupon/Living Social/Etc Etc – Check out these sites for fun activities, even if they aren’t in your immediate area. For Christmas, my mom bought me and adam a Living Social deal for a snowmobiling tour in Lincoln, NH (through Outback Kayak). This deal was for half off their usual price.
2. Get on mailing lists – Last fall, Adam and I headed up to Lincoln to go ziplining at Alpine Adventures. We had purchased a Groupon for half off the Treetop Tour (they have three ziplining tours – Treetop, Skyrider, and Super Skyrider, in order of intensity). We enjoyed it so much that we agreed to go back (I even put it on my 27 for 27 list!) I signed up for their online newsletter/mailing list so I would hear about any future deals. A few weeks ago, they sent out an email about a 2 for 1 deal on the Skyrider tour. TWO FOR ONE. That’s an $89 savings! Since Alpine Adventures happened to be in the same town as Outback Kayak (literally across the street), I quickly decided to book both and make a weekend out of it.
3. Hotwire.com/Hotels.com – I’ve never had a problem using Hotwire to book a hotel room and this was no exception. We stayed at the South Mountain Resort at the base of Loon Mountain, which had a fantastic pool and jacuzzi. Our room was the typical no-frills deal but with Hotwire we saved about $30.
4. Credit Card Rewards – I tend to not use credit cards, but I’ve had an American Express one that accrues travel reward points for years. I was able to use points toward the hotel cost and save $100.
Not bad, eh? Now on to the flattering pictures…
Neither of us play in the snow often so we weren’t well equipped for the north country. But the kind folks at Alpine Adventures treated us well and let us borrow some really stylish jump suits. I did not feel like a gigantic dork at all. Not one bit.
Side note – everyone that works for Alpine Adventures is seriously wonderful. From booking, to registration, to gearing up and finally getting out there everyone is super friendly and helpful. AND ZIPLINING IS AWESOME. FOR REAL. GO DO IT.
The only thing I don’t love about ziplining is walking across these rope bridges. NO THANK YOU. The fact that you’re harnessed doesn’t matter when you’re wobbling 100 feet up.
After realizing that I would not allow that snowball to be thrown at me, he tried to roll it down the hill like in the cartoons. Doesn’t really work.
It’s a bumpy ride in this Pinzgauer from the base of the mountain to the ziplines.
One of our guides, explaining the proper technique for picking up speed in order to get to the other side.
Sunday evening was filled with stress and sadness due to the Patriots. Let’s not talk about it.
On Monday, we went snowmobiling.
Not pictured: pure fear. See, I’m all about the adrenaline rush (see: ziplining) but only when I feel totally safe. Which I did not on that snowmobile. I needed a seatbelt. Or a harness. Or a padded bubble. Long story short I ran into a tree at the slowest speed possible. Three times. BUT WHATEVER. I’m glad I tried it, it just wasn’t for me.
