I’ve been lucky enough to travel to many great countries all over the world, but one of my most memorable adventures happened right here at home.
When we were just out of college, my then-boyfriend and I thought it would be fun to drive down to New Orleans for a few days before starting our new jobs. We only had about $750 between us, which had to last until we got our first paychecks. The smart thing to do would have been to keep a few hundred of that money in the bank so we wouldn’t be tempted to spend everything — but I never said we were smart!
Anyway, the drive down to New Orleans was uneventful, and although we were dead tired when we arrived, there was no way we could go to bed without checking out the city for a bit. We hadn’t done much research about things to do in New Orleans, so we figured we’d just grab a drink at a bar on Bourbon St. or take in the French Quarter like most tourists. Instead, we headed straight for one of the local casinos.
We opted to play blackjack, and started losing almost immediately. Within an hour, we lost ALL of the money we brought with us, and since we didn’t have any credit cards, we were facing the embarrassing prospect of having to phone our parents to send some cash via Western Union.
When we got back to the car, we noticed that we had two dimes and a nickel in the change holder. My boyfriend looked at me, shrugged, grabbed the money, and started to walk back inside. I followed.
We got a quarter from the cashier, and put it in a video poker machine. We won a few more quarters. We played again, this time hitting a bigger hand that paid out $15.00. We then took that $15 back to the blackjack tables, and pushed our bankroll back up to $150. We called it quits right there, got a room at a cheap motel, and then drove back home the very next day — without bothering to do anything else in New Orleans!
Obviously, my past experience in New Orleans isn’t going to make it onto a list of the best family vacation ideas, but it was definitely a pretty wild time!
If you really want to learn about some fun things to do in the best vacation destinations across the U.S., then you should check out the Trusted Tours & Attractions website. There you can find activity ideas such as an Everglades adventure, sightseeing suggestions such as this Alcatraz tour, recommended restaurants, and even discount tickets to make your holiday a great one.
Better yet, you should sign up for the Trusted Travels eNewsletter to get this free monthly mailing delivered right to your inbox. It’s full of fantastic travel-related stories and tips, so it’s definitely a worthwhile read. Plus, if you sign up for the newsletter between now and March 31, 2008 you’ll be entered in a drawing to win an iPod Nano!
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