I have become a huge fan of the website AirBNB.com. My family and I have turned to it time and again, and we are ALWAYS so impressed with the places we find. It’s great for last minute trips, or when you don’t have much to spend on a hotel. We have rented tiny little shacks on the Red River, and fished to our hearts content. We have stayed in huge sprawling cabins in the “Bluegrass Capital” of the south. The photo above was from a cabin we found on Sylamore Creek last year. We had the whole place to ourselves. The cabin was right on the water, and we spent the majority of each day doing just what you see. (BTW, we call call that "floatie fishing" and the little ones have perfected the art.) We’ve stayed in hip urban bungalows that were just a short walk to the BOK center in Tulsa, OK. I’ve never had a bad experience! Recently, I decided to place my own cabin near Lake Ouachita (in Arkansas) up for rent on their website. I reached out to all the other hosts that I had rented from in the past and offered them an opportunity to swap houses for a week during the summer. We have decided to travel the U.S. and feel this would be the best way to do it on a dime! I’m so excited about the two trips we already have planned!

Why didn’t I ever think of this before? I guess my first thought was something along the lines of, “Why would anyone want to take a vacation to Royal, Arkansas?” I think I sometimes forget how amazing my home state is. Do you do this with your hometown, too? When I drove to work the next day I decided to open my eyes to everything on my drive as if I were a new visitor. Those beautiful green mountains in the distance, I forgot were there. The many bridges that take me across two different lakes on the way into town, I had grown too accustomed to seeing. I had become blind to the beauty of my daily surroundings. Although I am still very excited to chronicle our trip across the U.S. this summer, I have found a renewed love for the vacation spot I call home!

We are nearing the last big push to get through this school year, and will soon begin the countdown to our next big adventure! To be continued…. (yay!)

 Have you ever used AirBNB? What was your experience like? What's your favorite AirBNB spot?