This post brought to you by Groupon Getaways. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Baby to Boomer Lifestyle.

Groupon Getaways: Our Sedona Trip Planning #OurGrouponGetaway ad Photo Credit: Groupon.com

Photo Credit: Groupon Getaways – Groupon.com

Groupon Getaways: Booking

Sometimes you just need to get away and relax and that’s just what my husband and I are doing with two Groupon Getaways. The first location we chose was to Sedona, AZ (read: Why we chose Sedona). The deal had a fabulous feature that allowed me to book the hotel directly through Groupon which took all the guess work out of figuring out if the deal fit our proposed travel dates and if rooms were available. This was by far my favorite way to buy a Groupon. I already had a Groupon account, so using the payment option already linked meant I was done in just a few minutes and I could start dreaming about all of the peace and relaxation I’d be experiencing at my destinations. If you don’t already have an account, it’ll just take you a few minutes to set one up. You’ll need to provide basic information like name, address, telephone number, email address, etc., and then enter your payment option. That’s it!

Local Groupon Deals in Your Travel Destination

Once we had our hotel set, we booked our airfare and rental car. Then, we started looking into what we might want to do when we got there beyond just relaxing. The first place I looked for adventures was the local Groupon Deals website. Sedona is a small town, but I was still able to find a few local deals right there, plus a few not too far away.

Discounted Popular Sedona AZ Activites -- Groupon Getaways: Our Sedona Trip Planning #OurGrouponGetaway ad Photo Credit: Groupon.com

Photo Credit: Groupon Getaways – Groupon.com

There were discounts on the popular guided jeep tours, the Sedona Trolley, winery tours, and even horseback riding adventures. The activities and adventures change often, so I keep a watch for new listings that we might be interested in. Just recently, a water rafting trip was added that would be a must-do summer adventure for sure!

Keeping Track of Your Groupon Getaways

Once your vacation and/or activities are booked, you can find them under your “My Reservations” tab under “My Stuff” in your Groupon dashboard. Having everything in one place makes it so much easier to keep track of what I’ve scheduled and how much I paid for it. If the getaway is a voucher instead of a reservation, it lets me know when it’s about to expire so I don’t miss out on scheduling my getaway. I love that every Groupon I’ve ever purchased is there with all of the details – it makes record keeping so much easier!

Groupon Getaways – Road Tripping

Once our Sedona trip was booked, it was time to choose the destination of our second adventure. This one needed to be within a few hours drive from our home near Seattle and it had to be pet-friendly as we’d called in every available favor for dog sitting during the Sedona trip. With those two stipulations directing our choices, there were these two great options to choose from:

After looking at the photos of both locations, we opted for the Robin Hood Village Resort. While we LOVE the Astoria area and have wanted to go back and explore the museums there since our last trip through the area, our two little dogs are better suited for a cabin in the woods than a condo on the beach. Plus, the Robin Hood Village Resort features private hot tubs and their onsite restaurant prepares farm-to-table food which is highly recommended by past visitors.

This Groupon Getaways deal didn’t have the same instant booking feature as the first. For this one, I received a voucher that I used to book directly on the hotel’s website.

Robin Hood Village Resort - Union, WA - #MyGrouponGetaway ad

Photo Credit: Groupon Getaways – Groupon.com

The Robin Hood Village Resort is located in Union, a small town I’ve yet to visit in my 40-something years here in Washington. It’s so remote that there are no local Groupon deals available for activities and events there. But that’s OK, we’ll be taking advantage of its proximity to Hood Canal and the free kayaks they offer and spending most of our time out among the trees. I hear there’s a waterfall nearby and maybe even a National Forest or two to visit.

Robin Hood Resort Village - Union, WA #MyGrouponGetaway ad

Photo Credit: Groupon Getaways – Groupon.com

Plan It? Our Vacation Itinerary

Does it seem like I don’t have much planned and pinned down for #MyGrouponGetaway? Well, you’d be right. In my younger days, I researched trips ahead of time. Back in the days before the Internet that meant hanging out in bookstores reading their books and eating scones. I found it took the fun out of trips when scheduling everything because it left no time for spontaneous fun. Anti-planning means I have the basics in place like where we’re going to sleep and eat. Everything else we get to discover together. Sure, we don’t see and do everything a location has to offer, but we can always go back and it’s not like we’re being graded on the amount of sightseeing we pack into our itinerary. Once I adopted this Laissez-faire attitude toward scheduling vacations they have been much more pleasant!

Have you tried a Groupon Getaways deal yet? And are you a planner or anti-planner like me?

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