We made the decision to take a beach vacation this year. And it sounds just perfect. We rented a great condo on a private beach in Florida that is just a seven hour drive from here. Being the planner that I am, I immediately made a list (actually several). I had one for "Things to Pack," one of "Things to Buy," and of course, "Things to Do."

So, I had about 10 weeks before we left and I set out to work the lists, picking up sand toys when I saw them on sale, stocking up on sunscreen, and picking up spare flip flops for the kids. Then, plans changed. This typically sends me into a complete tailspin—I am a planner, as I said, so monkey wrenches are prohibited.  However, in this case, it was more of a plan enhancement. My mother and father in law asked if they could tag along. I absolutely adore them, so this was more than a fine idea. But, the glitch was transportation. There would be six of us and while the Camry is pretty comfy for four…six is not even possible.

Finding a discount car rental, or van, rather became the #1 item on my To Do list. I shopped around online to find the best deals. I wanted it to be easy to find what I wanted and affordable. Luckily, I found a great discount car rental place called U-Save Car & Truck Rental that had exactly what I needed. There was an online tool where I could just pick out the vehicle I wanted and put in the dates I needed. Done—easy!

Then I called the in laws with the good news—we were officially all systems go. So, I was able to get back on track with my lists. Shopping was clearly the most fun; packing, not so much. But, when we all climbed into the discount car rental van weeks later, we were comfy and cozy. We pulled out the old car bingo game and sang to the radio. Seven hours flew by at record speed, and soon we were seeing palm trees and could hear the sounds of gulls. Ahhh, vacation!