The cost of our vacation is so much lower
I live just outside of Jacksonville, Florida. I like my location. It means that I can easily drive to all parts of Florida to experience what they have to offer. I have been to St. Augustine, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Daytona, you name it. I recently started looking at Lakeland, Florida. I wanted somewhere that was close to me, but different than what I see on a day to day basis. Lakeland is about two hours and 45 minutes away from my house. A long drive but not unbearable. I kept looking at things to do in the area and liked what I saw. I like that there are tons of places to shop, museums, parks, and gardens. I liked the look of the hotels and the pricing for everything. What really sold me was the cool places to eat. There were all sorts of cafes, steakhouses, pasta joints, and burger places. Everything from fine dining to grabbing a quick bite to eat is offered there. I am a real food lover. No, I don’t take pictures of my food, but I appreciate a good meal. So after browsing all the great food and realizing there was a market I could buy from, I was on my husband to take me to Lakeland, FL. He is alway down to go somewhere close to home. The cost of our vacation is so much lower. We also know everyone will speak English, take our currency and we can go home in a pinch. I also like knowing we are going to have great weather no matter what.