FROM THE ARCHIVES: How to Travel on a Post-Grad Budget, Part 2

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As I said in my previous post—How to Travel on a Post-Grad Budget, Part 1—it is 180,000% possible to travel on a post-grad budget, and I will continue to defend this statement in a manner that is borderline aggressive.

Here are 4 more tips to help you save while traveling.

PART 2: At Your Destination

1. Don’t blow your money on food.

During my flight to New Zealand, I was a fool and bought dinner at LAX, spending ten dollars and fifty cents ($10.50!!!) for two (TWO) scrambled eggs, which would have been $16 New Zealand dollars, aka worth a meal far more satisfying than two (TWO!!) scrambled eggs at my final destination.

Don’t do stupid things like that with your money. Bring snacks with you to eat at the airport. Get a free cup of water at Starbucks or bring an empty refillable water bottle that you can fill at a water fountain once you’re through security. Just don’t spend $10.50 for two (TWO!!!!!) scrambled eggs at the airport.

Bring granola bars for breakfast. I’m serious. Stash away some protein bars or Poptarts to eat in the mornings (or if your accommodation provides free breakfast, take advantage of that), then you’ll only have to spend money on two meals per day instead of three. I did this during my two week stay in London in May 2015. The only time I broke this rule was when my friend and I wanted to splurge on some brunch in Covent Garden, and then we did brunch RIGHT (think: waffles and Bellinis and fancily-cooked eggs).

Keep the sit-down meals to a minimum. Market and street food is often cheaper than eating at a restaurant. When in Paris we had a crepe every day from a stall near our hostel for only 3 euros and yes, I count a crepe as a meal. In London, my friend and I lunched on bread, cheese, sausage and a bottle of wine from Borough Market for around £10 per person.

If your accommodation has one, use its kitchen to cook your meals. In New Zealand, many of my meals consisted of scrambled eggs, costing me only $1.80NZD for two eggs (TAKE THAT LAX!!!!), rather than eating at restaurants averaging between $15NZD - $25NZD for just the entree alone. And in Norway, we leaned heavily on grocery store meals and trail mix brought from home given an average meal out cost $35+. YIKES.

2. Use inexpensive accommodation.

Save the fancy hotels with wraparound balconies for your 25th wedding anniversary when maybe your job will pay you more per hour than the equivalent of two (TWO!!!!) scrambled eggs at LAX.

AIRBNB. My hostel days of study abroad travels are in the past, and now Airbnb has been my go-to accommodation of choice. Split between my three friends during our trip to London in 2017, our Airbnb cost less than it would have cost to stay in a hostel. I'll take sharing a loft with three of my best friends over sharing a dorm room with 19 snoring girls any day. Plus, the chance to stay at a sweet Norwegian farm home in a mountain valley? YES PLEASE.

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HOSTELS. If Airbnb is a no-go, or you're craving some hostel vibes, Hostels.com is a great resource for finding hostel accommodation around the world. The site features user reviews of each place, too, so you can stay away from the extra sketchy ones. Once you’ve found a hostel you like, check the price directly on the hostel’s website as booking directly through the hostel can sometimes cheaper than booking through third-party sites like Hostels.com (but not always). When booking through Hostels.com, you pay a small deposit, and then pay the remainder of the balance when you arrive at your hostel. Hostelworld is also another great resource for finding hostels.

HOTELS. Since the hostel game isn’t as strong in the U.S. as it is in other countries, you can look for hotel accommodation on websites like expedia.com or hotwire.com, both sites that offer pretty reasonable hotel deals. We did this for a trip to New York in fall 2014, booking a hotel right across the river from Manhattan for only $80/night per person, which in New York is considered inexpensive. To reiterate, there’s Airbnb to consider or—better yet!—stay with someone you know in exchange for a nice meal or somethin’.

3. Use public transportation.

Taxis are expensive. Uber or Lyft can be expensive, too. Don’t use those unless you absolutely have to. Before you embark on your trip, do some research on public transportation options to find what will work best for your budget.

When it comes to transportation to and from the airport, first check to see if there’s public transportation, like a subway line, available to get you to the city center. Even if there’s not a public transportation option, there may be private companies offering bus or other transportation services (example: National Express offers bus services to area London airports for a low price).

As far as the U.S. goes, it may be cost-effective to utilize Uber or Lyft to get to and from the airport or around the city. I used Uber’s “first ride” free credit in Boston to get me to the airport at no charge. However, I've begun to notice airports are tacking on extra fees, and that's just straight-silly. Public transportation is usually the cheapest option.

Be strategic about what type of public transportation pass you purchase. Do the appropriate research to see which type of travel card makes the most sense for your stay as cities often have various options to choose from, like pay-as-you-go and weekly travelcards.

Buses also tend to be a cheaper option than the subway. Research before you go!

Better yet: walk. It’s free, and it’s a better way to experience the place you’re in.

4. Do free things at your destination.

That sounds obvious, yes, but doing free things at your destination is a necessary component of traveling on a post-grad budget. Depending on where you go, there are plenty of options for enjoying your time while spending little-to-no money doing so.

For instance, museums in London are free. Museums in Paris usually have a fee; however, the Louvre offers free admission during certain time of the week. Do some research about what you’re interested in doing and seeing during your trip to see if offers like these are available.

Want a guided tour of your city? See if a “free” walking tour is offered. We did one of these in Edinburgh; the tour was led by an unforgettably enthusiastic Scottish man, and at the end of it we were invited to tip based on what we saw fit. Check with those who work at your accommodation as they should be knowledgeable about low to no-cost attractions, like guided walking tours.

Honestly, though, the most memorable moments of travel consist of getting lost in the city or area you’re visiting. As my favorite travel writer Bill Bryson penned, “Traveling is more fun—hell, life is more fun—if you can treat it as a series of impulses.” My favorite memories of London consist of city wanders, the new Mumford and Sons’ album streaming through my ears with only whim as my guide. In fact, the unplanned meanders in all of my travels—from Boston to Los Angeles to Norway to New Zealand to all the others—remain as some of my fondest memories. Not only is exploring absolutely free, but it may turn out to be the best part of your trip.

***

See How to Travel on a Budget: Part 1 for five tips on how to save while planning your trip.

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Featured

The End of An Era: Saying Goodbye to Windrose

Hi friends,

Announcement (sounds so formal, doesn’t it?):

It's the end of an era.

I’ve decided that, after nearly 8 years of telling stories of navigating life, this season of Windrose is drawing to a close.

Even Here: Words for When You're Wandering

When I was 22 years old, I visited the desert for the first time.

A metaphorical desert, if we’re getting technical.

I was fresh out of college, starry-eyed and eager to begin my post-grad life. I had big ‘ole me-centered dreams: a shiny, brag-worthy PR job in the music industry! An apartment with an exposed brick wall that (somehow) would fit an upright piano! A committed relationship with a kind, goofy man!

I got exactly none of those things.

To summarize an entire year’s worth of emotion: I was devastated.

What is Home?

Late last night, I flew back into town after a week away, the city lights covering the Valley like a blanket of incandescent flowers. I’ve flown into Phoenix at least a dozen times at this point. Usually, I can identify a handful of landmarks, like my antenna-scarred South Mountain or the twinkling lights of the bridges spanning Tempe Town Lake.

Flying into Nashville, however, was always different.

I Don't Live Here Anymore

I recently returned to Nashville for the first time since moving to Phoenix five months ago.

Before my reunion, I often said that the word “home” could apply to both Nashville and Phoenix. Nashville is my home. Phoenix is my home. I could find that home-sweet-home feeling in both cities.

During my 8 days back, I frequented my old haunts. The brickwalled coffee shop still serves the meanest mocha in town. The hillside winery still proves to be a worthwhile spot to sip away a sunny Sunday afternoon. The hip burger joint still offers a lovely evening to dine with friends, new and old. The lime-green Mexican restaurant on the corner of Whitebridge still feels like a queso-soaked refuge.

There were many “stills,” but there were changes, too.

Why did you move?

A cardstock print sits propped against the lamp on my desk: a taupe watercolor swipe outlining a peakside Saguaro, the sun a tiny ring above. Beneath this minimalist illustration are these words in typeface: “I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

I happened upon this notecard-sized print on the way out of a shop last weekend, after already having completed another purchase. It was the last print of its kind in the pile. I had to have it. I returned to the cashier: “This one, too.”

You see, this verse has been a thread weaving through my story, simple words spoken by a prophet long dead, a passage of comfort I’ve returned to again and again since my pilgrimage to the desert four years ago, when I inked a cactus on my wrist.

The Good Old Days

Last week was National Margarita Day.

I did not, however, celebrate the holiday. Truthfully, I’ve yet to find THE Mexican place here in Phoenix. You know the one: gaudy decorations, cheap food, even cheaper margaritas.

But there’s a Mexican restaurant at the corner of Charlotte and Whitebridge in Nashville, TN.

You may have heard of it.

Witching Hour (or, Fighting Off Demons at 3 am with a Box Cutter)

Between the hours of 3 - 4 am, I find myself awakened by nothing in particular. The room is silent. There is no sound outside. No loud car horns. No dogs barking.

I’m upset.

I wish it was something other than just me. Then I could stop it. Nothing is to blame. It feels like moments have passed since I closed my eyes. The moments of a long dreamless sleep last about 4 hours.

10 Life Lessons This Cross-Country Move is Attempting to Teach Me

There are a few lessons life has attempted to teach me since my move — all things that I haven’t yet spiced up into a full essay, but deserve to be memorialized by my metaphorical pen nonetheless.

So I present a collection of lessons I’ve learned — and am still learning — in the last 3 months.

What Will Your Life Look Like?

Tomorrow marks 3 months.

Three months here, sharing a zip code with Saguaros.

“So how is Phoenix?” a friend asked me over the phone as I sat on my balcony beneath glowing string lights, a pour of raspberry wine in my hand. The sun was setting, painting the eastern mountains with rosy swipes of redemption.

How has Phoenix been these last three months?

What is it Trying to Tell You, if Only You’d Listen?

I went on a date recently. Two glasses of Riesling, pleasant conversation, and a perfectly amicable guy — it was an altogether fine evening.

However, I wasn’t interested in a second date.

Not because of any run-for-the-hills red flags. Not because I didn’t think he was cute. Not because we didn’t get along. I simply — wasn’t interested.

There’s no better way to explain it. No fear-based avoidance of the potential for a healthy relationship. No disdain for commitment that needs a heavy round of therapy to work through. Nothing deeper than the inner sense that a second date just wasn’t necessary.

But, I said yes to getting dinner again with him.

The Other Side of Yes

I’m a No Girl.

In many ways, this is a good thing. I’m able to confidently decline invitations that disinterest me.

“Want to go whitewater rafting?” No thank you, I’m comfy right here on the bank.

“Want to do a shot?” No thank you, I’ll take my liquor with lime juice and Triple Sec, plz.

“Want to try this carrot cake?” No thank you, Harry, I can’t eat gluten.

“Want to go to Broadway?” No thank you, I’d prefer to go to bed.

In many ways, however, being a No Girl originates less from personal boundaries and more from fear. Fear and I happen to be pretty tight; we talk on the daily. Fear has been the primary consultant for many of my life decisions, in fact.

A Song for Growth

A year ago, a friend of mine got a job at a well known tech company. He had been slogging through the interviews, and he finally got an offer. Obviously he deserved it. He was a hard worker, and his attitude for success and life was admirable to say the least. I knew he was beyond qualified.

But at the time, I was on a career path I couldn’t see myself being happy in. I had made the mistake of staying in the industry mainly for the money. Every month in the industry was a reminder of how much I did not want to stay. It created a nasty cycle of overthinking and career angst. Feelings of inadequacy and existentialism rooted themselves deep inside me. I couldn’t focus on anything and was utterly disconnected from the work I was doing.

I admit I wasn’t happy for him.

TravelAlly WillisAugust 22, 2018Featured, From the ArchivesComment