Saving Money on a Trip

I just recently went on a weekend trip to Chicago, and have two trips on the docket for July. So, today I wanted to share with you how I go about saving some money while traveling (more locally). 

If you're looking for how to use credit cards to get airline miles, or how to get free accomodations this isn't the blog post for you. This is just me looking at the general areas of travel and things to consider when choosing what to do. 

+ Transportation — Flying is super convenient and there are plenty of great deals out there for flights. But if it’s close enough and there’s a group of you going driving is a great option. I spent around $30 to get to Chicago and back while a plane ride would have been probably over $300. I could have also taken a train but that would have been around $150. And my final option would have been the megabits which is a cool $40. My point here is research your options. 

+ Food — One great example of this is one night we were going to this really cool rooftop bar that had appetizers, but I knew it would be a bit more spendy. Some people weren’t hungry or had already gotten food so I grabbed a 6” sandwich from Subway on my way there, which was $4, filled me up and saved me a pretty penny. Another option is to split a meal with someone else there. And finally just look at the menu for cheap options. Even if it’s a more expensive place you can make a reasonable meal out of something there without spending too much. For example you could get an appetizer and a side instead of a main course meal.

Also if you’re staying at a hotel, take advantage of that free hotel breakfast even if it’s not the best meal you’ve ever eaten. And don’t forget to pack your own snacks. This is always something I do whether I’m flying or driving. You’re going to want snacks and it’ll save you money to bring your own instead having to buy them in the airport or at a gas station. Not to mention you’ll probably pack a lot healthier options then what will be available. 

And finally in this category, depending on where you’re staying, go buy groceries and cook instead of eating out every meal. This is just one of my favorite things to do in general when we travel but making your own food is going to save you money too. Obviously you can’t really cook in a hotel room (unless it has a kitchen), but if you’re staying at an Airbnb or with someone else, cook that food.

+ Alcohol — I didn’t drink on my most recent trip, but the rest of the girls all brought their own alcohol or bought it from the store to drink in our hotel room so they didn’t have to spend as much when we went out. Obviously not drinking is cheapest in this category, but also limiting the amount you drink, or ordering cheaper drinks is another option too. I normally don’t order more than one drink at dinner when we go out, unless it’s happy hour. 

+ Accommodations — Once again, shop around. Look at the differences between hotels, hostels and Airbnb. Are you traveling alone or in a group, because groups have pretty great buying power. Or can you stay with a friend you know who lives there? We usually always go with an Airbnb when we travel internationally because of price and it’s usually more fun so you can feel like you’re “in it” in a new city. We shared rooms in Chicago, and four girls in a room is obviously a lot cheaper than just one or two people per room. 

Speaking of where we stayed, you’ll also want to consider location. While further out places are probably cheaper you need to do some research and calculate how much you would be spending on transportation to get to where you want to be in that city. Because if you have to spend a bunch on the subway or Uber, it might actually be cheaper to spend a bit more and be closer to the center of action. We could walk to dinner and the bars each night instead of having to get three Ubers for our group. 

+ Entertainment — It’s definitely OK to pay for some activities especially if it’s significant to where you’re traveling, but don’t blow the bank on a ton of activities, when there are plenty of fun free things to do. I loved our tour of the Palais de Papas in Avignon, France, but I also love going on hikes or just exploring the streets of a new place. 

There’s obviously many other ways to save some money. But these are some of the big areas you can look at. Travel doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. 

How to Keep From Feeling Like a "Tourist"

It probably sounds a little dumb, but when I travel, regardless if it’s just to another city in Iowa or if it’s halfway around the world I don’t want to scream “tourist”. I like blending in as much as possible. 

And most of the time, depending on where in the world I am, I can pass off as a local. Well, until I start talking that is. 

When I went to Rome a few years ago, I was a bit uneasy as I was traveling abroad solo for the first time, and I had heart a few horror stories (or myths) about people mugging tourists. 

So, I didn’t want to walk around looking like a helpless foreigner. 

This meant, not having my camera out and around my neck, but at certain times this meant I taking photos on my phone because this was an easier way to snap a few pictures without digging into my bag for my big camera. 

This also means not grabbing a big old paper map of whatever city I’m visiting. Google maps has come a long way over the years, and I always use that to get around. 

I always wear the same exact clothes that I would normally wear at home. And you might think, well why wouldn’t you? But there are plenty of people who go out and buy “vacation” clothes. You know the dads that wear the Hawaiian floral shirts, the people who look like they’re going on a hike, but they're in a city, and the mom’s who wear the big, floppy sun hats. 

Now, I have nothing against any of this. If you want to wear it, wear it, own it. I’m just saying that I like blending in, and there are certain things that scream, “I’m on vacation.” 

This is probably the introvert in me but beyond sticking out like a sore thumb, I prefer to make myself at home wherever it is that I’m visiting. This means foregoing a lot of the touristy spots, and finding a few local haunts to hang out at. I like to get a taste of what it is about that place that people who live there enjoy. 

I do like to pick a few of the must-see’s. Whether that’s a walk past the Eiffel Tower, down along the River Thames, or through the ruins of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya. But there are certain areas I choose to avoid, and that’s usually the party scene. 

And another added perk of avoiding the busier travel spots, besides the possibility of getting robbed is that there are certain countries or cities where tourists are more likely to get stopped by police, things usually cost more in the touristy areas, and there’s just a lot more people out and about. 

You see, I’m at the point with traveling where I want to get into a routine where I am, and somewhat pretend I live there. Whether I’m there for a week or for a month, I want to find my spots to work, to eat, and to hang out. 

In the end it’s all personal preference. There is no wrong way to travel. While you may enjoy filling your days with every great sight there is to see, I enjoy hunkering down for a few hours of work over a delicious cup of coffee before setting off to get out for a bit of adventure. 

Using Jet Lag to Your Advantage | Creating a Better Routine

If you keep up with me on Instagram or Youtube you know that I recently got back from my trip to France (a.k.a. my honeymoon). 

And do you know what? I’ve been doing a really killer job at coming back and reseting my routine and schedule for maximum productivity and mindfulness.

Today, I wanted to share with you how I’ve learned to use jet lag to my advantage. 

The first and most important step is looking at your flight schedule — what time are you leaving (A) and what time will it be when you get to (B). We woke up at 7:30 a.m. in Toulouse and we would be getting back to Des Moines around 10:00 p.m. (it ended up being more like 11:55 p.m. — thanks a lot American Airlines). 

So we could see that when we got home to Des Moines we needed to be ready to go to bed. 

Now, in between those two time slots was nearly 24 hours. When we finally got home to Des Moines it was nearly 7 a.m. in Toulouse. That my friends, is a lot of staying up, with maybe a short little nap, but only if you could restrain yourself from sleeping too long. 

So, that’s the first step. Plan out your flight so you’ll arrive in whatever location as close to the level of awake or tiredness that you need to be at. 

For me there is about a week of wiggle room after an international flight to reset my sleep schedule. You have to fight the urges to sleep (quick cat naps are OK), but I have no self-restraint when it comes to jet lag and napping so I avoid it. 

I’ve been putting myself to bed around 9:30 - 10:00 p.m and setting my alarm for 7:00 a.m. but I’ve been naturally waking up around 6:00 - 6:30 a.m. My golden sleep slot is 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. so that’s what I’m working towards. 

Now, a few things that I do in the morning when I get up earlier than 8:00 a.m. — I sit and write in my morning pages journal, which takes 20 - 30 minutes. I spend 15 - 30 minutes tidying up around the apartment because my brain functions incredibly better when there’s not a bunch of clutter around. I have been consistently meditating for 10 minutes every morning around 8:00 a.m. using the HeadSpace app. I then make myself a cup of coffee or tea, create my to-do list for that day, and then get to it. 

My days go unbelievable smoother when I am allowed this hour and a half to two hour routine I have for myself in the morning. 

Then each night I’ve tried to spend the first few minutes in bed just writing a little bit in my actual journal. 

These are a few of the things that get me excited to wake up in the morning, get out of bed and get moving o