Tag Archives: travel

5 Resources for Travel Budget Planning

Alamo Square San FranciscoI have to admit something to you all. I used to splurge on vacations. I know, I know, I just wrote this post about How to Save on Weekend Getaways. But saving on travel is something fairly new to me. I always had the mindset that “Hey, I’m on vacation, I shouldn’t have to worry about money.” But I also realize that if I want to travel more, I need to make my trips more budget friendly.

Here’s some tools and resources I’ve been using to plan my next trip. Next month, George and I are flying to Portland! It’s been on my travel bucket list FOREVER!

1. Travel Budget Calculator
This handy-dandy calculator includes fields for all kinds of expenses that you might encounter while traveling. It even has a field for cocktails. It’s my kind of calculator!

2. WikiTravel
Have you heard of WikiTravel? It’s Wikipedia for travelers. The destination descriptions are super comprehensive because the site is written by other travelers. What I love about this site it that they’ve included so many details. I now know the down low on public transportation in Portland– something that is going to be super essential to my budget.

3. Adventurous Kate
I love this article from the blog, Adventurous Kate. She describes how she saved $13,000 in just 7 months, so she could travel the world! Kate gives an honest breakdown of her expenses and the hard sacrifices she had to make– all in the name of travel!

4. Pack Like A Pro
Checking a bag can be costly, so I’m reading up on the best way to pack a carry on. I learned so much from this Heathrow Airport video (linked above). And before all my trips, I always refer back to this NY Times article that features a flight attendant packing 10 days in a carry-on. It’s magic.

5. Travel Full-time for less than $14,000 per year
First of all, I have to say how much I love the blog, I will teach you to be rich. And I especially love the above article on traveling the world for less than $14,000 per year. I’m not to the point of full-time world traveling (just yet!) but Nora Dunn of the Professional Hobo doles out some excellent tips on travel on the cheap. Her food tips are super smart.

These are just a tiny taste of the tips out there for traveling on a budget. But I want to know how have you budgeted for trips? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

Things I Miss About Traditional Housing

Our untraditional home

Our untraditional home

I love living in an Airstream. It’s seriously one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, but it’s not all rainbows and butterflies either. Shelli, who blogs over at The Laughing Nanny and also lives in an Airstream, got me thinking about the things I miss about traditional housing. This list isn’t all inclusive, obv. On different days I miss different things. But here’s what I’ve been a missin’ most.

1. Long showers. The water heater in our Airstream is super small, so a lady only has time to shave one leg before the water turns cold. It’s not a luxurious situation. And at this point, a tub seems like a far away dream.

2. A big stove. We’ve made the best out of our cooking situation, but I still miss having four, fast, gas burners to heat up my food.

3. The ability to close off a space. Since we don’t really have any separate “rooms” in the Airstream, when I get up, George wakes up and when George want to stay awake at night, I have to stay awake. It’s been an adjustment to have to really adapt to each others’ schedules, but we’re making it work. (As Tim Gunn would say.)

4. House-chore free weekends. Before the Airstream, we rented, so we didn’t have to take care of home chores like painting, spraying for bugs or fixing appliances. We still have a super long to-do list and I’m pretty sure we always will have something to fix on the old Airstream. No more house chore-free weekends for us.

5. Closet space. Our closets are pretty much nonexistent. I miss being able to neatly fold my clothes and not have to fold them three times to jam them in an airplane-like overhead compartment.

I love being a negative Nancy but the things I miss about traditional housing, in no way out way the things I don’t miss.

Stay tuned for that post!

love,
melanie

 

Ways to Save on a Weekend Getaways!

nags head soundWe all know what a cheapskate I’ve become, but one of the reasons I’ve become so stingy thrifty with my money is I want to travel. I’ve got so many things I want to see and places I want to go, and they all require that cash-money. So when my friend, Gabby asked me if we wanted to go on a weekend trip to our coast, I was hesitant. I love North Carolina’s Outer Banks, but I’ve been there and done that. If you’ve never been there and done that, I’d highly recommend it, the OBX of NC are really unique and beautiful.

Anyways, I hesitated a little bit, but Gabby is a cheapskate too. The woman has furnished her entire house from Craigslist, so I took her word that it would be an inexpensive trip.

Here’s how we saved some big bucks on our weekend getaway:

1. Make a list before packing to ensure you bring even the littlest essentials. I am notorious for leaving things at home on trips. It’s why I have 5 bottles of contact solution. Save yourself the hassle and the trouble by making a packing list and checking it twice.

2. Pack food! This was especially important for a place like the OBX. Groceries in remote locations are always more expensive. In the OBX, groceries are up to 20% more expensive! And by packing your own groceries, you’ll eat out less. Win-win, people, win-win.

3. If you do eat out, do your research first. There is nothing worse than getting to a restaurant, figuring out it is for unknowing, wealthy tourists with no taste buds. Eat where the locals eat and get it cheap! My personal favorite restaurant review service is Yelp. I’ve even got the app on my phone, which makes it super easy.

4. If you have a lot of friends going on the same trip, consider renting a retreat center. Retreat finder has a database of places to rent all over the country (and even in a few other countries too!). We rented a retreat center for $30 a night, per person. That is stupid-cheap for a beach house on Labor Day weekend. Often retreat centers won’t be booked over holiday weekends and your money goes to supporting a good cause. SO MANY WINS!

5. If you want to participate in “experiences” during your trip like mini golf or parasailing, check out the Groupon or Living Social coupons in the area before you go. Personally, I just like to lounge around, but if your into that kind of thing, coupons can be a great way to save dough.

What are your best tips for saving money on weekend getaways? I’d love to hear them in the comments!

love,
melanie

Post-Vacation Blues

sunset in nags headI have a terrible case of post-vacation blues. I literally shed a couple of tears on the way to work this morning. I was in a weird, weepy mood. I enjoy my job, but I did not want to get back to the overload of emails, the ringing phone and the (sometimes) grumpy patrons.

selfiesWhat’s more fun than fun? Funnest?! Funna-fun-fun-fun! Well, whatever it is, I had more fun than that! We lounged in an 8 person float in the ocean while partaking in adult beverages. I really didn’t need a better time than that, but we also took afternoon naps in hammocks and ate until our tummies hurt. I need a detox.

puppy loveWe also hung out with this crazy dog. She’s is the dog version of Lil Bub. And although she had kibble breath, she made me want a little lap dog so, so much!

But now we’re back to the emailing, the traffic, the giant laundry pile. I need another vacation just to catch up.

How do you recover from the post-vacation blues? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

 

Vacation time! Vacation time!

labor day weather forecastI am super pumped to be taking a mini vacation this weekend with George and some friends. We’re heading out to the beautiful Outer Banks of NC.  I haven’t been on a trip all summer. Actually, I don’t think we’ve even gone anywhere since our honeymoon. Life has been so nuts. We’re not taking the Airstream this time because our friend’s mom rented a house on the OBX. OBX is Outer Banks for the non-North Carolinans. 🙂 Learning something new everyday huh, folks? The weather is supposed to be perfect and I cannot wait to get a little time to relax.

Do you have plans for the labor day weekend?

Here’s hoping to a relaxing and refreshing weekend,
love,
melanie

 

Essential Technology for Traveling

tech setupI have to be honest with ya’ll. Technically, we haven’t taken the Airstream on the road yet. But I’m getting the travel itch bad. I think I’ve got the travel pox. That’s a thing right? Anyway, I thought it’d be helpful/mildly interesting to share my technology setup. We’re currently working out any kinks with our technology setup before we take the Airstream on the road.

Here’s what we use.

1. iPhones for hotspots
Our iPhones provide us with the Internet which is essential. I couldn’t blog and George couldn’t do his art without it. Also, I might die from Internet withdrawals if I didn’t have it. It’s been a bit more expensive to use our phones as hotspots instead of having a direct Internet connection through an Internet or phone provider. (Our phone contracts are through Verizon, if you are curious.) It’s the best option we’ve found so far because of the excellent coverage Verizon provides. And paying for extra data is still much less cheaper than rent.

2. iPhones for photos
Sometimes I don’t feel like lugging around my giant Nikon for photos, so I’ll just snap a few pictures with my iPhone. It’s lazy and the photos don’t look quite as sharp as with my “real” camera, but it’s convenient.

3. Nikon D5000
My “professional” camera was a gift from George and it may be the best gift I’ve ever been given. It has been worth every penny. My pictures with this camera look sharp, professional and are a much higher quality than any iPhone pic.

4. MacBook Pro
For most of my blogging and writing, I use a MacBrook Pro. I’d love to try out using an iPad for blogging, but currently, the MacBook is working great. I don’t want to throw down the cash for an iPad without knowing if it will fit all my needs.

5. iPhoto and Photoshop
In terms of picture editing, I use both iPhoto and Photoshop. I think iPhoto is easier and less time-consuming than Photoshop, but it isn’t quite as customizable. When I have time, I love to throw my photos into Photoshop and play around. The pictures always look so much better.

6. Kindle
I could probably cut down on my devices if I just bought an iPad, but the $600+ price tag is painful. Reading is still super essential to me and on the road, libraries will be hard to find. I also can’t carry 100 books with me, it’s just not feasible in such a small space. For now my Kindle is taking care of my reading needs.

That’s my tech setup. What are your favorite techie tools?

love,
melanie

Unconventional Lifestyle Blogs

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

I get periodically obsessed with things. I’ll only want to eat mushrooms for two weeks or I’ll want to obsessively learn about making soap. Anyone else the same way? No? Ok. Just me, eating mushrooms and making soap for two weeks until I’m on the the next fascination.

Anyway, this past week or so, I’ve been doing a lot of personal research into alternative or unconventional ways of living. I hope it’s not just a passing phase because unconventional ways of living are fascinating– especially since I live pretty unconventionally, myself. It’s got me dreaming of becoming a full-time traveler or homesteader or a traveling homesteader. Can you be both?!

Here’s a few of my favorite resources I’ve found so far:

The Art of Nonconformity
On the Art of Nonconformity, Chris writes about about personal development and life planning, with the conviction that you don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to;  entrepreneurship and other kinds of unconventional work, with the belief that the work we do should be both fun and meaningful; and  international travel, travel hacking in general, and his journeys to more than 25 countries every year.

The Modern Nomad
Gustav Andersson worked a 9-5 job for five years and realized that he was slowly stagnating into a comfortable routine — a personal nightmare of his. So he quit his job, sold his flat and walked away from the well-trodden streets of London to begin life as a modern-day nomad.

Nomadic Matt
Matt’s story is similar to most of our stories. We have the 9-5 with the 2 weeks of vacation per year. But a trip to Thailand on his measly 9-5 vacation changed him. He met five backpackers who showed him that he didn’t have to be tied down to a job and that he didn’t need to be rich to travel. After that trip, Matt went home, finished his MBA, quit his job, and set out on an adventure around the world. Matt is one of the foremost experts on travel hacking.

The Prairie Homestead
Jill ‘s journey with homesteading started with a compost pile. She currently lives on  67 acres of Wyoming prairie and blogs about returning to your roots of self-sufficiency and simple living, whether you live on a sprawling ranch or in a high-rise apartment.

Wayward Spark
Camille lives in Oregon with her husband and two little kids in an off-the-grid, tiny cabin. On her blog, she shares her honest experiences of modern day homesteading.

I’ll share some of my favorite Airstream travel blogs soon. I want to hear about your favorite unconventional lifestyle blogs in the comments!

Obsessively researching until then.
love,
melanie

 

The Hazards of Owning an Airstream

I thought it might be funny (and informative?) to detail some of the unexpected and slightly expected hazards we experienced when fixing up the Airstream.

My hand swollen to about double its normal size.

My hand swollen to about double its normal size.

1. Relentless bug bites

When waxing the Airstream I forgot to put on bug spray and got 4 mosquito bites on one hand. It swelled up like a ballon. Tip: Keep bug spray in the trailer while you are working on it.

Sad because he's itchy.

Sad because he’s itchy.

2. Severe Poision Ivy

George had to clear some land for us to park the airstream on for the time being. He got the worst case of poison ivy I’ve ever seen. Seriously, it should have been in a medical book. Tip: Work in an area without poison ivy or get a goat to gobble up the poison ivy/oak/sumack.

Wasps in a frenzy3.  The critters

So.Many.Spiders, (several) mice, wasps. We pretty much saw every critter possible either in the trailer or make an attempt to infiltrate the trailer. The wasps particularly loved trying to make a home in the trailer’s little openings. Tip: Spray all the Airstream’s crevices inside and out with bug spray or use homemade remedies as soon as you. It’s easier to prevent the critters than clean them out.

Airstream

4. The inescapable heat

Working on or in a reflective surface in July in the south. You can imagine. Tip: If I had all the time in the world, I probably would have worked on the Airstream in the fall. If I had all the money in the world, I would have worked on the Airstream in a garage. Climate control.

 

One of the best purchases we made.

One of the best purchases we made.

5. The mold

Airstreams and RVs in general are notorious for leaking and getting moldy. Even the walls in trailer were covered in mildew. Tip: Make sure you get to the bottom of the mold. It may require ripping up floors or furniture. It’s worth peace of mind to know it is clean and mold-free. Also, make sure you reseal all the windows and the door. Since we live in the humid south, we also took it once step further and bought a dehumidifier to keep the humidity down inside the trailer.

The Porcelain Throne

The Porcelain Throne

6. The poop

Let’s just say I’ve learned more about plumbing and septic in the last two months than I learned in the last 27 years. Tip: Read forum advice and (although I kind of hate saying this as a librarian) Google it!

Owning an Airstream isn’t always glamorous, but it’s an education. And it’s fun.

love,
melanie

A Faster Progression: Airstream Update

DSC_1143

How long does it take to get paint out of one’s hair? I still have paint in my hair from two weeks ago and I’m doubtful that it will ever come out. It took way more coats of paint to cover the walls than we expected. We had to use a primer, two base coats and a top coat to cover the icky, dated walls. But at least now the airstream now has a floor and painting is complete. We also installed a “real” toilet. No creepy camper potties for us! (TMI?) Anyway, what I’m trying to say is “we made some serious headway, people.”

If anyone is curious, we ended up using Kilz Premium as the primer, Valspar Contractor Finishes 2000 in Ultra White as the base coat and Valspar Paint and Primer in Ultra White as the top coat. We also put a coat of Kilz on the floor before we laid it to ensure the floor was sealed. If you can’t tell, I want the Airstream’s interior to be as bright white as possible.

Bed Build ProgressOur budget is getting a little tight as we are progressing through this project. Flooring is expensive! We chose laminate flooring to keep the cost down and keep the airstream light in case we ever wanted to tow it. And again, we had to buy much more paint than I ever imagined. It can be cheap, fast or good, but it can’t be all three– is that how the saying goes? Le sigh.

bathroom in airstreamWe’ll definitely be reusing old lumber from previous projects and trolling Craigslist for free stuff. My friend already found us a 3/4 size fridge for $75 bucks on Craigslist and I’m hoping to score a few more steals! (Gabby, you are awesome!)

Does anyone have any tips for acquiring free fabric or lumber? I need both! Let’s hear them in the comments!

love,
melanie

Airstream: The Before

before1

For the last few weeks George and I have been trying to agree on a name for our 1978 Airstream Sovereign. Bombshell Betty, The Stream Machine, El Enmascarado de Plata. None of the names have stuck. If anyone has any suggestions for a name for our future home, I’d love to hear it in the comments!

In the meantime, I snapped these “before” pictures. Get Clinton and Stacy in here because it he she is in serious need of a makeover.

 

before2

 

before3

 

before5

 

before6There she blows! Is that saying appropriate? I don’t know. I’ve lost my mind thinking about how much work we have to put into our new home before it is livable.

Believe it or not, the pictures are more flattering than the actual product. The carpet looks way worse in person and there is a distinct wet dog smell– dampness is a problem common in older airstreams.  She has also been sitting for the last 4 years without much attention, so we’re hoping a little lot of love will help.

When we bought her, we knew she was going to be a huge gamble and a hell of a lot of work. But I don’t know if we actually realized the time it is going to take to fix her up. We’ve got a list a mile long and it keeps growing!

Despite our growing to-do list, and I don’t want to jinx it, but I still feel fairly calm about it all. Talk to me in June when my new job starts and our home isn’t fixed, then we’ll see how I feel!

Any tips or names for our big beauty queen? Leave ’em in the comments!

love,
melanie