How do you do it??
Jun 10th, 2003, 09:34 AM
#21
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You've gotten great advice from some of the old coggers that frequent this site. I might only add that you have to set yourself some travel priorities too. Being young and single, you're able take a chance and travel to some of the more "dangerous" areas of the world if you can figure out how to finance your trips. Once your married with children, the focus of your vacations change; beaches, cabins, and probably way too much time at theme parks if you're typical. When the kids go to college, you find yourself on a treadmill trying to earn money as fast as they can spend it with little vacation dollars left other than those used traveling for college visits and parent weekends. Finally the dog dies and the last kid leaves home; you're free to travel again, or are you? My husband and I find ourselves flying on separate airlines when we travel so that we don't leave our twenty-something kids with the responsibility of aging grandparents. What I'm really trying to say here is that you have travel opportunities now that you may not enjoy again for another forty years, so go for it!
Jun 10th, 2003, 09:40 AM
#22
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We don't have a boat, four-wheelers, or other toys. We've lived in the same house for 14 years. Vacations are what we live for, so that is where our money goes.
We just got back from two weeks out west visiting national parks. Did the same for two weeks last year in the Southwest. Both trips ran about $200 a day. We stay in Comfort Inns or Best Westerns. Not the fanciest places, but pretty nice for the little time we actually spend in the motel. We belong to both chains hotel clubs and end up getting one free night each vacation. We also have an electric cooler that plugs into the cigarette lighter that we keep drinks and sandwich food in for lunch. Between continental breakfasts and picnic lunches, the only meal we pay for is supper. Plus, the electric cooler is much classier to "schlepp" through the hotel lobby than plastic grocery bags
We just got back from two weeks out west visiting national parks. Did the same for two weeks last year in the Southwest. Both trips ran about $200 a day. We stay in Comfort Inns or Best Westerns. Not the fanciest places, but pretty nice for the little time we actually spend in the motel. We belong to both chains hotel clubs and end up getting one free night each vacation. We also have an electric cooler that plugs into the cigarette lighter that we keep drinks and sandwich food in for lunch. Between continental breakfasts and picnic lunches, the only meal we pay for is supper. Plus, the electric cooler is much classier to "schlepp" through the hotel lobby than plastic grocery bags
Jun 10th, 2003, 09:42 AM
#23
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Focus on what's important.
Believe me, family, friends, work, home -- these are some of the things that are much more important than travelling for travelling sakes.
Yes, we learn (or at least we should) learn things as we travel.
But "home" -- that's what life is all about.
Jun 10th, 2003, 10:04 AM
#25
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austinite,
i know the feeling, having been in the same situation a few years ago. my suggestion, start slow. for now, commit to do one international trip with a friend. plan for it 6-12 months in advance. ask for the vacation time early, save your money, and research for the best bargains to make what little you have count. choose a place that's easy on the wallet, but still gives you the ultimate travel experience. once you figure out the tricks to traveling for less you'll be able to do a lot more.
my first international trip after school was thailand. we took the cheapest cattle car flight we could find, stayed in modest accomodations, and ate amazing food for less than you pay for a cup of coffee here. we met tons of other people our age doing the same thing and had a blast. as for the rest of the year, road trips and long weekends in groups (to share expenses) were the key to travel.
i know the feeling, having been in the same situation a few years ago. my suggestion, start slow. for now, commit to do one international trip with a friend. plan for it 6-12 months in advance. ask for the vacation time early, save your money, and research for the best bargains to make what little you have count. choose a place that's easy on the wallet, but still gives you the ultimate travel experience. once you figure out the tricks to traveling for less you'll be able to do a lot more.
my first international trip after school was thailand. we took the cheapest cattle car flight we could find, stayed in modest accomodations, and ate amazing food for less than you pay for a cup of coffee here. we met tons of other people our age doing the same thing and had a blast. as for the rest of the year, road trips and long weekends in groups (to share expenses) were the key to travel.
Jun 10th, 2003, 10:40 AM
#26
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In May we travelled to Yosemite. After checking into the Lodge, we took a walk and found two young men in one of the parking lots, cooking pasta on a Bunson burner. They had hiked the Falls that day and were excuberant. Their accomodations was an open bed truck and sleeping bags. They were having a blast and I'm sure will always have good memories of their trip. Since they were both 21 ;-), we went back to our room and brought them each a glass of good red pasta wine.
Jun 10th, 2003, 11:12 AM
#27
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Budget and live within your means.
I'm middle income, single with a dog and 2 cats. Could afford to live someplace more expensive but have chosen an average apt. complex for now. This gives me the ability to go someplace 1 weekend a month (maybe 3 or 4 day trip if vacation time allows) and twice a year I take 2 week long vacations. Almost 2 more years to go till I get that 3rd week of vacation. Our vacation stinks but its a pretty good place to work.
To be honest though my BF and I share the vacation expenses. I also live in the same apt. complex as his mom so that she can watch my dog while I'm out of town. (she doesn't drive) My dog is as close to grandkids as she is gonna get (for the next forseeable future anyways) so she doesn't complain!
It is difficult but with some careful planning and resolve it can be done. Especially if your not picky and don't require fancy hotels all the time!
I'm middle income, single with a dog and 2 cats. Could afford to live someplace more expensive but have chosen an average apt. complex for now. This gives me the ability to go someplace 1 weekend a month (maybe 3 or 4 day trip if vacation time allows) and twice a year I take 2 week long vacations. Almost 2 more years to go till I get that 3rd week of vacation. Our vacation stinks but its a pretty good place to work.
To be honest though my BF and I share the vacation expenses. I also live in the same apt. complex as his mom so that she can watch my dog while I'm out of town. (she doesn't drive) My dog is as close to grandkids as she is gonna get (for the next forseeable future anyways) so she doesn't complain!
It is difficult but with some careful planning and resolve it can be done. Especially if your not picky and don't require fancy hotels all the time!
Jun 10th, 2003, 11:19 AM
#28
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We couldn't afford to take a decent trip until we were in our early thirties as buying a house was the first priority. Now our income has gone up while the house payment has gone down (thanks to lower interest rates. Much of this surplus money goes towards travel. We could have bought a larger house or expensive cars but we want to keep our fixed expenses relatively low so that we have the money to travel three to four times a year.
Jun 10th, 2003, 11:26 AM
#29
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There's lots of good advice in these posts no matter how you want to approach travel. I've always believed that our lives, with few exceptions, are the result of the choices we make every day.
If you want to maximize your chosen career and that does not allow the kind of traveling you want, then traveling takes a back seat at least for awhile. On the other hand, there are quite a number of careers that involve extensive travel. If travel is your priority, maybe you should consider changing careers.
I've been able to do a huge amount of travling because I chose a second career that involved almost constant travel all over the US. Not only did I get to do that travel but I built up huge frequent flyer balances that allowed me to travel on my own even further afield. That choice, too, had its consequnces and side effects so you have to chose what is important to you.
If you want to maximize your chosen career and that does not allow the kind of traveling you want, then traveling takes a back seat at least for awhile. On the other hand, there are quite a number of careers that involve extensive travel. If travel is your priority, maybe you should consider changing careers.
I've been able to do a huge amount of travling because I chose a second career that involved almost constant travel all over the US. Not only did I get to do that travel but I built up huge frequent flyer balances that allowed me to travel on my own even further afield. That choice, too, had its consequnces and side effects so you have to chose what is important to you.
Jun 10th, 2003, 11:30 AM
#30
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Austinite,
I've been doing the poor, single traveller thing for the last year. I've made it to Europe at least once, as well as a domestic trip each year.
1- I take money out of my paycheck and put it in a Money Market savings account, it earns higher interest.
2- I use a credit union instead of a bank, fewer fees
3- I ride my bike alot to save gas money
4- I pick & choose when I eat out, and try to go to less expensive ethnic restaurants (Thai, Mexican)
5- I travel off-season, but try to incorporate US 3 day holidays to extend my time
6- I work with my boss to get unpaid time off, so that if I don't have enough vacation time, I can still go, tho it does hurt the pocket book.
When travelling I figure out where I want plurges and try to compensate in other areas.
1- I often stay in a youth hostel, fabulous place for meeting folks when you're on your own, but they also tend to have bars & cafes with food & bevvies available at cheaper prices. If not a hostel, then a 1* - 2* hotel.
2- I try to eat my big meal in the middle of the day. Lunch prices are lower than dinner prices.
3- I carry my own water and snacks
4- I cut back on the booze, it's a spendy habit.
Hope these suggestions help.
I've been doing the poor, single traveller thing for the last year. I've made it to Europe at least once, as well as a domestic trip each year.
1- I take money out of my paycheck and put it in a Money Market savings account, it earns higher interest.
2- I use a credit union instead of a bank, fewer fees
3- I ride my bike alot to save gas money
4- I pick & choose when I eat out, and try to go to less expensive ethnic restaurants (Thai, Mexican)
5- I travel off-season, but try to incorporate US 3 day holidays to extend my time
6- I work with my boss to get unpaid time off, so that if I don't have enough vacation time, I can still go, tho it does hurt the pocket book.
When travelling I figure out where I want plurges and try to compensate in other areas.
1- I often stay in a youth hostel, fabulous place for meeting folks when you're on your own, but they also tend to have bars & cafes with food & bevvies available at cheaper prices. If not a hostel, then a 1* - 2* hotel.
2- I try to eat my big meal in the middle of the day. Lunch prices are lower than dinner prices.
3- I carry my own water and snacks
4- I cut back on the booze, it's a spendy habit.
Hope these suggestions help.
Jun 10th, 2003, 11:32 AM
#31
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Hi Austinite...
I'm 30, so obviously still pretty young, but I have made travel a priority.
When I started my career, I was paid nearly nothing, and of course just got the two standard weeks of vacation. I knew I wanted to travel, so my strategy to start traveling was to not take any vacation at all.
My company allowed us to accumulate up to 4 weeks before we maxed out. So for the first two-three years, I didn't go anywhere. Any bonus money I got, went straight into a travel fund.
In year three, I had quite a bit of vacation time, and cash saved up, so I took my first big trip abroad and did Paris and London. I continued to save every penny, making sure to replenish the fund (much easier to do once it had gotten started) and my vacation time kept piling on. In year 4, I took three weeks and went to Australia. In year 5, two weeks to Ireland.
I finally made the ultimate decision almost into year six! This past November I turned 30, and quit my job. Using this board and eurotrip.com, I researched carefully how to travel (and travel cheaply) and backpacked Europe for 4 months (it had intended to be a 2 month trip, but I got hooked). I got to see 11 beautiful countries, and don't regret leaving my job.
As the others have said, traveling is a passion, and can take a bit of sacrifice if you want to do a ton of it. Quitting my job took some strategy and money saving. I met a guy who quit his job, sold ALL his stuff, and traveled on a "round the world" ticket for a year. I myself do not own a house, am single, and don't have much to my name. While all my other friends had nice clothes and other things, I wore my stuff until it was out of fashion.
Continue to read travel books, articles, and this board to dream, dream, dream! And of course, save all your can...your time will come soon!
I'm 30, so obviously still pretty young, but I have made travel a priority.
When I started my career, I was paid nearly nothing, and of course just got the two standard weeks of vacation. I knew I wanted to travel, so my strategy to start traveling was to not take any vacation at all.
My company allowed us to accumulate up to 4 weeks before we maxed out. So for the first two-three years, I didn't go anywhere. Any bonus money I got, went straight into a travel fund.
In year three, I had quite a bit of vacation time, and cash saved up, so I took my first big trip abroad and did Paris and London. I continued to save every penny, making sure to replenish the fund (much easier to do once it had gotten started) and my vacation time kept piling on. In year 4, I took three weeks and went to Australia. In year 5, two weeks to Ireland.
I finally made the ultimate decision almost into year six! This past November I turned 30, and quit my job. Using this board and eurotrip.com, I researched carefully how to travel (and travel cheaply) and backpacked Europe for 4 months (it had intended to be a 2 month trip, but I got hooked). I got to see 11 beautiful countries, and don't regret leaving my job.
As the others have said, traveling is a passion, and can take a bit of sacrifice if you want to do a ton of it. Quitting my job took some strategy and money saving. I met a guy who quit his job, sold ALL his stuff, and traveled on a "round the world" ticket for a year. I myself do not own a house, am single, and don't have much to my name. While all my other friends had nice clothes and other things, I wore my stuff until it was out of fashion.
Continue to read travel books, articles, and this board to dream, dream, dream! And of course, save all your can...your time will come soon!
Jun 10th, 2003, 11:34 AM
#32
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Traveling is one of our primary priorities so we budget accordingly. We use a freguent-stay credit card(Holiday Inn) for everything and get many free nights each year.
Two ways we save:
1. FOOD. LOW priority for us. We don't travel to find the best restaurants; we can find great restaurants in our own backyard! We travel to explore, experience and make memories with our kids and / or friends. Free bfst at hotels and picnic lunches, packing snacks and soda/ bottled water save ALOT.
2. We stay in moderate to budget lodging, unless in a nat'l park or somewhere very special. (For example, being oceanfront on the pacific for a night). Plus, i have enough business meetings in hotel-convention centers; seeing suits on vacation is depressing!
Good budgeting and cutting corners facilitates 3-4 weeks away each summer and a week during spring break.
Jun 10th, 2003, 11:54 AM
#34
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crazymina:
What are you doing now??? Did you go back to working again??? I'd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to do that!!!!!!!!
Everyone always asks us how we can travel 2-3 times a year. I always answer that we have nothing besides our house which was 1/8 of the price of what all our friend's homes cost!! We have fixed it up all BY OURSELF! It is a lot of work, but we have saved a nice chunck of money in our savings account, so we can travel. We also don't have 8 million kids, either. Like I said, we may have one, but he/she will go with us to experience all he/she can of the world! People say I'm selfish for living my life this way, but I don't think I am. It is after all my life! I LOVE to travel. I have so many fond memories of the places I've been. In fact, just last night I was looking at our pictures from our last trip!
Travel really doesn't have to cost a fortune if you know what you're doing. Planning is half the fun of traveling. I always tell my hubby we don't know what tomorrow will bring, so we have to live for today. He's worrying right now about possibly getting laid off from his job. We're scared, but even if he does I guess that's what we've been saving for. If that's the case, travel will be on hold till we can get back on our feet. That's why we live for today!
Tia
What are you doing now??? Did you go back to working again??? I'd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to do that!!!!!!!!
Everyone always asks us how we can travel 2-3 times a year. I always answer that we have nothing besides our house which was 1/8 of the price of what all our friend's homes cost!! We have fixed it up all BY OURSELF! It is a lot of work, but we have saved a nice chunck of money in our savings account, so we can travel. We also don't have 8 million kids, either. Like I said, we may have one, but he/she will go with us to experience all he/she can of the world! People say I'm selfish for living my life this way, but I don't think I am. It is after all my life! I LOVE to travel. I have so many fond memories of the places I've been. In fact, just last night I was looking at our pictures from our last trip!
Travel really doesn't have to cost a fortune if you know what you're doing. Planning is half the fun of traveling. I always tell my hubby we don't know what tomorrow will bring, so we have to live for today. He's worrying right now about possibly getting laid off from his job. We're scared, but even if he does I guess that's what we've been saving for. If that's the case, travel will be on hold till we can get back on our feet. That's why we live for today!
Tia
Jun 10th, 2003, 11:54 AM
#35
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Austinite,
You've gotten lots of great advice here. You mentioned in your initial post "(I) often cannot afford to do what I want." Just out of curiosity, what is it you want to do? And how much do you think you can afford to put into whatever travel you want to do each year?
Obviously, an around-the-world cruise or something big like that is out of the question (cost and vacation time), but try to set your goals to something that's achievable with a little effort based on your current situation and your priorities. There's so much information available via the Internet on airfare and lodging deals, it's a lot easier now than ever to put together something that works for you.
Given that I know little about your situation, I'd recommend that you try to be as flexible as possible. When I was a few years into my career and the travel bug first bit me, I decided that the best use of my limited travel budget was to let the market help me decide where to spend my first big vacation. Instead of picking out a single destination and looking for an affordable way to get there, I waited for a deal to appear that'd get me somewhere interesting.
For me, that deal turned up in an ad for a $198 round-trip TWA special from Raleigh, NC to Europe. It didn't matter that I might have preferred a trip to Hawaii or somewhere else--Europe was one of the many places I'd never been but wanted to go to someday, and the deal was ridiculously cheap--hundreds upon hundreds of dollars below the going rate. As it turned out, the deal was so good that I had to fight through an hour of busy signals before getting through to TWA (pre-Internet days), and the deal was gone an hour or two after I booked my flight. I had a lot of fun after that in planning and taking the trip, and it pretty much got me hooked on travel. (Hmm--maybe considering the amount of money I've spent on travel after that trip got me hooked, it wasn't such a great deal. Ha.)
Anyway, Southwest can get you from Austin to most major areas of the U.S. for relatively little. Every Tuesday-Thursday, they offer specials good on 21-day advance bookings.
If you're looking at foreign travel, consider traveling in the shoulder season or off-season to save on airfares and to be able to spend time in places when they're not overrun with tourists. And you might want to sign up with the major airlines' Web sites so that anytime they offer a major deal, you'll immediately be aware of it.
For lodging, I like using Priceline (following the info on biddingfortravel.com). But there are lots of other options for saving here--staying with friends/family, hostels, home swaps, etc.
Anyway, I look forward to seeing what others have to say. I also hope you'll return and respond to the questions I asked in the first paragraph so that we'll all have a little more info to base our discussion on.
You've gotten lots of great advice here. You mentioned in your initial post "(I) often cannot afford to do what I want." Just out of curiosity, what is it you want to do? And how much do you think you can afford to put into whatever travel you want to do each year?
Obviously, an around-the-world cruise or something big like that is out of the question (cost and vacation time), but try to set your goals to something that's achievable with a little effort based on your current situation and your priorities. There's so much information available via the Internet on airfare and lodging deals, it's a lot easier now than ever to put together something that works for you.
Given that I know little about your situation, I'd recommend that you try to be as flexible as possible. When I was a few years into my career and the travel bug first bit me, I decided that the best use of my limited travel budget was to let the market help me decide where to spend my first big vacation. Instead of picking out a single destination and looking for an affordable way to get there, I waited for a deal to appear that'd get me somewhere interesting.
For me, that deal turned up in an ad for a $198 round-trip TWA special from Raleigh, NC to Europe. It didn't matter that I might have preferred a trip to Hawaii or somewhere else--Europe was one of the many places I'd never been but wanted to go to someday, and the deal was ridiculously cheap--hundreds upon hundreds of dollars below the going rate. As it turned out, the deal was so good that I had to fight through an hour of busy signals before getting through to TWA (pre-Internet days), and the deal was gone an hour or two after I booked my flight. I had a lot of fun after that in planning and taking the trip, and it pretty much got me hooked on travel. (Hmm--maybe considering the amount of money I've spent on travel after that trip got me hooked, it wasn't such a great deal. Ha.)
Anyway, Southwest can get you from Austin to most major areas of the U.S. for relatively little. Every Tuesday-Thursday, they offer specials good on 21-day advance bookings.
If you're looking at foreign travel, consider traveling in the shoulder season or off-season to save on airfares and to be able to spend time in places when they're not overrun with tourists. And you might want to sign up with the major airlines' Web sites so that anytime they offer a major deal, you'll immediately be aware of it.
For lodging, I like using Priceline (following the info on biddingfortravel.com). But there are lots of other options for saving here--staying with friends/family, hostels, home swaps, etc.
Anyway, I look forward to seeing what others have to say. I also hope you'll return and respond to the questions I asked in the first paragraph so that we'll all have a little more info to base our discussion on.
Jun 10th, 2003, 11:59 AM
#36
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We're pretty cheap when it comes to travelling as well, I'll search the net for months to find cheap accomodations, flights,etc... After a while, you start knowing when the best time is to buy tickets,etc...
I can't work (live in the US but I'm canadian) so my husband is the only breadmaker, but we still try to save some money for travelling. We went to Mexico a month ago, and we do weekend trips a few times a year, as well as visiting our families back in Canada.
The thing I find funny about this site, is that usually when I do a search on a destination, people are usually ONLY recommending the really expensive hotels (top of the line) that are $300 a night, and I'm wondering, how do they pay for this??? Even if I could afford it, I just couldn't justify paying $300 a night for a hotel room, unless you plan on staying there the whole day.
I can't work (live in the US but I'm canadian) so my husband is the only breadmaker, but we still try to save some money for travelling. We went to Mexico a month ago, and we do weekend trips a few times a year, as well as visiting our families back in Canada.
The thing I find funny about this site, is that usually when I do a search on a destination, people are usually ONLY recommending the really expensive hotels (top of the line) that are $300 a night, and I'm wondering, how do they pay for this??? Even if I could afford it, I just couldn't justify paying $300 a night for a hotel room, unless you plan on staying there the whole day.
Jun 10th, 2003, 12:34 PM
#37
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There sure is a lot of great advice here. I have always enjoyed travel. Some people collect stamps/coins, play golf every weekend, or do needlepoint as hobbies....my hobby is travel. It's all about priorities, austinite. Set your priorities, then adjust your lifestyle accordingly.
I'm getting married in October to a wonderful woman who also likes to travel. We've decided not to have kids. (Tia, there is NOTHING selfish about not having kids, regardless of what people say. Having kids is a lifestyle choice.) We travel at least one weekend a month and take a longer trip (1-2 weeks) once a year. We save money for this by not dining out all the time, not buying into all the latest fads and techno gadgets, and in my case, running my car into the ground...a 1991 Nissan 240SX...and believe me, I can certainly afford much more.
Austinite, you say you cannot take off from work. Why not? If your company won't let you, maybe you should find a new job. If you don't have much vacation time, then don't take any time off this year and save your vacation til next year. I work in consulting where there is always one excuse or another for telling people they can't take their vacation when they want to take it. "It's an important project", "the client won't be happy", and on and on. I learned long ago if I managed expectations properly, it was never an issue. Let them know well in advance when you are going, how long you will be gone, and who will be handling your work while your gone. Talk up your vacation plans with peers and the boss more and more as the time gets closer. When your planned vacation rolls around everyone and their mother will know where you are going and no one will dare to tell you can't go.
Take local weekend trips (driving distance) to start. Surely, there must be places you have been curious about that are close by? Use Priceline for hotels if you are not too concerned about where you stay. Sign-up for airline E-saver e-mails offering last minute savings on flights. Who cares that it isn't Hawaii or Europe? Pick the cheapest flight and go. Almost any place you visit you can find something fun or interesting to do for at least a few days. We spent last Labor Day weekend in North Dakota on our quest to hit all 50 states! People thought we were nuts for going there, but we had a memorable time. Go over to www.flyertalk.com for the best in frequent flyer and frequent guest program information and offers. Get a credit card that offers miles/points you can use when you travel.
Good luck!
I'm getting married in October to a wonderful woman who also likes to travel. We've decided not to have kids. (Tia, there is NOTHING selfish about not having kids, regardless of what people say. Having kids is a lifestyle choice.) We travel at least one weekend a month and take a longer trip (1-2 weeks) once a year. We save money for this by not dining out all the time, not buying into all the latest fads and techno gadgets, and in my case, running my car into the ground...a 1991 Nissan 240SX...and believe me, I can certainly afford much more.
Austinite, you say you cannot take off from work. Why not? If your company won't let you, maybe you should find a new job. If you don't have much vacation time, then don't take any time off this year and save your vacation til next year. I work in consulting where there is always one excuse or another for telling people they can't take their vacation when they want to take it. "It's an important project", "the client won't be happy", and on and on. I learned long ago if I managed expectations properly, it was never an issue. Let them know well in advance when you are going, how long you will be gone, and who will be handling your work while your gone. Talk up your vacation plans with peers and the boss more and more as the time gets closer. When your planned vacation rolls around everyone and their mother will know where you are going and no one will dare to tell you can't go.
Take local weekend trips (driving distance) to start. Surely, there must be places you have been curious about that are close by? Use Priceline for hotels if you are not too concerned about where you stay. Sign-up for airline E-saver e-mails offering last minute savings on flights. Who cares that it isn't Hawaii or Europe? Pick the cheapest flight and go. Almost any place you visit you can find something fun or interesting to do for at least a few days. We spent last Labor Day weekend in North Dakota on our quest to hit all 50 states! People thought we were nuts for going there, but we had a memorable time. Go over to www.flyertalk.com for the best in frequent flyer and frequent guest program information and offers. Get a credit card that offers miles/points you can use when you travel.
Good luck!
Jun 10th, 2003, 12:38 PM
#38
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DeborahB: Thanks! It was good fun.
Tia, I am in the process of returning to the adult world, i.e. looking for a job. Fortunately, the trip was paid in cash, so I am not stressed over debt and taking my time looking.
Barely 4 weeks home, and the travel bug is biting again. It's such an addiction, isn't it? I just want to feel my backpack on my shoulders again and go with the wind. So I've just succumbed and am doing a mini trip to Yosemite (never been!) and plan to hike around for a couple of days. Then back to being an "adult" again.
Fun thread...inspiring and great to get ideas!
Tia, I am in the process of returning to the adult world, i.e. looking for a job. Fortunately, the trip was paid in cash, so I am not stressed over debt and taking my time looking.
Barely 4 weeks home, and the travel bug is biting again. It's such an addiction, isn't it?
I just want to feel my backpack on my shoulders again and go with the wind. So I've just succumbed and am doing a mini trip to Yosemite (never been!) and plan to hike around for a couple of days. Then back to being an "adult" again.Fun thread...inspiring and great to get ideas!
Jun 10th, 2003, 12:46 PM
#39
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I understand just what you mean and where your are. I remember when I was your age and wanted to travel so bad it hurt but I had little vacation time and not much money. We took trips of a few days to the Smokies because it was close and we could afford short trips.
A little later, after a couple of pay increases, I remember that my wife, son, and I drove to Yellowstone from Ohio, and we camped in a tent for many nights because we could not afford a motel every night.
My son who is now 43 still remembers that trip. He was disappointed to see that the old camping area by the South Entrance along the Snake River was now a picnic ground. He remembers our first stop at Lewis Lake and the awful mosquitos that drove us away.
Even as I got older, money was a factor so Europe had to wait.
But, I worked hard, ensured my retirement through savings, and today, now post retirement, I can travel more.
There is an old saying that when you had the money, you did not have the time. Now that you have the time, you don't have the money. Don't let that happen if you can possibly prevent it.
The thing you are doing now that is smart is that you are preparing. When your time comes, you will be ready.
So plan, work for it, and your day will come. And you will enjoy it.
Not many of us have unlimited income, so you must prioritize.
A little later, after a couple of pay increases, I remember that my wife, son, and I drove to Yellowstone from Ohio, and we camped in a tent for many nights because we could not afford a motel every night.
My son who is now 43 still remembers that trip. He was disappointed to see that the old camping area by the South Entrance along the Snake River was now a picnic ground. He remembers our first stop at Lewis Lake and the awful mosquitos that drove us away.
Even as I got older, money was a factor so Europe had to wait.
But, I worked hard, ensured my retirement through savings, and today, now post retirement, I can travel more.
There is an old saying that when you had the money, you did not have the time. Now that you have the time, you don't have the money. Don't let that happen if you can possibly prevent it.
The thing you are doing now that is smart is that you are preparing. When your time comes, you will be ready.
So plan, work for it, and your day will come. And you will enjoy it.
Not many of us have unlimited income, so you must prioritize.
Jun 10th, 2003, 12:51 PM
#40
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As you are from Austin, Texas, could you perhaps give us some advice (we're from Ireland and want to see some of Texas) as to what is worth seeing in Texas. We travel in September this year. We had in mind Dallas, Houston and maybe San Antonio. Any opinions?
