Archive for the ‘Life and Travel’ Category

3 Things You Must Know About Traveling

By: MD | Date posted: October 20, 2011 (6:00 am)

“We need sometimes to escape into open solitudes, into aimlessness, into the moral holiday of running some pure hazard, in order to sharpen the edge of life, to taste hardship, and to be compelled to work desperately for a moment no matter what. ” — George Santayana.

Traveling is one of the greatest experiences. I highly recommend it to everyone, rich or poor, shy or outgoing. Traveling will expand your mind and show you that there’s simply so much to do out there. You just need to go into your travel experiences knowing a few things.

There are 3 things that you must know about traveling before you leave home:

#1: You’re not at home.

This heading may sound silly at first. When you think about it though it makes perfect sense. It doesn’t matter how cool you are at home (or the opposite) because you’re now in a new setting. It doesn’t matter what you do at home. It doesn’t matter how many friends you have back home.

What I’m getting at is that you can’t behave the same way you do at home when you’re on the road. You’re in a different world. Cultures are completely different around the world. Perfectly normal behavior can be taboo in other parts of the world. The onus is on you to realize that you’re out of your elements and in a new zone.

#2: You need to learn to adapt.

If you can’t adapt then you’re going to have a tough time traveling. If you can’t adapt at all in life you’re going to have a difficult time getting by.

The reason that you need to adapt rapidly is that you’re going to encounter completely new situations. For the first time ever you’re going to be inside of a grocery store where you don’t understand any of the labels. For the first time ever you might have to share a room with strangers. There will be many firsts when you travel.

A few of my first experiences that I had to adapt to while traveling through Europe last month were:

  • Sharing a room with multiple strangers.
  • Not knowing where to find food.
  • Trying to find a local gym.
  • Taking a bus for over 6 hours.
  • Not understanding the language.

Just like with personal finance, we all need to adapt. Times will change and circumstances will shift. If we don’t grow we will fall behind. There’s no fun in falling behind.

#3: You can make money anywhere in the world now.

I’m not going to turn this into a make money blogging sort of article. I will tell you that you that technology allows us to stay connected to the world at all times. Technology also opens up many gates for us to earn money. Simply put, there are many ways that you can make online now so that you can afford to maintain your travels for longer.

While my new friends spent their time on Facebook I was able to write articles and work on my online projects. The best part is that I almost love to write as much as I love to travel. I was able to do two things that I love simultaneously.

These are three things that everyone needs to know about traveling for the first time. Stay tuned until next week!

Check out the other articles from the Travel Like a Rockstar Series:

Can I Travel When I’m Not Rich?

4 Little Known Ways of Saving Money While Traveling.

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4 Little Known Ways of Saving Money While Traveling

By: MD | Date posted: October 13, 2011 (6:00 am)

Saving Money While TravelingLast week I addressed the whole issue of traveling when you’re not rich. A common myth in society for years has been the idea that only the rich can afford to travel. We all dream of traveling. We get excited about the thought of leaving home to see the world. Then we never do anything. Why’s this? We don’t think that we can afford to go home.

Here’s a news flash: traveling isn’t just for the rich any longer.

Today I wanted to share some practical tips that I picked up while spending a month travelling through Europe. These are things that I learned the hard way on my own. I hope that you learn from this and are able to start traveling. You don’t need to become a lifestyle design blogger or anything. You can just travel for cheap in your spare time or when you have a vacation coming up. Let’s look at 4 little known ways of saving money while traveling or when planning to go away for an extended period of time:

1. Consider going off-season.

You don’t need to go during the hot months on your next trip. Going on season costs so much more than it does going off season that I can’t even begin to fathom the numbers. I paid $800 for a ticket to Poland off season. During the middle of the summer this would’ve easily cost me $1,500 or so. The flight is usually the biggest expense of any trip. If you can cut back on the cost of the flight you’ll be smiling.

Going off season also means that I need to address the obvious issue of the differences in night life.

For those that are curious, you’ll always have a great time while traveling. It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is. When you go during a normal time of the year you’ll run into more locals and more long-term travellers. It’s just a different crowd. The party is fun as always.

2. Try taking night trains.

At home I never take trains because they sort of suck. Europe has the whole rail system figured out. You can go move around Europe very easily via train. If you want to save money while riding trains you can do so by taking advantage of the night trains.

I personally started to enjoy the night trains. Depending on the distance and the type of train you can have more fun on your commute than at your destination. Some trains are designed so that you’re in a room with a few other people. You never know who you can meet and how much fun you can have spending the whole night chatting with complete strangers. Give it a try.

You also save money with night trains because you don’t have to book a hostel for a night. If you’re totally exhausted you just pass out and wake up at your destination.

3. Prepare your own food for massive savings.

Whether you want to admit it or not food is usually the biggest expense. We all spend lots of money on food when on a trip. I won’t lie, food is my greatest expense. This is why I highly advice that you prepare your own food.

This might sound lame at first. You know, why would I cook while on vacation? It’s actually really fun, especially when staying at a hostel. Cooking is a sweet group activity and it allows you to save money while eating well.

Are you ready to cook your own food?

4. Go with the flow.

If you’re not open minded then you shouldn’t even bother with traveling. Being open minded will save you money because this will determine where you stay, how you travel, and how you react to things. I was able to have a blast on a budget because I knew not to complain about anything. I ran into many miserable travellers. They would complain about the most minor issues. I don’t even know why they even bothered leaving home.

If you follow these four tips I guarantee you that you can save a good amount of change on your next trip abroad. Drink a cold one for me!

Are there any strategies that you’ve used to save money on traveling in the past? Don’t be shy and join the discussion below…

(photo credot: markstopover_002)

Can I Travel When I’m Not Rich?

By: MD | Date posted: October 06, 2011 (6:00 am)

Can I Travel When I'm Not Rich?

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” — Anatole France

Is traveling only for rich people? Can a poor college graduate get some traveling done?

We finished off with the small savings series last week where I put up a big list of small savings. We’re now moving forward with a series on traveling and all of that fun stuff. Just to give you a little background information. I returned from a month long trip to Europe last week and I wanted to address the concern of not being able to afford to travel in your 20s.

Can I travel in my 20s when I’m not rich? Yes. Let’s see how. How can you travel when your budget is tight?

Plan in advance.

My best advice is to look at flight/hostel/hotel prices in advance to see what the prices are like in ahead of time during different time periods. I determined that it would be far too expensive to travel during the summer months. This is why I decided to head out in September instead. Chances are that you won’t be able to afford to go during the busiest time periods. That’s cool.

Did I mention that I still had a blast off season? There’s more locals and less tourists. You also meet more of the long-term travelers. Definitely worth the experience. Just by planning in advance and finding cheaper flights/accommodations you can travel when you’re not rich.

Go to places you can afford.

When I was in Budapest it was about $1 for a beer when you did the conversion. The stay at the hostel I was at was costing me about $17/night. The price of a decent meal was roughly less than five bucks depending on where you went to eat. This is highly affordable for most of us. The trick with planning any sort of first time long distance trip is to figure out where you can afford to go.

For your first trip post-college you won’t be able to afford a stay in Milan, Italy or a month in Thailand (due to insane flight prices). Most of us can afford a trip through Eastern Europe or other places on this planet where the prices aren’t through the roof. If you go to places that you can afford then of course you can afford to travel (what a statement, eh?).

Save up slowly.

You don’t have to come up with two grand in one shot. You should start to save up slowly for your trip. You can’t plan on leaving for Greece next weekend. If you plan to go in 6 months then you can totally afford to go hit up the Greek islands and party until 7 in the morning baby!

I’m a huge supporter of saving up slowly for your next trip. You can start off with $20 a week or more depending on how extravagant you want your trip to be and when you plan on heading out. I took $20 from a friend of mine every week until we could afford to hit up the Dominican for Spring Break. He was pretty damn happy that he agreed to this. As were the young ladies that he met.

Look for work abroad.

The best way to travel for any extended period of time is to find some part-time work. You won’t make a fortune but you’ll immerse yourself in the culture. You’ll get to meet some local folks and you’ll extend the duration of your trip. The more money you earn on your trip the less that you have to save in advance. It’s worth giving a try!

These are just a few of the ways that you can afford to plan a decent trip when you’re pockets are empty. I’m positive that if you get creative you can think of a few more ideas.

I want to conclude this post by asking you this question: when do you plan on starting your travels? Is money holding you back?

(photocredit: earthworm)

What is the Right Age to Buy our First Home?

By: Kristina | Date posted: August 01, 2011 (7:30 am)

Good Morning Green Panda Readers.  Happy Civic Holiday to (some of) our Canadian Readers. Today we are discussing the right time to buy our first home.  Homeownership is definitely a privilege and not a right.  Not everyone can afford to buy a home, and not everyone is responsible enough to own their first home. Before we decide to buy a home we should definitely research home ownership to get all of the relevant information, get information regarding the process of buying our first home so we know what to expect, and go over our finances to make sure that we can afford to buy our first home.

In an ideal world the right age to buy our first home is when we have saved enough money to pay for our down payment, moving expenses, and closing costs.  However, the reality is that not everyone who can save money is responsible enough to buy a home.  And in more cases, not everyone can afford the continuing expenses that come with homeownership.

Buying our first home is a big commitment and we should be both mentally and monetary prepared for the responsibility that comes with buying a home.  Just because we can afford to buy our first home doesn’t mean that we should.

 

The Pros of Buying a Home in our Twenties

Buying a home can be a good investment.  However we have to make the commitment to stay in the home for several years and allow the value to increase over time.

We will learn financial responsibility.  Buying our first home may be the biggest expense that we will ever have.  Even if we aren’t totally ready, we will quickly learn how to budget our income as well as become financial responsible.

It Gives Us Freedom and Independence.  Once we move out of our parents home and into our own home or condo our parents can never again use the phrase “As long as you live under my roof, you will live by my rules.” In our own home we make the rules (and break the rules) as we see fit.

The Cons of Buying a Home in our Twenties

There are a lot of reoccurring expenses that come with buying our first home. Buying a Home is not a one-time expense. This is why having money saved for the down payment is not enough of a reason to buy a home.  Property Taxes, heating costs, and electric bills can all add up to be very expensive.  We should also have an emergency fund in case of an unforeseen expense such as a new roof, replacing a water heater, or a plumbing mishap.

Buying a Home is a lot of work.  The upkeep of a home is enormous.  There is always something that needs to be repaired or something that can be improved.  People who own a home instead of rent an apartment tend to spend more money on the upkeep of their home because it is an expense.

Buying our first home a huge commitment. When we own a home we are committed to our home and to our mortgage. If we need to move or want a change of scenery we can’t just sublet our apartment or move out of our parent’s house. So many things are uncertain and unclear in our life during our twenties and owning a home may not give us the flexibility that we need.

Here are Previous Posts in the Investing Our Money in Our Twenties series:

Traditional Savings Accounts Are Boring!

You are only 20. So take some risk!

You Won’t Get Rich Overnight

How Much Money Do I Need To Buy My First Home?

 

Photo by Images of Money

How to Choose the Right Transportation: Car, Airplane, Train, or Bus?

By: Green Panda | Date posted: May 25, 2011 (5:00 am)

Are you ready for your next vacation? Besides picking a great destination, you may be wondering how you’re going to get there. You can either save or waste a lot of time or money depending on what you pick. Do you want to take a plane over or do you want to drive the scenic route? Looking at riding up a bus or do you want to be different and enjoy a peaceful train ride? There are many possibilities, each with their own pros and cons.

The Most Economic Mode of Transportation

I decided to plan a fictional round-trip to New York City, NY from Raleigh, NC for September to get an apples to apples comparison between the different modes of transportation. I’m using Priceline, Amtrak, Greyhound, and Google Maps to get my estimates. Perhaps it can help you decide on your next vacation.

Financial Costs

Honestly for many people if it’s too expensive, then you’re not going to consider it.

  • Car: The financial costs mainly depend if you’re going to use your own car or if you’re going to go with a rental car. For longer trips, we prefer using a rental. We use the Name Your Price on Priceline to keep it low and if it should break down, we can just turn it in and get another car. We don’t want to be stranded with a huge repair bill in a town we’re not familiar with. On Priceline, it would be $175 for the week plus gas. Driving to New York City also means paying for tolls along the way which adds to the total costs.
  • Airplane: You really have to hunt down to find a really good deal on plan tickets. Thankfully there are several sites that can help your track down some cheap tickets. On Priceline, it would be $336 each way for 2 adults and a baby for a total of about $670.
  • Train: Taking the train can a deal compared to flying, but it’s more expensive than the bus or a rental car many times. For Amtrak, it would be $165 each way for 2 adults and a baby for a total of about $330.
  • Bus: Taking a bus in many cases is the cheapest option, but not always. When looking at prices, I was surprised to see that Greyhound’s offer was higher than Amtrak’s. It’s $385 for the round trip.

I want to note that I haven’t included all the fees and taxes because for some options like a plane, you don’t really know until you make the actual purchase.

Time Costs

Besides how much it costs, you also have to factor in the time it takes to get to your vacation destination. It doesn’t do you much good if a big chunk of your trip is just getting there (unless that’s the plan).

  • Car: Car can be a long ride, but there is a lot of flexibility based on how you drive. Some people like taking the scenic route to break up the drive while others just want to get there. You have to see which is best for you. On Google Maps, the trip is estimated to be 9 hours.
  • Airplane: Many times, going by plane is the quickest option for us. The flight from Raleigh to New York City, for example, is about an hour and 45 minutes.
  • Train: Never ridden Amtrak, I had no idea of how long it would be to travel, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the trip to New York City would be around 10 hours.
  • Bus: My personal experience has been that taking the bus is the most time consuming option. On the other hand you can catch up on some reading while you’re riding. Greyhound’s average for the trip puts it at 15 hours.

Thoughts on Vacations

You have decide which mode of transportation is best for you. Before finding out we were going to be parents, I would choose taking a rental car. Unless the trip was extremely long or I found a fantastic deal with the airlines, I didn’t mind driving to our vacation spots.

Now though, I’m not so sure. On one hand plane tickets can cost a pretty penny, but shortening the travel time might be the way to go to keep stress down. I’m curious to see how others decide on how to deal with traveling with babies.

By the way, if you’re planning a vacation, don’t forget to check out some related posts on the topic here on GPT:

There’s also a wonderful post on cheap yet cool activities that will help you enjoy your next trip without breaking your budget. Wherever you go for your next vacation, I hope you enjoy it!

 

Cheap Places to Visit for Your Next Vacation

By: Green Panda | Date posted: May 18, 2011 (5:00 am)

Are you going on vacation this summer, but you’re a bit low on cash? Do you want to check out some great city attractions without going broke? I’d like to make a suggestion – take advantage of some of best museums on their free days.

Free Museum Days

Some people associate museums with boring places with only art hanging around, but there are some wonderful museums in the United States that offer more. If you’re into astronomy, then planetariums may be more your speed or perhaps you love aquariums. Being open to trying new places can enrich you and keep your wallet from being drained.

Start by deciding which major city you’d like to visit. Many of them have plenty of options with museums and some of them have some wonderful free or cheap deals. I decided to get you started by finding out what deals are currently out there now. Here are some museums that have free days around the country:

Boston

  • Fuller Craft Museum 455 Oak Street, Brockton, MA 02301 (508) 588-6000 Free Days Every Wednesday 5-9pm
  • Institute of Contemporary Art 100 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA 02210 (617) 478-3100 Free Days Every Thursday 5-9pm, last Saturday of every month for families
  • MIT Museum 265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 (617) 253-5927 Free Days Every Sunday 10am-12pm

Chicago

  • Adler Planetarium 1300 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605 (312) 922-7827 - Free Days June: 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 2011
  • The Art Institute of Chicago 111 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60603 (312) 443-3600 Free Days June: 1 & 8, all day
  • Chicago History Museum 1601 N. Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614 (312) 642-4600 Free Days June: 6, 13, 20 & 27
  • Shedd Aquarium 1200 S. Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605 (312) 939-2438 Free Days June: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 2011

Los Angeles

  • Griffith Observatory 2800 East Observatory Road, Los Angeles, CA 90027 (213) 473-0800 Always Free
  • Japanese American National Museum 369 East First Street Los Angeles, California 90012 (213) 625-0414 Free Days Every Thursday 5-8pm, third Thursday of every month
  • Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles 152 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 621-1745 Free Days Every Thursday 5-8pm
  • Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007 (213) 763-DINO Free Days First Tuesday of every month

New York City

  • Children’s Museum of Manhattan The Tisch Building, 212 West 83rd Street, New York, NY 10024 (212) 721-1223 Free Days First Friday of every month admission (from 5pm to 8pm)
  • El Museo del Barrio 1230 5th Ave @104 St, New York, NY 10029 (212)831-7272 Free Days Every third Saturday of each month and every Wednesday from 6pm-9pm
  • Museum of Modern Art 11 West 53 Street  New York, NY 10019 (212) 708-9400 Free Days Every Friday 4-8pm
  • Studio Museum in Harlem 144 West 125th Street New York, NY 10027 (212)864-4500 Free Days Every Sunday

San Francisco

  • Asian Art Museum 200 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 581-3500 Free Days First Sunday of every month
  • Cable Car Museum 1201 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 474-1887 Free Days First Sunday of every month
  • San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 151 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 357-4000 Free Days First Tuesday of every month
  • Tech Museum of Innovation 201 South Market St, San Jose, CA 95113 (408) 294-8324 Free Days Second Sunday of every month

It doesn’t hurt to go to your favorite museums website and see if they have a free day or a pay what you want offer. You may be surprised by the results. I would just want to remind you to call ahead and confirm the deals as they are subject to change.

Thoughts on Cheap Attractions Around the City

If you want some more ideas, there’s a recent post on cheap yet cool activities that will help you brainstorm. By the way, if you’re planning a vacation, don’t forget to check out some related posts on the topic here on GPT:

Wherever you go for your next vacation, I hope you enjoy it!

 

Staycation- Having Vacations at Home

By: Green Panda | Date posted: May 11, 2011 (5:00 am)

Have you’ve made plans for your next vacation yet? Will you try to rest and relax or are you looking to try new activities and see different locales? Unfortunately for some, no matter what their vacation goals are they may be hampered by their budget.

The good news is that there is a solution for that if you’re willing to try something different. Staycations can give you a way to have a great time without being hit by the typically high gas prices during the summer. It also has the bonus of saving you on time with transportation. That means you’ll have more money to direct towards activities that interest you.

Family Staycation – Fun and Frugal

You can save some significant amounts with staycations. MSNBC offered these numbers from AAA:

In its annual summer vacation survey, the American Automobile Association said the average North American vacation will cost $244 per day for two people for lodging and meals. The priciest destination will be Honolulu, where room and food for two adults will average $673 a day.

What can you do during a staycation? Whatever you would do if you were traveling away. Take the time to research your city. Look at your city’s tourist site to see if there are any activities that you want to try out. Have you’ve been to your local museums and art galleries? Have you tried all the best reviewed restaurants? Have you explored the parks in your area? We have a winery nearby that we’ve added on our to do list for example. We’ve also tried explore more of the city parks and have discovered some beautiful locations. As a note, even though you’re staying local, make sure you treat this like a typical vacation. Don’t let work call you in to cover for someone and don’t stay in contact with friends who may ruin your little getaway. It’s still your vacation and you need time away from them all.

Looking at Vacation Home Exchange

If staycations aren’t that exciting, but you want to stay in the same state or region, there is another option. Depending on how badly you’d like to have a change of scenery, you might want to try using a vacation home exchange. As the name suggests, you can swap homes with someone else. Think of it as a way of living in someone else’s shoes for a bit.

Thoughts on Staycation

Since I haven’t done a staycation, I’d like to ask your thoughts on them. How many of you have taken a staycation? What did you do? What was the best part of it? What was the worst part of it? What tips do you have on making the most of it? By the way, if you’re planning a vacation, don’t forget to check out some related posts on the topic here on GPT:

Wherever you go for your next vacation, I hope you enjoy it!

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