Thrifty Travel Tips

Happy hump day, fellow nerds! It's been a while since I posted, primarily because I've been editing my thesis proposal nonstop. Since it's a rainy day and I have a lot of desk work today, I figured I'd take a break to day dream about my vacation with S to Puerto Rico and share some travel tips that we've learned over the years:

A few photos from our trip!

We had a great time in Puerto Rico and I think we were able to enjoy the trip without breaking the bank. So here are our thoughts:

1.)   Choose home rentals over hotels. While a lot of hotels are pricing competitively with the emerging market share industry of home rentals, I’m still getting amazing deals from renting homes. We usually go to AirBnB for our rentals.

2.)   Use budget airfare apps and websites.  S and I used Hopper to get to Puerto Rico for less than $250 roundtrip per ticket.

3.)   Make your own meals. This will be perfect if you rent a place with a kitchen. S and I eat either one or no meals out when we stay in a place with cooking capacity. We usually eat an easy hot breakfast (e.g. eggs, toast, tea, etc.) and we have sandwiches for lunch. It’s amazing how much not eating out makes a difference in a budget.

4.)   Do the free stuff. When I visit a new place, I love exploring and seeing as much of the place as I can. Now that I’m on a budget, I’m realizing that a lot of activities (and in my opinion the most interesting stuff) are free! Outdoor activities like swimming, hiking, or biking are usually pretty cheap with the right gear. Museums often have suggested donations and student discounts. Make a list of all the free and discounted stuff before you get there so you don’t feel unnecessary pressure to blow cash when you’re in the middle of it.

5.)   Visit friends. As someone who deeply values building long-term relationships, I care about keeping in touch with friends and family no matter how far and wide they spread. That means that my door is always open to them, and it also means that I usually prioritize visiting places where my friends and family have moved. A convenient part of visiting friends means that you may not have to pay for a place to stay if they have the room. More than that, it’s a unique experience to catch up with old friends in a new place and to learn about the place they now call home.

6.)   Get TSA Pre-check and/or Global Entry. For $85, you get to forego long lines and you don’t need to take off shoes and whatever else. It’s worth the time you save, so that you don’t have to go to the airport early just to wait in long lines.

7.)   Invest in ear plugs, eye covers, and a neck doughnut. Our budget plane trips often lead to red eye flights, but it’s amazing how easy it is to sleep upright with a few gadgets.

So good luck with your travel plans and let me know if you have any questions or suggestions in the comment section below!

Active Rain Gear

Happy Labor Day guys! My weekend has been lovely so far, but I’m preparing for some wet days ahead because my advisor would like me to go out and sample some wells in the middle of Tropical Storm Hermine. So, in preparation, I've been going through some photos of my time in Maine with my Dad and S, and I realized that it tends to be really tricky to prepare for rain. It can dampen anyone's camping plans, and it can be especially difficult to stay dry if you’re being active outside.

For my trip to Maine, even though the weather forecast predicted almost zero percent chance of rain, I decided to pack a few things just in case, and I'm so glad I did! Because, of course, the Maine weather completely flipped and we ended up getting several full days of rain. So I was really glad I brought a few things with me. Here’s an outfit I wore one day:

That day turned out to be pretty chilly with on-and-off rain, so I’m glad I had my three-season North Face rain jacket. I originally got it at Nordstrom Rack for about $50; I couldn't find any comparative online pricing but NR's online store still has a steep discount. It has so many great features, like the fact that it is basically two jackets in one! Each layer connects to the other, but can be worn separately. The inner puffy shell creates warmth on those cold, rainy days, but I can always wear it without the outer waterproof jacket. Vice versa, if it’s a warmer day, I can wear the waterproof layer by itself, which is what I decided to do on that rainy day in Maine.

My pants from that day are also from North Face (I got them for something like $30 at Nordstrom Rack - this is the closest sale I could find online). I like them because they’re really loud, which means you’re very easy to spot in potentially dangerous situations, like bike riding on a busy road or out hiking near or during hunting season. I also like them because, though they’re not waterproof, they breath really well, which is nice on humid, rainy days.

That day, after a hike, we were just hanging around Bar Harbor, grabbing some lobster rolls and seeing a movie. But, most days I’m outside in the rain, I usually wear an outfit like this. And I’d offer a few tips for dealing with wet and wild days:

1.)    Invest in a waterproof jacket. For me, enjoying a rainy day outside really depends on keeping my core warm and dry.

2.)    Wear non-cotton bases. I often do not wear waterproof pants, though I hear a lot of people prefer them. Instead, I’m happy let my legs get a bit soggy in spandex or nylon-based materials because I prefer unrestricted movement and I feel like most rain pants feel bulky. No matter the preference, stick to non-cotton bases so that your body can regulate its temperature as best as possible. Plus, I kind that non-cotton materials are often water-repellant anyway!

3.)    Find a solid pair of waterproof hiking boots. Even though I’m fine with soggy legs, I must absolutely have dry feet, so it’s important for me to have waterproof boots. I’ve noticed that dry feet also prevent nasty blisters, so I’d highly recommend finding boots like these that are waterproof.

4.)    Prioritize the parts of the body that make you feel happiest when they’re dry. Rain gear tends to be bulky or difficult to move in, unfortunately. So I often find that I’m happy to go “waterproof-free” on a few things, like my pants, just so I have more physical flexibility.

5.)    Be ready to get a little soggy. For me, I’ve noted that it’s important not to get alarmed if a bit a water does somehow end up getting into my clothes. Especially on windy days, even with waterproof clothes, rain has a knack for getting up sleeves and down collars. So I prepare for that, and I a) try to have a towel and a change of dry clothes nearby, and b) don’t let a soggy bottom bum me out.

So good luck with all your puddle stomping adventures, and wish me luck too!