As many of you know, I recently traveled to New York City for a weekend of music at the Governor’s Ball and to taste a little summer in one of the coolest cities in the world. I even found peace in New York City. I think you can, too, no matter where you are headed. Wealthy and healthy, young and poor, broke and fabulous–whatever your financial situation is, I suggest you take the cheap route when you travel. You’ll get a lot more out of it. Here’s why:
1. You get to see life from the eyes of other people.
Before we made it to New York, my boyfriend and I did A LOT of research about where to stay. We trolled hotel listings, AirBnb, HostelWorld.com, and more. The latter two are great low-cost options! We eventually decided free was even better. We stayed with our friends who wanted us to stay with them from the get go. For whatever reason, we hesitated to accept their offer in the beginning. These two brothers live in the smallest apartment I could have possibly imagined. But they had a bed for us to lay in and company to offer.
Because we stayed with our friends, we got to see the world from their eyes. We got to experience the six flights of stairs they have to climb every day to get to their apartment. They showed us their secret rooftop and told stories about random parties they have up there. We had our own little parties almost every day and couldn’t get enough of the view. We also hung out on their tiny tiny fire escape balcony for no reason but to do it. We ate at their favorite bagel shop. They gave us pointers about how to get to and from our destinations. Though we didn’t mind the small space, we had extra motivation to explore more than we might have been if were were at a nice hotel.
2. You will see more.
When you are on a budget, you think more consciously about where and how you are going to spend your time. We took the train everywhere in New York. We took a cab only one time. Because of that, we really had to walk quite a bit. By doing so, we were able to see so many people, so many outfits, and so many sights. We saw the green light of the Empire State Building from so many different viewpoints. We fell in love with the mom hanging out with her baby a small coffee shop. I made a mental flip book full of the outfits worn by thousands of people. I might even go as far to say as we connected with everyone in some small way. We felt like we were locals by the end of the trip.
I had an agenda to meet my cousin and little cousins at some point during the trip. Instead of meeting for brunch somewhere, we asked to meet for lunch in a public park. We had the most delicious picnic. There was no cost to enter and no tips to calculate. We sat back and enjoyed the many families who call this park home. We soaked up the sun and each other. We could even see the Statue of Liberty without getting on a ferry.
3. You will find stillness more easily.
When you don’t have a bunch of expensive activities to make it to, you don’t really feel obligated to do any of them. We took every day as it came. We only had to make it to the shows we wanted to see and to the bus. Those were the only two times to acknowledge on our schedules for four days. We even missed getting on our first bus on the way there, but because we were taking a bus, it didn’t matter. We just went back home and slept until the next bus left. The bus stopped in DC, so we got off and took a little walk! Because, why not. We met this artist who creates paintings for the blind to feel. He also sold me lip gloss. Yes, my man gladly bought me lip gloss from a friendly artist hustler on the street.
We found ourselves simply sitting and looking around when we could. We soaked up the sites, the sounds, the smells, and each other. It was truly peaceful. That’s right: I found peace in New York City.
We have a lot of images, movie scenes, and other expectations in our minds when we travel to new places. Most of them are totally unrealistic. New Yorkers don’t go out for every meal. They don’t get dressed up every day. They do their laundry. They have to walk everywhere. They stop and eat cheap kebobs on the street for $3 because (delicious!) they are hungry. They get lost in conversation with their friends and almost run into you when they’re walking around SoHo. It’s not a runway or musuem. It’s a home for many people.
5. You get smarter.
When you set off on a trip to save money, you become a little smarter the next time you travel. You figure out what you do and don’t like. You figure out what you want to splurge on next time and what you want to skip. You learn how to budget for food each day. You learn more about your own comfort levels. You feel more comfortable using public transportation. You ask for help when you need it without concern of what other people think. You learn how to relax amidst chaos. You learn how to accept the nuances of other people as you invade their daily routines.
I hope to share more reflections and tips as I continue to travel around the globe and the States this summer. It’s going to be a fun year!
As many of you know, I recently traveled to New York City for a weekend of music at the Governor’s Ball and to taste a little summer in one of the coolest cities in the world. I even found peace in New York City. I think you can, too, no matter where you are headed. Wealthy and healthy, young and poor, broke and fabulous–whatever your financial situation is, I suggest you take the cheap route when you travel. You’ll get a lot more out of it. Here’s why:
When you set off on a trip to save money, you become a little smarter the next time you travel. You figure out what you do and don’t like. You figure out what you want to splurge on next time and what you want to skip. You learn how to budget for food each day. You learn more about your own comfort levels. You feel more comfortable using public transportation. You ask for help when you need it without concern of what other people think. You learn how to relax amidst chaos. You learn how to accept the nuances of other people as you invade their daily routines.
