“Realistically” being the key word…
I wanted this to be one of my first posts because people often ask me how I’m about to afford all my random trips around the world but truth be told I haven’t always been able to. I’m a person who often likes to live dangerously (unwisely) and needs to learn from her mistakes. Sometimes I’ve perfectly budgeted down to my last penny and it’s still backfired on me.
For example, I distinctly remember calling my mom from a bed-bug infested hostel in Singapore that I’d used my last dollar on, asking her to book me a new one online for my last two days in Asia before flying back to home to Montréal. It had been only $25USD to her but the world to me.
I wasn’t too proud to beg.
Or how about the time my tour bus driver stole my wallet in Ecuador and cleaned out my checking account? It was the only and the last long-term trip (out of 3) I’ve ever undertaken without a backup credit card, as I'd ended up left me stranded in the country with only the cash in my pockets for the next few weeks until my flight out of Peru to return home.
Back then I’d had to rely on my wits and the kindness of strangers and family to help me navigate my way through nightmares of my own making, but I persevered long enough to try and help you do better, and avoid all the needless drama that I couldn’t. I can’t promise it will be easy, but it’s reasonably feasible, as long as you have the will to try.
Sahara Desert, Morocco (NYE 2017)
Tip #1: Figure out why you really want to travel.
It might seem strange but some people don’t generally seem to know why or merely undertake travels for the sake of humble-brag posts about the coolest experiences for all others to envy online. I’m an overly curious person by nature (just ask my mom) and I also happen to love nature documentaries so it’s always been a fantasy of mine to eventually see all those wonderful places I watched through my screen growing up in real life. I know my interests don’t always correspond with those of others so I’m also a fan of solo-travelling but I know it isn’t for anyone.
Ask yourself, if there was no one there to take the trip with you or to take a picture of you while you were there, would you still want to go?
If not, then maybe you should reexamine your reasoning because, in traveling just like in life, some days it could only just be you and for some people that solitude could spell disaster. If your dream voyage is finding yourself yodeling from a solitary mountaintop in Switzerland to only yourself and the birds at dawn, then you probably have less to worry about on this front.
If you must travel with friends then pick someone who know is reliable! This is the number one trait you’ll need in a travel partner unless you want headaches along the way (but that’s an entirely different article for a different day.)
Still, people’s vacation schedules can often clash so don’t let anyone else’s timetable keep you from being able to explore on your own. Just make sure it’s something you really want to do and it will be worth the experience no matter the outcome as long as you stay safe. On several occasions I happened to meet people in Asia who were seriously into animal activism and dedicated a majority of their travels to volunteering at elephant sanctuaries or dog shelters in Thailand or Cambodia which could apparently be a very rewarding experience for more altruistic individuals (maybe not me, though).
Perhaps instead you're a foodie who wants to try exotic dishes and pick up a few new recipes while abroad like bandeja paisa from Colombia, or maybe you're a freelance photographer who needs more visual inspiration.
Whatever your reasoning is, make sure it's something more personal to you in order to offset any bitterness that might come with the price tag of your adventure.
Tip #2: Decide where you want to go.
This might sound super easy but I find people generally want to go big on their first travel experience only to be shocked and discouraged by the overwhelming upfront cost. There are also other factors to consider, such as how comfortable you’ll be navigating around a foreign land where you might not speak the language, how open you are to different cuisines and cultures, how much organization you want to put into planning every detail of the trip yourself, etc.
For example, my first international trip (outside of continental North America) was to Cuba only a few years ago in September 2014 but only because it was easy and cheap enough, just a pre-packaged trip with Westjet Vacations. I’d luckily had a Parisian friend who’d been suffering from work fatigue and had had the vacation days to spare. The trip cost only $550CAD/person for 7 days/6 nights, (bought 4 months in advance) and included the roundtrip flights, airport transport to and from our all-inclusive 3* beachside resort, which also came with unlimited food and drinks (even alcoholic) at nearly any hour of the night. It was perfect for getting my travel feet wet because:
Free booze on the beach, sign me up!
I didn’t have to organize a thing
Our bus driver was waiting for everyone patiently outside the airport as soon as we landed
There was a money exchange conveniently located in the hotel’s lobby
There was no language barrier since most locals working in tourism seemed to be multilingual
The city we were in (Varadero) catered mostly to tourists, which meant there was guaranteed nightlife if we wanted it, in a generally very safe location/distance from our cozy-enough hotel
It turned out to be a great trip, which only gave me a lust for more adventure but I also had to eventually realize that such low-rates not only depended on how far in advance I bought them but also the relationship between countries. Canada never had an embargo with Cuba so tourism there has always been quite cheap yet, although Canada has never been at war with Vietnam like some other world superpowers, entry visa fees at that landborder along with several others in Southeast Asia are sometimes significantly higher for my fellow clansmen than for the French, Americans, Germans and Spanish. This was a lesson I got to find out from personal experience when I crossed the border between Cambodia and Vietnam and eventually Vietnam to Laos. This could or could not be be the case for everyone though depending on the insignia on your passport.
Still, it’s necessary to take this type of information also into account so budget-conscious travelers would do well to check out trips to some of their nation’s allies/territories for better opportunities at least wallet-wise.
Hungarian Parliament, Budapest (Fall 2017)
Tip #3: Plan it yourself.
This step might take a bit more patience as review researching and price comparisons are going to take up the majority of your planning besides managing any reservations for transportation or accomodation on your own. If you can afford to hire a travel agency to handle all the details and can luckily find an afforable vacation like in my case with Cuba, then by all means do it!
I’m not about that life though, as frugal is my middle name and I’m a penny-pincher to the max, squeezing my last dollar until it can take me as far as I can go. I think that I’ve gone pretty far so far but not without a gut-punch to my pocketbook. Western Europe cost me about $6000CAD since:
Accomodation can be crazy expensive ($2000CAD for ten weeks)
Last-minute flights and train tickets can get crazy expensive without pre-booked reservations or a rail pass ($2300CAD, including flights there and back)
wandering can sometimes cost extra money (snorkeling trips, boat tours and jungle ziplining aren’t exactly free)
I’m the type who still half the time cooks dinner in my hostel’s/AirBnB’s kitchen while on vacation rather than eat out because groceries at the local supermark cost about $10-20 and would last me a couple days as opposed to spending the same on one meal. That’s not to say that I haven’t splurged while on vacation (‘cause your girl’s gotta wine and dine from time to time) but not before a 3-month backpacking trip that I was single-handedly organizing.
Still, you don't basically have to stop reading here if such organization isn't for you, though I've found there's almost no way to travel on a budget through an agency unless you focus on a developing country, book far in advance and feel no need to spend any further while there. For example, I have a retired aunt and uncle who travel the world at least a couple weeks a year, usually via all-inclusive cruise packages bought from high-end travel agencies. Between the booking fees and agent's cut, I'm sure those trips cost them a pretty penny that I just have never been able to afford so I've learned to cut costs by planning trips myself.
Yes, my trip to Cuba was affordable per diem but somehow I still managed to spend another $700CAD in that week between going out every night, eating out (and getting ripped off) at the staff’s suggestion when we got bored with the hotel’s food and, moreover, due to the crazy exchange rate the hotel charged us as foreigners. If I'd done any planning of my own I could've saved myself some hassle and some coin by at least exchanging money at my own hometown bank in advance so all I’m saying is always remember that with luxury comes expense.
There are still budget package sites such as Red Tag Vacations and Groupon Getaways, but often you'll get what you pay for so it would be best to keep expectations low. Nevertheless sometimes they work out. That was how I got to treat my boyfriend to a romantic couple’s weekend in Porto, Portugal for only 99€/person including flights and 4* accomodation. Mind you the offer was only available in winter (we went at the end of January 2018) and the hotel was thirty minutes’ walking from the center but the weather was mild enough, nonetheless, and the room gorgeous.
There's always the possibility of looking into trips specifically geared toward tourists/students/expats in your area. For only 399€ I got to spend a week in Morocco from Madrid with all meals, transport (buses and ferries) and photographers included with one such agency. We were a hundred people (and surprisingly almost half were local Spaniards) who went to six different cities, each with a guided tour, and partied New Year’s Eve 2017 away at a Berber camp in the middle of the Sahara desert. It's still one of my favorite trips to date just by how well-organized it was and I made a slew of friends on that trip without having to do more than show up for tours/meals/evening socials when told. All in all, it was money very well spent for everything offered so do yourself a favor and see if there's anything similar advertised near you that's your ideal balance between effort/finance.
Tip #4: Figure out how long do you want to go for.
I’ve know people who’ve packed up and sold everything to make their travel dream come true for a year or two but I know for everyone that’s not always a feasible plan.
From requesting vacation days, hiring housesitters/caregivers, arranging plans with fellow travelers, it can be difficult to ever just drop everything and leave. If you have such a packed life and a lot of responsibilities it would make sense to get anxious over planning a trip longer than two weeks. You could start somewhere smaller and more local, like a crazy weekend in the coolest city within a one-hour flight, before saving resources enough to afford a more entailed holiday.
Just taking off isn’t as easy for everyone.
Also the longer you want to go for, the more you’ll have to book in advance. Being a language teacher the past few years I've normally had entire summers to fill with travel plans but I'm also unpaid during that period so I equally need to budget for the lack of income, especially when I have to set up a new apartment upon my return. Even the most fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants type of people tend to have a tentative idea of how long they want to roam for and in what general orientation.
Listen to your gut and then look into your wallet long and hard. The answer will come to you.
View from Mount Pichincha over Quito, Ecuador (Summer 2018)
Tip #5: Now what you’ve decided where you want to go, ask yourself, would it be worth the effort to learn the local language for the duration of your stay?
If you’re only going to Thailand to dance the night away at Koh Phangan’s monthly Full-moon Party like I did in August 2016, then you probably don’t need to learn any Thai in all honesty.
I’d been living in Spain for a year when I first went to South America and admittedly my Spanish was iffy at best. I made a bigger effort once I hit Colombia’s ivory coast, which became a lot more pertinent issue as I realized that unlike tourism in Europe and Asia, which was largely conducted in English (both moderate and broken), there the industry mostly catered to hispanohablantes (native Spanish speakers). This meant my travel companions and I could’ve been at risk for getting scammed since numbers were even harder to negotiate in a second language. This trip was one of my shortests at six weeks but I’m ever thankful for the work I put into learning the local language because everything helped when it came to both physical and financial security.
How harrowing would it be to have flag-down a bus driver abroad when you can barely ask him for directions or how much the fare is? Not to daunt you with the task of becoming fluent overnight but, trust me, a few basic phrases can really get people enamored to you, help them to lower their guards and therefore make them more willing to help you/less likely to take advantage of you than before.
There are several free apps to begin helping you learning even the basics, such as Duolingo and science has proven that the stimulation is good for your brain. Amusez-vous bien, mes amis!
Tip #6: Almost as important as knowing where you want to go is knowing when you want to go. Always take the weather into consideration.
Summer trip are undoubtedly more costly than winter getaways for obvious reasons but colder seasons can allow for more money-savvy excursions. I visited Prague and Budapest during the fall of 2017, which meant reduced prices for accomodation and less crowded transportation compared to making the same voyage in July. The weather was still perfectly warm enough for central Europe, about 20C (68F) except for the two days it rained in Budapest but that just meant I could sport a cute trench coat and my patent leather boots. Sometimes fall fashion is the best!
If you don’t mind intermittent weather pop-ups, then consider taking a vacay during the off-peak season to do your wallet a favour. If endless sunny days are more your forte and you can’t do without them, then consider staying away from more extravagant destinations for the time being.
London, for example, only gets a few days of sunshine a year so don’t expect to be staying anywhere central without being willing to spend a mint. Destinations off the beaten path tend to also lead to more budget-friendly digs. Two-bed hotel rooms in Laos cost as little at $12USD a night when I went in 2016, for example. Instead of living it up in Greece, why not consider Cyprus? It has a similar historical background, gorgeous architecture and beaches to soak up but at a fraction of the cost of visiting the land of feta and modern democracy.
If you really must bask under the Santorini sun then be prepared to face the biggest challenge on this list so far…
Sunrise over White Beach, Boracay (Summer 2016)
Tip #7: SAVE!
This will be the hardest step so far because it takes the most perseverance.
I’m serious; it’d be wise to stop treating yourself to early morning lattes at that cafe you love and start brewing at home, even wiser to stop ordering take out every other night and get into the habit of cooking for yourself and wisest still to stop telling yourself that you could never afford to go abroad for a week, particularly if you’re out dropping cash in up to triple-digits with your friends more than once a month. The hardest part of this will be learning to tell yourself “no” to old spending habits.
Rainy day money aside and barring an extremely unfortunate event that could screw up your finances (like breaking your glasses while skiing and having to replace without insurance like I did on NYE 2018), it's likely to take about 3-15 months for at least a week's vacation anywhere. Even Groupon has 9 day/8 night trips to Thailand from North America and Europe, flights, transport and accommodation included and starting at $1200USD (999€).
If you put aside even $50/50€/50£/50,000¥ a month that's still nearly $600/600€/600£/600,000¥ in a year which is bound to get you somewhere unless you live in a severely landlocked place, in which case I feel for you (due to air restrictions flying over land is significantly more expensive than over water). Aim to save between up to a third to as little as a tenth of every paycheck that you receive, which I know for some people might be a stretch.
Still, you wouldn't have started reading this article if you didn't think it was possible for you, right? Dreams are all about making the impossible happen so cut what corners you can, even if you have to buy the generics of your favorite brands or learn to cut your hair yourself. Make yourself a target chart to monitor your progress if you need to and try to remember that every opportunity you miss to save a dollar is another step towards broadening your horizons in the long run.
Only in case of emergency.
I saved for six months for my second trip abroad, this time to Europe for three months of summer, and it was easier because I didn't own any property nor did I have any dependents like some but it's still possible even with those factors. How many “Mommy and Me” travel blogs did you used to see on Tumblr before the recent mass exodus, touting mothers who let their tots tag along on their travels? Don't you think they were scraping every penny they earned, too?
Admittedly while it was darned difficult to turn down some of my friends’ invitations as the Canadian weather warmed enough to thaw the spring snow and finally let flora sprout, I was glad I’d had the dead of winter to help build my resilience. Rather than let myself get tempted into nights out on the town where I could easily spend over $100CAD in a single weekend, I'd hosted dinner parties where people could bring food and drinks. The trip turned out to be well-worth the sacrifice and not even at the expense of my friendships but I’d had to learn ways to see my squad without balling outside of my squirelled budget.
Try to organize drink/game/movie nights at a mate’s or maybe dinner, but avoid going out to bars and restaurants unless it's for a special occasion. With the high sales taxes in Québec and the expensive cost of food and alcohol in Canada in general, one could easily rack up a bill for at least $20CAD for a burger and a beer if tip was included. With my first job outside of university, I realized at one point that I was spending $10CAD a day minimum just during my lunch break, which came up to over $200/month, give or take a weekday. I immediately learned to start packing my own lunches after that rough calculation left its impression.
People tend to be willing to pay extra for the peace of mind that comes with some services but you should get out of that habit if you can and start doing for yourself. The reward will be worth it in the end.
Tip #8: Take a shot at a random destination first before finally caving on a destination and putting down any deposits.
It might sound crazy but one of my favorite things to do is go to Skyscanner and use their “Go Anywhere” feature to see what are the closest affordable destinations to me at any given time. You can even search for costs across a whole months rather than merely specific days. For example, round-trip tickets from Canada to the US start at about $160CAD, round-trips from one part of Canda to other parts cost about $205CAD and only $280CAD RT to Mexico, with only two weeks' notice. The best time to buy flights for any trip is at least three months in advance for the best prices, though tickets for last-minute destinations have their place too since you can sometimes get airfare and accommodation for a steal if you're feeling spontaneous enough.
Ask yourself, is it really worth it to save half a year to go to a surf camp in Bali where you'll have to share a dorm with five other strangers when there's one in Guatemala where you could kick back in luxury by yourself in a bungalow at the end of the day for the same cost? Once again, not trying to discourage anyone from making it to the beach of their dreams but does that beach really have to be halfway across the world when there's so much beauty relatively nearby?
Try not to get click-happy before considering all your options.
Mind you as I write this I live in Europe, where competitive flights prices and several capitals within a thousand kilometers make it easy to hop between countries in nearly the blink of an eye, while airfare is notoriously expensive in the Americas, for different reasons depending on where you are from.
For example, it would cost me nearly as much to get from Montréal to Vancouver during summer as it had for me to fly into Dublin and out of Rome seventy days later during the same period. Hence, why I chose to backpack across Europe rather than my own nation. Canada is so big and airfare taxation so high that it would be cheaper for me to fly into Chicago’s O'Hare airport and back to Vancouver International to even shave some dollars off the price tag. These are travel tricks you should consider too before signing on the dotted line for anything.
Glendalough Valley, just outside of Dublin (Spring 2018)
Tip #9: Research, research, research.
What's the weather going to be like when you go on holiday? Will you have to pack extra clothes for warmth which could weigh down your luggage and take up valuable space for souvenirs? If you have decided to just wing it on your accommodation, do you have any backups in mind in case your first choice is full?
The last thing you want to be without options like I was when I turned up at my hostel in Bangkok at 2AM to see that reception closed at 12am and though I waited outside for an hour no one entered or exited the building to let me inside from the increasingly creepy darkness of the street. I ended up fishing for one bar of WIFI, cracking the password and finding a hotel a few blocks away which still had vacancies. The place was super seedy and double the original price of the hostel but it was safe after the blunder I made of assuming that the hostel had 24h reception like all the hostels I'd just come from in the Philippines.
Do your due diligence now to save yourself any hiccups down the road. Other things to consider are accommodation reviews, transportation costs to tourist sites, food expenses, entry admissions, tour guide fees and tips, the impracticality of traveling with certain souvenirs, etc.
Why does the place you’re looking up have a two star when the photos look great? At any talk of a bug infestation run, run, run in the other direction (my experience in Singapore taught me never again). If you're more of an introvert, maybe do yourself the favor of not staying at a party hostel. You'd just be setting yourself up for disaster and a bad time.
It can never hurt to know enough and either way, isn't that part of why you want to go there anyway? To learn more about it? Do the place some justice and at least read up on it in advance. You might be surprised by what you find out beforehand, like Koreans think blowing noses in public is rude and touching someone's head in Thailand is considered extremely invasive. Social customs also matter a lot in the end so brush up on them lepst you come off like an uncultured lout, you bubble-gum chewing swine (yet another no-no from Singapore and any Disney theme park).
Tip #10: Take a second look at your budget and cry a little.
After you’re done with that, look reality in the face and adjust for it. You cannot be a penthouse-suite type of traveler on a hostel budget. If luxury travel and private rooms are the only things that work for you, then prepare yourself to wait even longer to reap such a reward or perhaps shorten your trip to compensate for the extravagance of a few days’ expense. Once again, there’s nothing wrong with starting off with more local destinations either!
Many people think they have to fly to some exotic destination for a holiday to really count but you don’t. There are bound to be more affordable trips that you probably overlooked but should reconsider, especially since they might be just as glamorous without breaking the bank. Now in the age of social media networking, dozens of websites like Couchsurfing, BlaBlaCar and Girls Love Travel (the latter being entirely geared toward the female demographic) have popped up, offering ways to not only to cut down on the cost of accomodation or long-distance transport while abroad, but also ways to meet up with locals/fellow travelers who might already know a haunt or two which could save you a few more bucks.
If you keep an open mind you could be looking at free accommodation, transport between cities at a fraction of the price and regularly organized meetups where nights out at great venues are guaranteed at reasonable rates. This was my entire experience when traveling around Kuala Lumpur but I know this lifestyle isn't for everyone (horror stories like this one aside) yet I would strongly suggest anyone to reconsider.
Gotta weigh the pros and cons.
Like with everything in traveling, read the reviews and weigh the pros and cons of spending a little less if you feel comfortable enough versus when to splurge. Renting a private room in a hostel would still be chump change compared to the same in a hotel and most hostels feature additional amenities such as free breakfast, walking tours and nightly socials. Some are even boutiques with luxury pools that have built-in swim bars so don't turn your nose up without thoroughly taking into account just how much travel has improved in the past decade. Your pocket book will thank you.
Guatape, Colombia (Summer 2018)
In summary…
Finally, resolve yourself to start spend all that hard-earned money you've been saving up over the months or years. It might make you nervous at first to see all those transactions come up on your bank account after so much frugality yet if it's anything but exciting, then you might want to quit while you're ahead. It was definitely hard to part with the nearly $800CAD I spent to get to Europe and back but once that flight receipt was officially in my email inbox declaring I was spending my first summer abroad I never looked back. I was lost to the wander and still have no regrets.
Now let me give you a real life examples for my next trip, my 30th birthday trip to Malta!
Why do I want to travel there? Because it's always been my dream to travel to 30 countries before turning 30 so I decided to make it happen.
Why Malta specifically? I've never been there but I've heard great things, it's close enough to my current location that airfare isn't too much of a problem and overall it's quite affordable compared to other western European countries.
How long? My vacation days are limited in spring so I decided to go over a weekend to save on them. Overall I could afford 3 days off so 5 days total including the weekend so I could at least give myself time to also settle in.
Planning it myself? It took me six months to plan my first 3 month trip and this one of 5 days/4 nights only took a week.
Learn the local language? Everyone purportedly speaks English just fine so my trilingualism isn't even necessary.
When did I want to go? Well that was a no brainer, we'll take off the day after my birthday as I hate doing things the day of.
Shot at a random destination? I've been to every other affordable place that I can travel to from Madrid that would have decent weather in May. Denmark, Germany and Switzerland were also options but their beaches would still be frosty at best at that time of year. There was also Cyprus but it's bigger and would require a car compared to the more compact island. Malta had the right conditions in terms of sun, sand and transport-accessability to make it the perfect late spring destination.
Pick a manageable place and stick to it.
Saving? Since I was asking a bunch of friends to come along with me I decided to splurge (for once) on renting a place all on my own. As long they could get there on their own I'd try to cover them in that regard. We'd be at least 6 people, and anything closer to the capital of Valletta would be better to sightsee from although more expensive. I settled on a 6-bed flat in Sliema, a very happening quartier which ran me about 600€/4 nights with all the administrative/cleaning fees.
It was a hefty price tag but AirBnb allows you to pay half of the price and the other half about a month before your arrival. I booked the location in January to avoid the inflation of later spring rates, using part of my December salary. The other half would be due in mid-April so I had at least two months to save the rest. I'd already nailed down the flights (about 100€RT, 4 months is advance) in December so those were out of the way and the only big expenses immediately left were airport transfer costs, food/drinks, tours/local experiences.
The next parts would come with more research but since I'd already dropped 400€ (eventually to be 700€) I put myself on a budget of 300-500€ more for the entire trip, averaging 60-100€/day. With accommodation already taken care of it, it wasn't an unreasonable limitation. Yet. Regardless, as it was to celebrate reaching a life goal I didn't mind stretching my pocketbook a little further, even if it cried. Or maybe that was just my guilty subconscious.
Research? Malta has a lot to offer in terms of activities but it's mostly renowned for its clear waters, historical landmarks and nightlife. I decided to book a 2-hour diving tour starting at 50€ because it'd been on my bucket list anyway. That basically took up the minimum budget for an entire day so I'd need to make sure to eat in that day to offset the cost. There was a free walking tour so another 10€ for a tip, local wine bottles started at 2€, which saves on spending at the bar, and thanks to its usually temperature weather food prices were just marginally higher in supermarkets there than in Spain. There was a bus that ran from the airport to Sliema so that would save the cost of a taxi.
In fact, it turned out that the office of tourism offered a 7-day unlimited pass which included 2 trips on the Valletta ferry, transport to and from the airport, as well as the choice between a full-day hop on and off tour or on trip to Comino (a nearby island) with lunch. All for just 39€ and only available online. If I hadn't done my research in advance, I would've lost out on as great deal or arrived on the island and been ineligible since the cards couldn't be sent to local hotels and it would not be in my possession until after I got to our AirBnb. There were other boat tours available but I figured with the pass that'd be enough for technically three full days, not including those of arrival and departure. Public buses ran until late so I could scratch renting a car out of my budget and there was a ferry between Malta and Gozo (a must-see destination) also included in the 7-day pass so I decided to max the thing out to the fullest. Everything else I could wing until I got some local suggestions while there but it never hurts to look up local digs/hangouts in advance so you have more places to explore, particularly after sunset.
Cry a little about my budget? Last time I did was during my six week tour of South America which broke my bank balance after my debit card got stolen but this time I couldn't shed a tear. The fact that I had so many good friends who were willing to come spend time with me from their respective corners of the world meant a lot so I swallowed my reservations and got to booking once everyone started confirming with me. Which brings me to...
Don’t worry, you can still ball out even on a budget.
Spending? After booking the flights, accomodation and bus pass I had some down time to save more before other expenses came up. Oooh wait, I'm lying. I got done with the big stuff by the end of January and then immediately got roped into taking a trip to Paris with my mom, aunt and cousin in April (grr). Which is terrible because my main resolution for this year was to travel less (yeah, I know, ironic) and save more but when your mom wants to go to Paris, you go. That was a budget for a different day/paycheck so I'll just leave you with the thought if I can take two trips in a season on a measly teacher's salary and then of course you can do it! Write me when you get there :)
May you get lost in the wonder,
M