Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Creative Ways to Save Money for Travel
Did a moth just fly out of your wallet when you opened it? Believe me, I've been there. A lot. Most of us travel on a budget, because we have to. We aren't independently wealthy (if only!), so we can't just spend a bunch of money we don't have.
When you don't have a big budget, you learn to be creative, but you find there are small things you can do that can really add up, too. Here are some ideas to help you pack your piggy bank so you can afford that next trip you're planning:
Cancel memberships - I bet you've signed up for things and then immediately got distracted and, worse, you forgot to cancel them. So, now you're paying for a thing you don't even use. Cancel those memberships and instead pay yourself that money. Make it easy and sign up for Rocket Money and they'll find those monthly fees you're paying unnecessarily.
Watch concerts/theater at home - Yes, going to concerts and live theater is fun, but they can easily add up quickly. I'm not saying to skip those must-see shows, but for most other ones, stream them. BroadwayHD has Broadway shows that you can stream for much less than going in person. The Globe also streams Shakespeare plays, with some big name actors, for a fraction of the cost of a live performance. Disney+ has started streaming concerts of popular artists like The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, and Ed Sheeran.
Make it extra fun and invite some friends over, dress up, mix up some drinks, and have a mini concert in your living room. Take the money you would have spent on a costly concert, and save it instead. Boom! You just saved service fees. Or buy the tickets and get a trip out of it.
Find free things at home - I always suggest finding free things to do on vacation, so your dollars stretch further. Usually there are fun things that cost absolutely nothing and are easy to fit into your itinerary. The same can be said for the city where you live: free music, Shakespeare In the Park, free museum days...
Buy previously owned items/clothing - Some people like to make use of the Free sections on Nextdoor and Facebook. I like to use sites/apps like Poshmark to buy clothes at a fraction of retail. Many times pieces are brand new.
Save your pennies - Yes, we all have a change jar, but I also like using an app that will hook up to my bank account and credit cards, so every time I make a purchase (or pay a bill) it rounds up to the nearest dollar - or more - and moves that difference into a savings account for you.
I use Qapital, where I can set up goals and also attach "rules" to each one. I have 5% of any deposit over $500 automatically transfer over and I round up to the nearest $3, so if something is $2.95, $2.05 gets deposited in my Qapital account. You can have more than one goal at a time and one or more rules for each one. Use my code and get $25 after your first transfer: rt7pa62x
Before you know it, you'll have a good little travel fund going. Yay! Now, start saving to go somewhere amazing.
What are your tried and true ways to save for vacation?
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Beautiful Art of Downtown Las Vegas
Every time I'm in Las Vegas, I marvel at the wonderful art there is around the city. There's almost nowhere as packed with the variety of art, be it wall murals, sculptures, signs, there is in the downtown area of Las Vegas. They have a designated arts district and you can see some of the most diverse and interesting artwork wherever you walk.
You've probably seen some of my other art posts about Las Vegas*, and though I didn't get to spend a ton of time in the city this time, I did get to see quite a few different pieces. I had half a free day after the Travel Goods Show that I wanted to spend downtown, and I did, but mostly inside, because it was cold and rainy, which is not really conducive to doing a street art walk.
The Plaza has had this mural for quite some time and it really captures the feel of the city. It's called Tribute to Cassius Marcellus and is a collab of two Brooklyn-based artists that go by Faile. This is their largest piece.
I caught this fun mural outside of a toy store from the shuttle going to the show. It was painted by an artist that goes by @jacselah (I think this is actually their name) and they have a better picture of it on their Instagram. I loved the bright colors. It's very eye-catching and perfect for a toy store. Rogue II specializes in vintage toys and is the second Rogue Toys store, hence the name.
These two pieces can be found on the Fremont Street Parking Garage, also known as the Red Garage, and the one on the left done by the artist named Raul Oprea, who goes by Saddo. He's a Romanian artist. The one of the right was done by Greek street artist that just goes by "b.".
The Circa Hotels is one of my favorites in the downtown area. It's 21+ and is really beautiful. They have an awesome food selection and they never changed the name of the garage, so it's still the Garage Mahal, which I find amusing. The mural behind it is on another side of the Plaza Hotel and is called Cultivate Harmony, done by Shephard Fairey.
Not every piece of art is an intentional work of traditional art. I dined at Park on Fremont - just steps from the Fremont Street Experience - and was pulled in by the colors of this bike with the restaurant sign and the textures of the wall.
Speaking of Fremont Street Experience, you can watch the canopy come to life all day/night long with fun LED displays and music videos (these start at 6pm) that are made especially for it by a handful of artists you've heard of, like Imagine Dragons, Chainsmokers, Katy Perry, and Shakira.
I loved this wall. So vibrant, even in the dreary weather. I couldn't find any info on who painted it, but it did give me Agostino Iacurci vibes, who has done several other murals in downtown Las Vegas. They are an Italian artist that uses these same colors and palm tree design in their work, so maybe it's them.
Behind Park On Fremont are some other great businesses and even the alley behind them got an art glow up. This piece, and the electrical boxes, is by Pretty Done, who has a lot of other pieces in downtown, and is on the back wall of the nightclub Octopussy.
Here's another piece by Pretty Done. It was along the whole wall around the back garden of the ENGLiSH Hotel, where I met some friends to do dinner at Pepper Club, the on-site restaurant. If you see it, you should listen and go inside. The food was delicious.
Obviously, this is just a sample of what you can find downtown. Each year, new art is added as part of the Life Is Beautiful art and Music Festival and some pieces come from past Burning Man festivals. I love that, because it allows me to get some of the best parts of Burning Man without having to endure the rest of it that I would neither like, nor could I afford.
Tell me your favorite city for street art?
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Why Solo Travel Has Become So Popular
More and more women are traveling solo. In fact, more women than men are willing to go on a trip on their own. We don't always travel alone because we are single. Sometimes we go for work. Sometimes we can't get our friends to coordinate their schedules. Sometimes our spouses don't like to travel (this still seems crazy to me). Sometimes we just want some alone time.
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I just came back from 4 1/2 days in Las Vegas alone and I had the best time. I met up with friends and family, went to a travel show, did some sightseeing on my own, talked to a bunch of strangers, and even went out to some nice restaurants on my own.
I'm not one to care what other people think of me, but I also know that most people are too busy with their own lives to judge you for eating by yourself. I also find that staff giver you a little extra attention when you're alone and keep an eye on you more than they would if you were with others, especially if you eat at the bar.
Remember: if you want to do something, stop waiting for other people to go with you, because while you're waiting, you're missing out on some really great stuff.
Have you traveled solo before? Where?
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