The Frugal Traveler

NY Times: Three Things I've Learned About Frugal Travel (And the Things I Didn't Do)

I think my favorite bits of advice are:

1) "Frugal" is about value; spending a certain amount for a food or experience that is meaningful to you, whether it is rare or makes you happy.

2) Meeting people doesn't cost money and makes your trip memorable. During all the traveling I've done, I always remember the people I met, they are inextricably tied to my experiences.

Hopefully after this summer of hard work there will be more frugal traveling in store! I have this pipe dream of taking a month off to travel around Central and South America or India or Vietnam/Thailand after I finish my June-January Sports Center/City Hall work marathon.

Chris and I went to Costa Rica this past week (oh my god, was it just last week?!) and it was amazing. What a beautiful country with such friendly and good-hearted people ("pura vida"), adventures galore including horseback riding (my first time), swimming in a waterfall during a torrential downpour and jumping off rocks into the pool below, zip-lining through forests and across a valley for a kilometer, driving manual through the country in our sweet little BeGo SUV. I can see why so many people become enchanted with Costa Rica, and I am one of them now. Even the capital of San Jose, though at first glance seemingly sketchy and dirty, had a lot of character and hidden gems like Nuestra Tierra 24 hour restaurant and the Cafe Teatro Chris found where we watched a hilarious comedy play performance. I am in love with Costa Rica, and my love for that boy has grown exponentially stronger. We traveled so well together and he makes me laugh. I couldn't be happier. It was really difficult for us to return back to the States, we didn't want to leave.

I'm used to this feeling; I've felt it so many times for all the trips I've come back from and coming back from Japan. But it doesn't get any easier. I know I need to work so that I can leave again, but of course I always wish I could just travel and wander and experience wonderful things. But life is good and interesting and I like my jobs and there are interesting people and interesting things to do and see even here at home. I've realized that it's a matter of one's own perspective; anywhere can be interesting and exciting, it's up to you to have the outlook to make it so.