Africa on hold
The economy continues to crumble and with it goes something I’ve grown very excited about over the last few months.
Longtime readers may remember my parents announced around Christmas time that they wanted to take the family to Africa during the 2010 World Cup to celebrate my step-mom’s 60th birthday and my little brother’s graduation from high school.
Being the super-planner I am, I’d started forwarding travel articles about South Africa, ideas gleaned from people who’d recently traveled there, recommendations of travel agents specializing in this area, etc. to my step-mom.
She hadn’t really responded so I assumed she was just filing them away in a South Africa file (which I’m sure she had since we’re very much alike!) until she started planning in earnest.
Well, you know what they say about assuming…
I recently received an email from my step-mom letting me know they still want to go to Africa, but that they are considering putting the trip on hold for several reasons:
1) They’re concerned about press reports saying that South Africa isn’t as far along as it should be at this time for the World Cup. If South Africa does manage to actually pull it together, my parents wonder what the quality would be.
2) My parents were in Germany for the World Cup a few years ago so they’ve experienced the crowds, but they think the infrastructure in Europe was much better than South Africa will ever be.
3) They’re concerned about how much they’ve lost in the stock market and whether they should be spending $40,000-$50,000 at this time. Even though the world economy may be in recovery by next summer, they’ll have to spend the money today to hold reservations.
4) They’re also concerned that with the global economic meltdown, they may make deposits to companies in precarious financial straits (even if they’ve been around for decades), which could potentially put their hefty deposits at risk.
Checking out the financial condition of service providers in South Africa could be a lesson in futility, and they don’t know how or if they should buy insurance to cover such a potential loss.
While I’m disappointed, I completely understand their reasoning and support their decision. To be honest, Africa always seemed like such a far off reality since we were talking 2010 and I knew anything could happen between now and then.
All that said, I will continue to save up my alternative income for this purpose because hopefully things will turn around and Africa will become a reality. Maybe not in 2010, but one day.
Filed under Economy, Finances, Travel | Comment (0)Washington D.C. on the cheap
If I had the extra vacation days to burn, I think I’d always build in a buffer between the day I got back from vacation and when I returned to work…being stuck at my desk after three glorious days of freedom is nothing short of torture!
So in case you couldn’t tell, here I am back in Texas after a fun weekend trip to Washington D.C. – tired, five pounds heavier and $325 lighter! I’m actually pretty proud of my expense total since I’d allotted myself $380 for the weekend.
Below is a breakdown of all my expenses, with some notes on why I was able to cut certain expenses:
Travel Expenses
Airfare – $35 (used frequent flyer miles; this total includes the annoying $15/each way bag fees)
Hotel – $0 (free, thanks to my job in the hotel industry!)
Parking – $0 (free, thanks to points I’d accrued in a frequent parker program)
Food – $131.55
Transportation – $52
Tips – $12
Sightseeing – $25
Shopping – $60.60
Entertainment – $10.75
TOTAL: $326.90
Now, in case you’re planning a trip to DC in the near future and you’re interested in road-tested tips, here are some of my frugal finds:
Where to eat
Much to my dismay, we left the day Restaurant Week started in Washington D.C., but we were still able to experience some incredible food without spending a ton of money. My faves:
2 Amy’s – this popular restaurant specializes in Neopolitan-style pizzas and offers a chic winebar setting without the chic prices to match.
Matchbox – shaped long and narrow like its namesake, Matchbox is an upscale pub with some great food. We tried the sliders (3 for $8) with fried onion rings on top and a chicken sandwich with gorgonzola cheese and red peppers ($11). Too bad I was full otherwise I would have definitely ordered the Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding. Mmmm…
Filomena – this Italian restaurant is a little on the expensive side, but compared to most of the big-name popular restaurants, it’s actually reasonable for a nice dinner. Featuring traditional pasta dishes, handmade by the so-called “pasta mammas,” the menu is stuffed with cheesy (and marinara) goodness. By splitting the gigantic Manicotti (more than enough!) and a hefty slice of Tiramisu, we got out of there for less than $70 total. Tip: be sure to make a reservation because the wait was 1 ½ hours on a Sunday night!
What to see and do
DC by Foot - one of the best tips I received was to check out a free walking tour of the Monuments put on by “DC by Foot.” Led by a former teacher and guidance counselor, the 2 ½ hour tour was incredibly informative and fun…and did I mention it’s free? We tipped the guide $15 because we were so impressed, but we would have spent that amount per person on some of the other tours offered.
Newseum – although it’s a little pricey at $20 per person, I would say the cost was more than worth it at this museum devoted to everything newsworthy. Six floors hold interesting exhibits such as an entire wall filled with newspaper front pages from 9/12/2001, interactive broadcasting booths and a gallery of Pultizer Prize winning photos. We spent three hours there before having to leave for another appointment, but we felt like we could have stayed for at least another two hours!
National Museum of American History - just remodeled and reopened in November 2008, the Museum of American History is a Smithsonian museum meaning it’s wonderfully free. Exhibits include the ever-popular First Ladies Gallery, a section devoted to Abraham Lincoln (in celebration of the 200th anniversary of his birth), and The American Presidency: a Glorious Burden.
Free Museums - although we didn’t get to them, other free Smithsonian museums include the Natural History Museum, Museum of Air & Space, the National Portrait Gallery, American Indian Museum and the National Zoo.
How to get around
Taxi – if you fly into Dulles airport and you have a lot of luggage, a taxi is probably the easiest – albeit most expensive – option. We ended up opting for this but with a little more hassle we could have used a Supershuttle or taken the Metro into town (although our hotel was in Georgetown which has very few Metro stops).
Walking – in terms of getting around in the city, hoofing it is the best way to get some exercise while experiencing the flavor of D.C. in my opinion. We walked everywhere – I’d literally say 20 miles over the course of the 2 ½ days – but along the way we enjoyed quaint streets with grand and historic homes and up-close views of such renowned buildings as the Capitol, White House, Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial.
Metro – an alternative to walking for more far-flung adventures is the Metro, which is easy to figure out and conveniently connects travelers to most parts of the city.
Where to shop
For those of you with eagle eyes, you probably noticed the $60 expense attributed to shopping. I was delighted to find some inexpensive but fun shops in Washington D.C. where I picked up some real finds (in fact, I’m wearing one of the dresses I bought right now!), including:
H&M – This low-price retailer specializes in modern fashion and accessories, with some celebrity collections thrown in for fun.
Zara – A European discounter, the styles tend to be a little more fashion forward although the prices seem stuck in the past.
Filed under Travel | Comment (1)Today’s nickel and dime award goes to…
US Airways announced today that they will start charging passengers for pillows and blankets on their flights starting later this month.
I wouldn’t mind so much except for the fact that I seriously think some airlines feel the need to make the inside of the aircraft one degree short of a meat locker. My teeth have literally chattered on a few recent flights!
To be fair, JetBlue also charges for pillows and blankets, but at least on there I can distract myself by watching the 36 free television channels. Or, worst case scenario, huddle up next to the seat in front of me to steal some of the warmth from the TV set.
Luggage, soft drinks and now pillows and blankets…what’s next, a fee to use the restroom? Wait, better strike that from the record in case an airline executive is reading this and thinks the idea has merit.
Filed under Random, Travel | Comments (2)New twist on credit card arbitrage
For those of you who get a secret thrill out of arbitrage schemes, here’s a new one involving frequent flyer miles.
I’ll admit I’m too chicken to actually do this since I fear I’d forget to cancel a card or worse, my credit score would plunge and I’d be screwed for years (although the author supposedly monitored his score and it was fine).
But if any readers have the cajones to do this let us know so we can give you the kudos you deserve…and hit you up for a free airline ticket or two.
Filed under Finances, Travel | Comment (0)