To Dream the Possible Dream

I am not a rich person. Financially, I am not even middle class. I have lived most of my life with less, sometimes by choice but mostly not of my free will. But I have come to believe that success cannot be measured by dollar and cents but by the happiness quotient.

I have always wanted to travel but lack of time and money has always been a hindrance. Now I have learned that if you have the time, money is no object. Really. And we make time for what we really want to do.

My trip to Europe was a budget trip. I wasn’t interested in fancy restaurants or posh hotels. The thrill was that I would be on another continent, an ocean away. It was an adventure not luxuries that I was in search of..

I figured that I travel in the U.S. on a budget; I can do the same in Europe. Yes, having a small inheritance appear strategically helped immensely. That meant I wouldn’t bankrupt myself to go but I would have gone, regardless. I had lived frugally for a whole year and saved up my money to make this trip possible.

Everything was done cash, no credit. I spent 12 days in England and Rome for under $2000, if my calculations are correct. That includes airfare, train fare, hotels and food.  It took a lot of armchair research to make it happen. And as the commercials say, "if I can do it, anyone can!"

Me in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, wishing for a return trip.

Traveling solo. . ."all you have to fear is fear itself."

I decided to make this blog my travelogue too. I've been suffering from procrastination. So much that I am finally blogging about my trip to Europe 2 years ago. Better late than never though, right? I resisted sitting down and writing about it. Don't know why. I had notes that I took in real time but they have gone missing. Another reason I should get it down in writing sooner rather than later.

Two years ago, I was very afraid to take my trip mostly because I was doing it alone. In 2000 I went to London and Paris with my sister and I vowed I would return to Paris again before my passport expired. The plan was to do it with someone. Alas, in 10 years, although men came, they mostly went and in 2010 there was no one in my life to go with me. I asked an internet friend and he diplomatically turned me down. I think he thought I was propositioning him. I wasn’t. I just wanted company.

So with great trepidation and as much determination, I decided to plan my trip. My coworkers encouraged me. They told me it would be fine. I nearly changed my mind and didn’t go but I’m glad I did.

I did it all alone. No travel agency except Expedia online. I googled and researched online. Tripadvisor was extremely helpful. I bit the bullet and my trip was set. The day after classes ended, I was out of here!

Life lesson: You can travel alone and be safe. My rationale was that I do it here in the states all the time. Using the same caution and common sense, a woman can do it in Europe too.Go for it! I did and now I'm no longer afraid.

Taking hints from staycationing

I live only 35 minutes by car, one hour by train to a major world city. That has prepared me for traveling any where. When I'm in the mood to escape my boring town, I jump on a train to Chicago.

My train stops at some of the major tourist sites--Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Art Institute and Millennium and Grant Park, etc. From the end-of-the-line stop, I can walk to Navy Pier, Water Tower Place, Willis Tower, wherever my stamina takes me.

What amazes me most though is that so many people I know won't take advantage of public transportation to travel to Chicago. That may explain why they are so resistant to travel other places. Public transportation really comes in handy especially when you're looking for bargains here and overseas. I travel to Chicago for less than $12 round trip. You're lucky if you can park your car in Chicago for only $12 an hour.

I use public transportation daily so I'm used to it. I know some of the ins and outs, and most of all, I'm not afraid of it. I have learned not only to endure it but to embrace it. It can be very entertaining. Sometimes I'm a supporting actress in a Forest Gump-like movie listening to strangers confess their secrets. Other times I'm a spectator watching a comedy routine or even an impromptu championship fight. It's all how you look at it.

K.I.S.S. works

When I finally got my courage up to travel to Europe alone, the first thing I did was troll the web for advice. I looked for everything from what to wear to where were the best budget places. I bookmarked lots of travel webs and read lots of reviews. The most helpful site was tripadvisor which gave me what actual travelers encountered and what they recommended. You have to always account for your own taste as you read it.

Then I started doing the fun part--planning. My original trip would have been over two weeks and included four times as many stops but I edited my plan. I think I made a wise decision. I was overwhelmed by my overachieving dreams and it almost derailed my whole trip.

So my first advice is research, research, research. My second advice is keep it simple.

Yes you can afford to travel

Last year I took a trip to England and Rome. It was 12 days long and it costs me about $2000. That isn't cheap but that isn't expensive for a European trip, People tell me all the time, they can't afford to go but I know "Yes, you can." All it takes is research, planning and budgeting. I want to go to Peru and see Machu Picchu and the Nazca lines. It won't be cheap but I know it isn't impossible.

What I plan to do in this blog, besides the cathartic mutterings and political rants, is to show people that it is possible to travel if you really want to. What I have found out is that most people choose not to travel and there's nothing wrong with that (yes there is). But if you really, really, really want to travel, I will show you option. Did I mention I make less than $20,000 a year and I don't use credit cards? But yet I went on my own and had a wonderful time. All will be revealed.

To fly or to sit, that is the question

Yeah, yeah. I know. It's been 2 and 1/2 years since writing on this particular blog. I come back to it now because it really is my monologue or my dialogue with myself. I need to clarify some things that only I can clarify.
For example, I have learned that possessions tie you down. I wish to travel and it is so much easier without a house, a dog, children, a job, a husband. But just the sound of all that weightlessness sounds depressing.
So what do I do? Do I put off being anchored to be unstable and travel for a while? Or do I accept predictable stability and stay put?

Cable TV - Remeber when?

I'm old enough now that I can remember when things were muuuch different. Like cable tv. I was just reading a blog about how a family canceled their satellite dish subscription and are now saving $93 a month.

Well, a tree canceled my digital cable subscription. Up until a giant tree branch fell on my cable line, I was addicted to my comcast channels. When we first subscribed many years ago, it only cost $9.95 a month. It came with cable only channels that didn't have commercials. For a little extra, you got HBO or Showtime.

That was then. Now those special channels have been moved over to another tier that you have to pay extra to get. And even then, they have commercials. My last bill was $90 a month. That didn't even include movie channels. Like the other family, I was only watching certain channels. I was definitely not getting my money's worth.

Now I watch network television from an antenna. I feel guilty to think I can see these shows for free. PBS carries my documentaries. The networks have my soaps and my reality shows. I do miss MSNBC but I can watch snippets on their website. I am a member of another website that feeds me all the British TV I can consume. I have even been introduced to new favorite shows I never would have discovered if I was still hooked to cable. I do miss the Cartoon Network and Ted Turner Classics. I don't miss VH1. Lately I have taken to cruising dollar stores and reject dvd bins for old classics.

All in all, that tree crashing my cable and making me go cold turkey on cable was the most frugal thing to happen to me ever. I am very happy with my tv, my dvd, and youtube.