Scrimp or Splurge?

Thanks Arthur Frommer for this great post on what to spend your money on when you travel.  Take note of where he says to scrimp, especially hotels.  All you do is sleep there, right? 

Quality Time

It is summer vacation planning time and I have had lots of questions about whether or not I use a travel agent for my trips.  The answer is no.  Travis and I are the travel agents, and I am happy as a clam to keep it that way.  Why pay someone to do the work that you can do?  Here is my favorite tip for planning a vacation. 

Go to your favorite bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Full Circle, etc. and plop down in a comfy chair in the travel section.  Go grab some books that perk your interest.  Just a few weeks ago, Travis and I had books on Amsterdam, Brussels, France, Spain, and Europe in general.  I think we picked up about 12 books.  It is the absolute best way to learn about a place and start to plan a trip.  Here are a few of my favorite travel writers/publishers. 

Rick Steves
If you are traveling to Europe, pick up a Rick Steves book.  I cannot say enough good things about how he prepares you for everything.  Reading his book on Italy is what made our trip so smooth and easy.  Check it out. 

Fodor's
I like the books that are the 25 Best series.  They are perfect for putting in your purse because they have a fold out map in the back flap.  With such a small book, you don't look quite so touristy whipping out a map to figure out where you are.  Also, they narrow the field on what is exciting and cool to see. 

Frommer's
They are very similar to the Fodor's books, but they give great food recommendations.  We dominated San Francisco's food market thanks to Frommer's. 

Enjoy and happy travels! 

Planning A Big Trip: Budget

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money.  Then take half the clothes and twice the money.  ~Susan Heller

When I talk to people about my travels, the first thing they comment on is how they wish they could go to cool places like Italy and NYC.  And almost always, people say they could never do these things because it is too expensive.  Travel, like most things in life, is a choice.  If you choose to make it a priority, then you end up actually doing it.  When Travis and I got married, one of our biggest goals was to travel.  Consequently, we sacrificed on a few things (new television and furniture) so we could save for fun trips.  We have been blessed to travel to some of the coolest places on Earth in just a few short years.  Part of this comes with Travis's ability to properly budget a trip.

I am the first to say that money is not my strong suit.  I am by no means a crazy spender (although Travis may think otherwise) but I don't really think things through like my husband.  Thankfully, he is able to calculate quickly how much we will need to a trip.

Here is how we budget our trips.  We always pay for the majority of our trip before we go.  This makes the actual trip much more fun because we are not worried about how much we are spending each and every day.  So, get the biggest expenses out of the way a few months ahead of time (plane ticket, hotel).  Sometimes hotels will give you a discount for paying in advance.  (Look to smaller hotels in Europe).  This might be helpful for when you plan your next trip.

Travel (airfare, taxi fare, subways, bike rental, train tickets, etc.) 
 Do your research ahead of time.  Look to travel websites like Kayak, FareCompare or Airfare Watchdog to snag the cheapest flights.  If you are a student, look at studentuniverse.com.  When Travis and I were in college and took our first trip together to Europe, we scored $650 tickets in the summer to London on StudentUniverse.  Look on FareCompare's map of prices for an idea on what a plane ticket to Japan costs in July.  (I have looked, it is around $1200 bucks). 

In most major cities you can look ahead for subway/underground fares to get an idea of what you want.  Also, travel books will have a section in the beginning about what to expect on travel.  A cab ride in Rome might be cheaper than navigating the crazy bus system.  Or the thought of navigating a foreign bus route might be worth spending a little more on cab fare.  Be prepared and do your research and know your limits.  

Hotel 
Make a list of what is important to you.  Is it fancy bedding?  A bathroom attached to your room?  Is breakfast included?  Ambience and character?  A trusted "name"?  I like TripAdvisor for reviews and suggestions on places to stay.  You can easily get an idea of what a room costs and look at real pictures taken by real traveler cameras of rooms and hotels.  This prepares you for the bathroom down the hall or the awesome breakfast. 

Decide what kind of trip you are taking.  Are you going to the beach in Mexico?  Then splurge on the room because you will spend a lot of time there.  Are you going to Europe?  Then just remember, you only sleep there.  Look to location over name brand or size.  It is important that if you are in a big city, you want to stay near the things you plan on visiting.  Do you research, buy a few books, and read about where you want to stay.  If you can sacrifice on a few luxuries in order to make the trip, do it.  The experience of travel is much better than the sheets. 

Tabard Inn, Washington D.C. Small, quaint rooms with great breakfast!

Food 
Is this a big part of your trip?  For example, when we visited San Francisco, we quickly discovered that the food was incredible, so we spent big on dinners.  And it was worth it.  In Italy this past summer, we knew that we could eat pretty cheaply, but we wanted to be able to have a few nice dinners in each town we visited.  In Florence, we "pic-niced" outside of the Boboli Gardens in front of the Pitti Palace, visiting the local grocer across the street for fresh melon, cheese, and prociutto to stay within our daily budget. 

When traveling abroad, look for hotels that include breakfast.  It is usually pretty good (various meats and cheeses, juice, pastry, coffee) and saves you the time and extra bucks you would spend each morning looking for breakfast.  Also, be realistic and include drinks.  You might walk by a quaint little bar at 4 in the afternoon and think, man a beer sounds great right now.  But, be ready to pay a little more than you would back home.  Be honest about how you spend here, and add about 25-40 bucks for travel.  

Activities
Do you plan on visiting any museums?  Do you want to rent an umbrella at the beach?  Do you plan on shopping at H&M?  Do your research.  Almost every major museum in the world has a website and will tell you exactly how much it will cost.  Some famous museums even have deals.  For example, when we visited NYC this past fall, we found out that on Friday evenings the MOMA has free admission thanks to Target.  The line snaked around the corner at 5:30 (but moved quickly) and it was crowded inside, but we were able to avoid the $20 entrance fee.  Some museums will give you a discount if you are a student, and some will even discount you for being a teacher.  Teachers, do not hesitate to pull the teacher card.  You will be amazed at the deals you can score.  More on that later.

Fat Tire Bike Tours in Barcelona.  A great way to see the city!

I met a lot of people in Europe.  I even encountered myself.  ~James Baldwin

My best suggestion for taking big trips is to be honest about the kind of trip you want.  Planning a trip can be fun, especially if you want to visit a place way different from where you live.  Look to blogs and travel websites and spend a few hours at Barnes & Noble in the travel section.  That is a great way to spend a Saturday night.  There, you can get an honest perspective on how much it will cost and you can decide accordingly.  Also, you can contact me and will talk for hours about it.  HOURS.  Thus, the blog.  Happy travels! 

The Leaning Tower of Pisa...It Really Leans That Much

Pisa is really only known for one thing nowadays, and that is the infamous "Leaning Tower of Pisa". 

It really is worth the visit because there is more to Pisa than just the "Leaning Tower".  If you are in the area and have an afternoon, I suggest visiting this Tuscan town.  We flew in and out of Pisa on our trip and in order to avoid stress we spent one night in Pisa before our flight back to Dallas.  I was happy that we were able to see the city, because it gave us a little more insight into Tuscany.

When we arrived in Pisa we immediately checked into our hotel which was steps to the Tower and the Baptistry.  After settling in, we ate lunch and a cute little place called La Buca that gave us a great view of the tower. 

See the tower?  Pretty cool, huh.  After lunch we visited the "Field of Miracles" or the big lawn with a big church and the famous "Leaning Tower".  It was actually really pretty, with multiple Renaissance style buildings similar to the famous Duomo in Florence.  It was also filled with people taking this type of picture. 

If you like to people watch, which Travis and I do, take some time and sit on the lawn and watch people take this picture.  It is hilarious.  The really funny part is that most of the people taking the picture spend tons of time adjusting the subject for the shot and they forget that they can move their camera much easier than the poser.  So, in all languages you hear the picture taker directing the subject to move "just a little to the left" and "down, down, down" and "over juuuust a bit".  Also, there are apparently multiple ways to take this picture.  There is the classic "holding up the tower" pose as seen above.  There is also the couple pose, where both people hold it up.  There is also the couple pose where one person pushes and the other holds it up.  The list goes on and on and it is really funny watching people adjust themselves into various poses.  Quite entertaining. 

After the 'tower' picture, we took a walk around the "Field of Miracles".  The church is beautiful on the inside and is worth a visit. 

It does cost, but for just the Church it is only a few euros.  You can pay to see every building but it is not really worth it.  You can also visit the top of the tower for 15 Euros.  I did NOT want to visit the top because it leans and is made of marble, which means that you could slip easily and fall to your death.  (I have a wild imagination and exaggerate, but it could happen).

A few fun facts about the "Leaning Tower of Pisa" courtesy of my favorite tour guide, Rick Steves.  The Tower was built by three different architects and was not finished for over two centuries.  When the first guy built it, they got about two levels up and everyone realized it was leaning.  So, they stopped construction for awhile.  Then, the next guy tried to fix it by building it towards the other direction.  It was still leaning.  Then, the third guy tried to fix it again with the belfry on top and that didn't work either.  In the 1800's, people tried to fix the lean by digging a hole on the opposite end.  This made it sink even more and it almost toppled to the ground.  Finally in the 1990's, they devised a plan to help it stay up.  It currently leans at a five degree angle and is being held up by a concrete and steel structure built underneath the structure.  Every single column has been replaced over the years.  It is kind of weird that Pisa has spent so much money on it but, it brings in almost all of the tourism to the city, so ultimately it is worth it. 

After visiting the "Field of Miracles" we took a walk through the city, which led us to a street market near the University.  This was great because it gave us some insight into how real people live and took us away from the cheesy tourism stuff. 

Explore and enjoy the city!  It is not very big, so it is hard to get lost and you can always find gelato nearby, which is a must. 

The Details: 
Where to Stay:  Hotel Francesco ($120/night)
How Long to Stay:  1 day/afternoon
How to Get There:  Take the train from Florence (It is about an hour)

Favorite Travel Items

Sometimes the hardest part of planning your summer vacation can be packing.  It can be stressful having to plan day by day exactly what you are going to wear, especially if you don't know the exact weather forecast or if you don't have definite plans.  I almost always over pack, which can be a terrible mistake if you are visiting multiple cities in one trip.  So, I thought that I would share some of my favorite travel items and a few clever things to do to make packing less stressful.  Sorry guys, this post is for the ladies only.  You may find this boring.  Maybe I can get Travis to do his packing list later today. 

First, always make a list.  Travis always does this and I started doing it a few years ago.  It helps you organize what you need and you will never forget something important like underwear.  Isn't this pre-made packing list I found on Apartment Therapy, clever?

Shoes take up a ton of room, so decide on only a few pairs.  I know that this can be difficult.  Trust me, I love me some shoes, but they are space stealers and ultimately, you only need a few pairs.  Some shoes that have treated me well over the past few years are Birkenstocks.  I noticed them the first time that I traveled to Europe because all of the women were wearing cute patent leather Birkenstocks like these and these. 

I wear these suckers out!  After three or four wears they start to mold to your feet and fit extremely well.  They also make long days full of walking on cobblestone streets bearable.  My sister, my mom, and I wore them during the day when we visited New York City a few weeks ago, too. If you are visiting a place where you know you will be walking, bring comfortable shoes that you don't mind getting dirty.  Ladies, DO NOT bring your favorite shoes!  They will get disgusting and you will be sad when you get home when you find they are ruined. 

I always bring a cute neutral sandal that can dress an outfit up just in case you decide to go out on the town.  Maybe something like this:

If you know that you are going out and really need some heels, I would suggest something that you don't mind getting dirty.  You never know how far you will need to walk to dinner or a show and the streets in big cities can get pretty gross. 

When packing your shoes, always put them on the side of the bag, and put them in last after you have put in your clothes.  Also, place them soles out, so the bottom of them do not get on your clean clothes.  Gross!

I like to bring clothes that transfer from day to night, like jersey dresses or skirts.  Both my mom and sister have this dress from Anthropologie and it is very comfortable and extremely cute.  Great for a hot day and dinner that night!   Also, it packs great because it is jersey knit. 

I would also wear something like this, also from Anthropologie. 

It looks like a skirt and a shirt but really it is a dress.  Major space saver!

I wore these shorts from J.Crew while I was in Europe and they were a great buy.  The best part about them is that they don't stretch out after one wear and always look clean.  This was great for a two week trip with no laundry facilities. 

Also, bring at least one good cardigan and one good light jacket.  Both are a necessity for the cold airplane trip to your destination (and also serve as a great pillow).  You never know when there will be a cool spell, and the last thing you want is to be shivering in a tank top and shorts.  I like this cardigan from J.Crew as well as this jacket from Anthropologie.  Both are cool weather options that pack nicely and don't wrinkle. 

Most importantly, you need a purse that can hold all of your important documents and won't weigh you down after a long day of walking.  I love a good cross body purse like this black leather one from Nordstrom. 

I carried a similar style that is brown leather and it was the perfect size for holding my wallet, phone, camera, passport, and maps. 

Finally, I like to bring this micro fiber towel on trips. 

I accidentally left the one I have had since my sophomore year in college (p.s. that is way too long to own a towel) in Pisa and had to get a new one from Bed Bath and Beyond.   I was sad to lose this towel because it dries quickly and fits on your head perfectly.  Also, if you have experienced the Pei Wei napkin like towels like the ones we expereienced in Italy, you will need something else to dry you off.   It also rolls up nicely and doesn't take up too much room. 

I hope that these tips help you on your next summer vacation!  Please let me know if you have any suggestions or things that you cannot travel without, so I can include it on my next travel tip post.  Enjoy! 

Bored?

If you are interested in doing a little blog/article reading this lovely Saturday, check out a few of these posted on some of my favorite blogs and sent to me by my friends.

5 Tips for Taking Great Travel Pictures from Apartment Therapy.  Great tips on how the make the most of your travel adventures. 

More photographing tips on how to take great street photos sent to  me by my amateur photographer friend Andrew Simms.  

Looking for a cheap getaway this summer?  Check out Airfare Watchdog.  If you sign up for their emails, you receive unadvertised fares from your local airport.  There are usually some pretty great deals if you are looking for some last minute travel.

Looking for more on Florence?  Check out this article from the NYTimes Travel section (great resource) for Florence on 36 Hours.  

Also, the Sartoralist has been taking some great summer photographs, especially from Italy.  The men really know how to dress.

Enjoy!  Have a great weekend!