I am not sure how we have arrived at mid August already, but the end of summer is now in sight. A few of the trees here in New England are tinged with the colors of fall, and the days are noticeably shorter. I haven’t posted in awhile because things in the Together We Travel household have been challenging lately, but I suspect many of you have felt that, too. So with very little extra money, a lot of time due to unemployment, and the continued love of travel, we have gotten creative with our ideas. Let’s talk about ways to still get out and have fun on a limited budget.
First, we will be taking a road trip to the Poconos for a convention at Kalahari waterpark! My husband and I are driving Kandicow and Akira the Red from the Cosplay Crowd to Colossalcon East. The two young people are volunteering to staff the convention, so they get free hotel rooms, free food, free waterpark admission, tickets to a rave, and reimbursed for gas on the drive there. I had points left on my credit card, so my husband and I got a free hotel room for one night before we trek back home. I have never been to that area, so I am excited to do a whirlwind adventure. If conventions are your thing but you are low on funds, look at volunteering to staff. My youngest kid is staffing at a different convention called Pop Cult in a couple of weeks with similar perks.
My oldest kiddo turns 21 in September, and she entered a lottery to see Chappel Roan in New York. She got in, got tickets for her birthday night, and thus we will be traveling to New York City after the Poconos trip. Now, this one wasn’t inexpensive, but my daughter paid for the concert tickets, so that saved me a lot of money. If concerts are your “jam” and you have to travel for a big one, think about reserving your hotel room before you get tickets. I booked a room in Queens for $150. After the tickets went on sale, rooms skyrocketed to $400, $500, even $700. I am not big on city driving, so we will be adding a bus adventure to our itinerary for this trip. At $30 per ticket, my peace of mind won’t break the bank.
A few days later, my husband and I will be off on our trip to Turkey and Bulgaria. This trip was purchased in advance with points and rewards. Taking advantage of the Turkish Airlines stopover program, we will have a free night in Istanbul before continuing on to our Bulgarian road trip. Most of our hotels include food, and the cost of food and activities in Bulgaria is very reasonable anyway. I am not the person to teach you to play the points game, but there are many websites out there that provide guidance if you want to learn to use credit card points and rewards for travel.
Finally (for now), we have a quick weekend in Iceland on the books. Play Airlines had a great deal for winter travel. They since have canceled all US flights. We got our refund, and with a flash deal on Icelandair, we are back in business for spending my husband’s birthday hunting Northern Lights. This trip was a splurge, sure. But, we plan to eat from grocery stores, go swimming at the public pools instead of the fancy lagoons, take public transportation, and just enjoy the city in winter.
This schedule is way more than I usually plan. The travel, the pace, the distances, the packing and unpacking, the details of it all…I am a little overwhelmed. But we only get one turn on this ride so we may as well make the most of it. Until then, we’re working on the next video, trying out some new cameras (Bulgarian road trip videos coming out next year), and spreading joy on our travels. Happy adventuring!